It seems quite a few are perplexed that reference may be made to tax map parcels in deed descriptions.
Let me start with some backgound information on New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In New Jersey Tax Maps are prepared for each municipality at the municipal engineer's office. Some municipalities have professional employees while most have outside consultants. Copies of deeds that may involve any changes in the lot are accumulated throughout the year and then reviewed. Changes may be as simple as a different distance on a line to the creation of new lines in lot adjustments to new lots. The later has been sped up by requiring graphic computer data files for major subdivisions. Major subdivisions are more than three lots and/or include a new road. State Map Filing Law specifies monuments, etc. Once a Map is Filed it is perfectly acceptable to transfer a lot by reference to the Filed Map Lot Number, Filed Map Name and Filed Location, (generally a Map Number at a Courthouse). There are however Land Associations that have the Association's maps in their Association office. Maps that predate state laws may have few or no dimensions or bearings. Land associations may include private roads, private police, private developemnt rules etc.
Minor subdisions are less than 3 new lots within a certain number of years along existing roads. Some land has been around long enough to now be a dozen or more lots. I am completing engineering work on a 3 lot minor subdivision with a shared single common driveway. By law Minor Subdivivions may be perfected by deeds only at the county level. The Municipality may have the minor subdivision maps available, but it is probable that few resurveyors ever check unless there are problems.
One thing every parcel in NJ has is that it will have a Tax Block and Lot Number as a part of any deed to be filed. That is all a Sheriff's Deed may contain. A private deed may contain reference to TB/L# and hopefully a "same as" predescessor deed statement. A totally adequate deed description may be as simple as Lot 7 in Block 3 on a map entitled "Sunrise Estates in Sunset Township", dated 1/2/1934 by Amos Hopeless, CE" in Map Drawer/File/Folder/Book 72 in the County Clerk's Office(Hall of Records) Middlesex County. Elsewhere on current deeds one should find a street address and Tax Map Block # and Tax Map Lot #.
Once created a Tax Map Lot Number can exist for 50 or more years, while owner's can change on a regular basis. A description of bearings and distances described as along Tax Lot 3, along Tax Lot 4, along Tax Lot 5, and along Some Road can transmit more information than much lengthlier prose. Tax Records can get you a Name, Lot Address, Recent Deed Book/Page faster than any other source. One must understand that the most important municipal function is to see that the taxes are collected.
With numerous consultants there are many ways to skin the Tax Map Cat. Township A map have 15 Tax Map Sheets with Tax Map Blocks on parts of more than one map. Blocks may be numbered in some sequence across the township. A block line does not cross a street, RR, maybe a stream. A new subdivision in Block 8 may include an enclosed new Block 8.01, lots may start anew from 1. Elsewhere in Block 8, Lot 1 may be subdivided into 1.01. 1.02 etc.
Another township may have 30 tax sheets with the Blocks on Tax Map Sheet 1 being 101, 102 and 103. Sheet 10 may have several major subdivisions and new sheets are created to accomodate. Tax Map Sheet 10.01 may have Blocks in the 1000 range that are above those on Sheet 10. Whatever the logic the blocks are not ambiguize so no reference need be made to the Tax Sheet Numbers.
Paul in PA
Colonial State's Deed Calls (Survey 101) PA Second
It seems quite a few are perplexed that reference may be made to tax map parcels in deed descriptions.
In PA Tax Maps are prepared for each
County In various manners. My home County Northampton has a Tax Map Sheet Grid System that covers the whole county.
A to R, North to South, 1 to 12, West to East.
I live at 326 10th Street, West Easton, PA
My Tax Map/Block/Lot number is L9SW3D 9 1
Map L9 has 4 quadrants; NW, NE, SW, SE
Each of those quadrants has 4 quarters; 1, 2, 3, 4 clockwise from NW
Each quarter is further broken down to A, B, C, D clockwise from NW
Farm areas may be covered by a single sheet like R9.
Go to http://www.ncpub.org/Main/Home.aspx
"Search for tax records"
Agree to their rules.
Type "326" for address, "10" for street and hit "search".
Almost anything you need to know to search me out.
Deed Book 527, Page 148 etc
Included in the profile is my Parcel Idententifer Number "GIS PIN 5066-14-1049-1821"
It is the SPC South coordinates of the centroid of our lot, Eastings and Northings alternating in groups. Some Counties now only use this information for tax map puposes.
"5066" would be a lower left E/N of a tax map.
"14" would get you to breakdown sub maps if needed.
"1049" would get you to grid coordinate sections on the map.
"1821" would be the map number.
Some counties have been on such systems for 20 years or more. They would also have available matching aerial photos for each map.
Very expensive to change over an existing map system.
There is also extra work in maintaining it, for instance a lot line adjustment could require a new PIN.
Similar to NJ in that a Tax Map Lot number is a unique freference compared to an owner.
