I've always had a problem with those who insist only one of those two options is correct. Claiming one to be wrong and the other always correct is ridiculous. That makes as much sense as claiming a quarter to 10:00 is wrong and only 9:45 is correct. Even worse is those of us who insist on referring to three hours past noon as being 3:00 p.m. instead of 1500 hours. By G--, it MUST be one way and NOT the other.
The following is an example of where I prefer to mix the two options. Imagine a rectangular parent tract that has a complicated multi-sided tract cut from it. Further, the remanant tract has only two sides not common to the multi-sided tract. I would have the complicated tract begin at say the southwest corner of the parent tract, then go N,E,N,E,W,N,E,N to north line of parent tract, then E to NEC parent tract, then south to SEC parent tract, then west along south line of parent tract to point of beginning. My remnant tract would then commence at the point of beginning of the complicated tract description, then go N the same call as the first call from before ...to the point of beginning of the remant tract. Then the next seven calls would be identical to those in the first description to where we finally hit the north line of the parent tract, then I would go W and S to get back to the point of beginning.
The first description would be clockwise and the second would be counter-clockwise. However, most of the calls would be identical.
(Putting on flame retardant suit)
I don't know if it should be REQUIRED but I have always (well almost always) followed the clockwise convention. I was taught (many years ago) that it was just good drafting practice.
Andy
It's not that big of an issue to me. I don't really see why it matters, but it is required in some states, so I always do it.
It doesn't make any difference which way. I haven't yet seen any boundary or description being declared invalid or illegal based on the direction of travel. (If there are any such examples, I'd really like to see them). It's nothing more than personal preference. Kinda like a brush hook vs sandvik - whatever blows your skirt up.
Personally I'd tell any "deed checker", "plat analyst", or anybody else that gripes or complains about such a trivial matter to "kiss my grits".
That is one of the biggest problems with our profession. For such an opinionated crowd, we are sure happy to have other people who are utterly ignorant of what we do, tell us how to do it. We have even caved so far as to apparently allow such nin-com-poops to write statutes, ordinances, and other "standards" for us idiots to follow. Isn't it about time we, as a profession, put on our big boy pants and start leading instead of being the bleating sheep we seem to be???
Slight hijack, but this seems like a good place to mention, if it hasn't already been discussed; I never put a south bearing on a map. All lines are shown as N blah, blah E, or N blah, blah W, which, of course, is what they are.
Don
I have heard of that before but I put whichever direction makes the most sense.
I just spit a 450 acre parcel in to two. The split line has about 30 legs. So I kept the original outside the same for most of the distance. I wrote the two descriptions so that they went the same direction along the 30 legs (same description line). This made the most sense to me. I had to reverse the outside for about 6 calls on one description from the original so that the split line would be the same. Seemed easiest to me and also the clearest way to check the two descriptions.
So I'm with Holy Cow!
I don't know where these supposed rules that I have never heard of come from.
"I was always taught..." etc.
I was never taught that.
NASCAR only turns left.
I've been describing to the right since day one.
😛
“begin at say the southwest corner of the parent tract, then go N,E,N,E,W,N,E,N to north line of parent tract, then E to NEC parent tract, then south to SEC parent tract,”
Your Most Holy Methaneness,(and purveyor of mushroom planters)
Just out of curiosity why would one proceed East, thence West?;-)
Have a great weekend! B-)
[sarcasm]Wow! You got it wrong against!!![/sarcasm]
To the British-English portion of the world, it's Clockwise and ANTIclockwise.
Which way does your digital clock run?
I'm with you, Dave..
The only difference I can remember was that old HP cogo programs returned a negative area by traversing CCW. Positive by CW.
Wouldn't it be prudent to use whichever direction described your survey accurately?
> That is one of the biggest problems with our profession. For such an opinionated crowd, we are sure happy to have other people who are utterly ignorant of what we do, tell us how to do it.
:good:
Anyone but another surveyor.....;-)
Which way does your digital clock run?
Forward...
🙂
Loyal
Point: Loyal! Good one!
> I've always had a problem with those who insist only one of those two options is correct. Claiming one to be wrong and the other always correct is ridiculous...
Well, it is and easy matter to resolve here in Hawaii. It's the law. From the State of Hawaii Revised Statutes:
"§502-18 Description; lot subdivisions. A metes and bounds description of the exterior boundaries of the parcel or parcels of land sought to be registered as a file plan shall be written upon the plan, or printed or typewritten on unruled good quality white paper 13 inches long by 8 1/2 inches wide, shall be filed in duplicate with the file plan, and shall be dated and signed by the surveyor making the field survey, or under whose supervision the field survey was executed. The boundaries of the land platted shall be described as running from left to right (clockwise) and the azimuth system shall be used in designating the courses of the survey with zero or 360 degrees at due South; 90 degrees at due West; 180 degrees at due North; 270 degrees at due East. Any printed or typewritten description filed separately with the file plan shall be recorded in the registry system and the book and page thereof noted on the file plan. Expense of recordation shall be charged to the owner. The initial point in the description shall clearly show the connection with the government triangulation system, and all outside corners of the tract shall be substantially marked by monuments in the ground, where practicable. In all cases where tracts of land are subdivided into lots, with the intention of conveying separate lots by lot number and reference to the plat, it is necessary to show the true azimuths and lengths of all principal lines, the lot areas, and a sufficient number of durable monuments shall be placed in the ground so as to accurately identify each lot. [L 1905, c 23, §2; am L 1915, c 68, §2; RL 1925, §3135; am L 1931, c 63, §3; RL 1935, §5121; RL 1945, §12721; am L 1951, c 200, §1; RL 1955, §343-12; HRS §502-18]"
When we feel like "going rogue" on metes and bounds descriptions here, we generally throw in or subtract therefrom various "henceforths", "to wits" and "hereins". 🙂
i like to check my plans by punching them into COGO by hand
i typically annotate in a way that i can input the information the quickest.
8.5 by 13 inches - do they really enforce that? A quick inet search does not show that paper size at any supplier.
I'll repeat what I said earlier, cause that is a perfect example. Are we really that incompetent, or just too afraid to say anything?????
That is one of the biggest problems with our profession. For such an opinionated crowd, we are sure happy to have other people who are utterly ignorant of what we do, tell us how to do it. We have even caved so far as to apparently allow such nin-com-poops to write statutes, ordinances, and other "standards" for us idiots to follow. Isn't it about time we, as a profession, put on our big boy pants and start leading instead of being the bleating sheep we seem to be???