Paul in PA
Colonial State's Deed Calls (Survey 101) PA Second
I see your point. In some states tax ID numbers would certainly be meaningful in deeds. Here in Virginia however, it would depend on the county. Some have very sophisticated GIS maps they use for identification. Usually the parcels in these counties are on a coordinated system layer over satellite photos. But some counties, mostly rural ones, have tax maps that are basically a county highway map provided by the Virginia Department of Transportation. The planning departments then hand draws parcels as best they can guess their location. They are labeled something like Map 18 Parcel 7 (usually listed 18-7). If 18-7 was created in 1940 and the own now deeds 5 acres off out of the SW corner to his son, the sons new parcel will likely become 18-7A. The planning department then draws a square parcel in the SW corner of 18-7 and labels it 18-7A.
I have seen parcels drawn in the wrong corners of parent tracts (which then places it against entirely wrong adjoiners). I have seen parcels mapped as if they were cut out of the wrong parent tracts. Sometimes they are drawn as if the have road frontage when they are in fact "land locked" (at least by written deed description). Several times I have seen parcels indicated to be on entirely wrong maps, miles from the correct location and on the wrong state roads (don't ask how that happens, I still don't know).
So, I'd say using it in a deed for a description of the property would strongly depend on the locality and the accuracy of system that locality uses.
Colonial State's Deed Calls (Survey 101) PA Second
I forgot to mention the two boundary surveys the company I work for was hired to do by a client that purchased the properties at county auctions. If property taxes have been billed and gone unpaid for more than seven years, the counties auction them at commissioned sales for back taxes. These two particular parcels were determined by the mentioned survey company, two lawyers, and two title companies to never have existed at all! The were mapped "accidentally". Turns out they were never deeded away from parent tracts so essentially that acreage was double taxed. The county had to refund the auction price and all other costs to the purchaser.
This has been less than seven years ago. I'm curious to see if they try to auction the same parcels again a few years from now. Supposedly the county planning office deleted the false parcel numbers and that won't happen. My concern is that they will still show up in old land books and get remapped.
Identifying Adjoiners Via Tax Parcel Numbers
Generally it is sufficient to say Tax Map Lot 1 for the adjoiner, however there are cases where the Block Line follows the Lot Line, the notation might be Tax Map Block 7, Lot 1. It is strongly recommended to include the words Tax Map Lot or Tax Lot to avoid confusion if Filed Map Lot numbers are different than Tax Map Lot numbers.
The next complication is lots within different municipalities. The simpler case is where adjacent lots are in the adjoining municipality. In one recent survey the municipal line called for a PQ property corner, the call was along Tax Map Block 6, Lot 7 in Municipality 2 and along the Municipality 1 Municipality 2 boundary. If and when your adjoining calls return to the first municipality your call detail is again expanded. If you do not have record evidence that the property line is also the municipal boundary, do not further bind your survey, a call to along a lot in Municipality 2 does not neccessarily bind the call to the municipal line.
Last week I worked on a survey where a municipal corner monument was in the front yard 50' from the road and 20' from the sideline. The municipal line was shown on the tax map. There was no deed record of it, and the Tax Map indicated only a Tax Lot number in municipality 1. The adjoiner lot however had 2 Tax Lot numbers. Since the survey was for septic repair and not property transfer no description was required. Because municipal lines do not follow property line it is not unusual to have a call "along Tax Map Lot 18, also being Tax Map Block 4, Lot 5 in Municipality 2". Because Tax Map Lots are municipality specific in New Jersey not all of the above applies in PA.
PA Tax Map Lots are county specific, so one can continue a series of calls for adjoiners using Lot numbers even if one or more are in an adjacent municipality. Because blocks are limited by streets it is usually possible to differentiate lots solely by the Lot number, not needing the full Tax Map Sheet/Block/Lot.
In counties solely using PIN numbers, it is easiest to use the full PIN because it is rather concise; "along PIN 1234-56-7890-5678" may be followed by "along PIN 1234-56-8097-1234".
If you are writing a full metes and bounds description of a Filed Map Lot it is better to reference Filed Map Lot numbers in your calls.
Tax Map information on right-of-way widths may also be referenced in a description. Caution is advised as it is easy to have conflicting "Road Return" widths, Tax Map widths and deed calls to right of ways all conflicting.
Paul in PA
Further explanation please
"Because municipal lines do not follow property line"
Are you referring to a situation where only a fraction of a large parcel was ever annexed into a municipality? Or are you referring to a situation where a municipality did a large annexation, one side of which happened to slice a tract into two taxing districts? Or is this the result of something akin to a lot line adjustment merging tracts in adjacent municipalities into a single tract?
I recall seeing something on here once about a residential tract that was in both North Carolina and South Carolina at the same time as it was part of a subdivision that fell on both sides of the State boundary for some insane reason.
"Along" Per Black's
"Along" - The term does not neccessarily mean touching at all points, nor does it neccessarily imply contact.
First off, most municipal boundaries do not have completely monumented boundaries so most of what one thinks is speculative. A lot boundary marker may in addition be a minicipal marker but the lines in each direction may not be concurrent. Surveys of both would rely on different record data.
I have recently done a survey where a rear angle point monument is called out as a City/Township monument. I acquired the relevent City Boundary map and know that the monuments were set by Lafayette College civil engineering students year ago. They have long standing of acceptance. The next angle point to the West was intact, the next angle point to the East was very deteriorated but a line monument was also set. The monument to the West and the line monument both has USGS brass placques. The angle point is a called for stone monument in a wall. I found a 6" square stone about 1.5' tall with a drill hole. The wall is 3' tall but there is a 6"x6" pocket in the wall to allow access. The wall is on the township side of the line in an unopened 15' alley. The survey was at a fixed price but I was curious and surveyed the entire block. All the neighbors were curtious, curious and friendly. I have suffient evidence for this parcel to state a professional opnion. In most cases the evidence is less encompassing.
Without an extant map and monuments a professional opinion would require tens of thousands of dollars in work.
In Colonial States most boundaries predate, States, Counties and Municipalities.
Boroughs and cities grew out of townships, sometimes by petitions, one lot at a time.
I recently surveyed a farm and have deed and/or map evidence that the Borough/Township line was in the creek to the West of the tract, through the middle of the tract, along the easterly tract line and finally somwehere through the middle of the cemetery to the East.
Paul in PA
> Let me start with some background information on New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In New Jersey Tax Maps are prepared for each municipality at the municipal engineer's office. Some municipalities have professional employees while most have outside consultants. Copies of deeds that may involve any changes in the lot are accumulated throughout the year and then reviewed.
>
Just wanted to add that all Tax Maps in New Jersey must be prepared and signed by a Licensed New Jersey Land Surveyor. Every few years the maps are submitted to the State Division of Taxation for review.
> One thing every parcel in NJ has is that it will have a Tax Block and Lot Number as a part of any deed to be filed. That is all a Sheriff's Deed may contain. A private deed may contain reference to TB/L# and hopefully a "same as" predescessor deed statement. A totally adequate deed description may be as simple as Lot 7 in Block 3 on a map entitled "Sunrise Estates in Sunset Township", dated 1/2/1934 by Amos Hopeless, CE" in Map Drawer/File/Folder/Book 72 in the County Clerk's Office(Hall of Records) Middlesex County. Elsewhere on current deeds one should find a street address and Tax Map Block # and Tax Map Lot #.
>
If you go to http://tax1.co.monmouth.nj.us/cgi-bin/prc6.cgi?&ms_user=glou&passwd=data&district=0242&srch_type=0&adv=1&out_type=2 You can look up any tax parcel in the state.
> Once created a Tax Map Lot Number can exist for 50 or more years, while owner's can change on a regular basis. A description of bearings and distances described as along Tax Lot 3, along Tax Lot 4, along Tax Lot 5, and along Some Road can transmit more information than much lengthier prose. Tax Records can get you a Name, Lot Address, Recent Deed Book/Page faster than any other source. One must understand that the most important municipal function is to see that the taxes are collected.
>
Copies of older versions of Tax Maps are normally available at the Municipality, County Tax Board and/or the State Division of Taxation.
> With numerous consultants there are many ways to skin the Tax Map Cat. Township A map have 15 Tax Map Sheets with Tax Map Blocks on parts of more than one map. Blocks may be numbered in some sequence across the township. A block line does not cross a street, RR, maybe a stream. A new subdivision in Block 8 may include an enclosed new Block 8.01, lots may start anew from 1. Elsewhere in Block 8, Lot 1 may be subdivided into 1.01. 1.02 etc.
>
> Another township may have 30 tax sheets with the Blocks on Tax Map Sheet 1 being 101, 102 and 103. Sheet 10 may have several major subdivisions and new sheets are created to accommodate. Tax Map Sheet 10.01 may have Blocks in the 1000 range that are above those on Sheet 10. Whatever the logic the blocks are not ambiguize so no reference need be made to the Tax Sheet Numbers.
>
If you wish to see want a typical Tax Map in New Jersey looks like, the following link will take you to the page of the Village of Ridgewood's Tax Map which I am the Consultant for. http://www.ridgewoodnj.net/subdept_detail.cfm?sub_dept_id=210&dept_id=2
While a call to the Tax ID is quite acceptable, given a choice I will always call to the lot and block on a filed map if available.
Further explanation please
I have done numerous surveys along the New York New Jersey border of parcels that straddle the state line. I have even done surveys where the state line passes through the dwelling.
Although New Jersey was created in 1665 when the Duke of York granted a charter for New Jersey to Sir George Carteret and John Lord Berkeley, the location of the state line between New York and New Jersey remained disputed until 1769 when it was settled by royal commission.
