> I was reading a deed today for a job in AL. It keeps referencing the "NE Corner of the NE 1/4 of Section 16".
>
> For goodness sake, just call it the "NE Corner of Section 16" and be done with it.
>
> Back to my Colonial System where it is what it is.
The reason many PLSSer's are in the habit of calling the NE4NE4 or N2NE4, etc. is because it's a short way of telling the person in the back room of the recorder's office how to index the property into the STR index system. If you don't give them a clue, they're trying to follow the description to determine which aliquot part of the section to index it in. They too often guess wrong.
Basically, it's a short-hand way to help the indexer to do their job.
JBS
I had the quarter corner problem with a title insurance worker nearly 20 years ago. She understood sections and things like the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter, but, somehow she had not been exposed specifically to the term quarter corner. Or, maybe just misunderstood what she had been told or read. She asked me to change the wording to say the northeast corner of the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter instead of my preference for "east quarter corner of section X". The tract was within that specific quarter-quarter and it confused her to use a term that was more general. We had a long chat. I changed that one, but, it was the last one.
I don't know about being dangerous, never found that at all with those who have bothered to learn something about the PLSS system. Years ago there was a very small number doing their own surveying to mark out small tracts they sold. Doesn't take long to determine what they did and arrive at an equitable resolution with all landowners even when the measurements were made on the slope. Exchanging deed documents to get occupation and descriptions matching and recoverable is a little more work but not a problem. With planning and zoning today those things no longer happen. Those ranchers may not look or sound socially acceptable to a large part of the population, but most of them are way ahead of the general population on their ability to manage their land, know the law and good ranching practice, probably have a wider range of knowledge than the practitioners of most other ways of making a living. In fact many today have high degrees in various fields. I find it is usually surveyors and new imports with no common sense and no consideration for others that cause most of the land problems around here. Does not take long for them to create problems where none existed. I was not making a joke and am sorry to find out that you were. Maybe bias, but I happen to live among them, and prefer their company over of those in the fast lane.
jud
> I was not making a joke and am sorry to find out that you were. Maybe bias, but I happen to live among them, and prefer their company over of those in the fast lane.
> jud
My lame attempt at a joke was aimed playfully at the Metes & Bounds states. And the winky, smiley thingy meant I was kidding;-)
My Uncle is a rancher, and yes, he is very versatile, but I wouldn't want him surveying my property.....
The corner common to Sections 9, 10, 15 and 16 is the correct way.
I would say, the corner of sections 9, 10, 15 and 16, T..N., R...E.Principle Meridian, Montana
Keith
To be fair, "South" may not be exactly along the East line of the NE 1/4, as there are many instances in PLSS states where section and/or township lines do not run exactly N, S, E or W. Even when the intent was to run the line due South, it probably isn't, and many surveyors specify just to make sure. There is an old surveyor a few counties up from me who surveys exactly by the 1815 field notes, verbatim. If it says East 80 chains, he sets up his GPS and runs due East 5,280 feet and sets a monument, regardless of what he finds on the other end. I recently completed a contract for the Forest Service, and he had surveyed a 40 acre out parcel at the forest boundary. He set 4 concrete monuments exactly 20 chains apart, and on grid bearings exactly North, South, East, and West from one another. Each monument was within 20 to 30 feet from an existing Forest Service monument that had been kept up since the 1800's.
I recently completed a contract for the Forest Service, and he had surveyed a 40 acre out parcel at the forest boundary. He set 4 concrete monuments exactly 20 chains apart, and on grid bearings exactly North, South, East, and West from one another. Each monument was within 20 to 30 feet from an existing Forest Service monument that had been kept up since the 1800's.
So he was fixing what those old-timers had messed up.
That is really good surveying...;-)
The reason for 'the NE corner of the NE 1/4 of Section 15' description is
that the general description called for the NE 1/4 of Section 15. If you
call for the NE corner of Section 15, then the reader of the description
might think that you are tinkering outside the NE 1/4 of Section 15 and
have violated the general description's bounds. A tax assessor may also
have some questions whether you have stayed within the bounds of the NE 1/4.
I cannot remember reading a description in the PLS in the 1800's calling for
a 1/4 corner. I worked for a surveyor in Illinois who would call for the
SE corner of the NE 1/4 of Section 15, but never 1/4 corners.
Replication is sometimes clarification.
Principal
> > I was reading a deed today for a job in AL. It keeps referencing the "NE Corner of the NE 1/4 of Section 16".
> >
> > For goodness sake, just call it the "NE Corner of Section 16" and be done with it.
> >
> > Back to my Colonial System where it is what it is.
>
> The reason many PLSSer's are in the habit of calling the NE4NE4 or N2NE4, etc. is because it's a short way of telling the person in the back room of the recorder's office how to index the property into the STR index system. If you don't give them a clue, they're trying to follow the description to determine which aliquot part of the section to index it in. They too often guess wrong.
>
> Basically, it's a short-hand way to help the indexer to do their job.
>
> JBS
JB,
fair enough. And it is not "wrong" to do it that way. I prefer to have the general area in my header. Typically I start out descriptions with a header along the lines of:
"A tract or parcel of land in the N.E. 1/4 of the N.E. 1/4 of section xx T. X. N., R. Xx w. of the X principal meridian containing XX acres (or square feet). It gives others that general indexing guide of the basic locati9on and area the parcel is in. (I also include the county).
Another concern is that many use commas between the partial sections as in NE1/4, SE1/4. This can be construed as both quarters or possibly as a portion of a portion. I make it more clear and write out "of the", so as to be less cryptic. I don't want a lawyer-type (I won't mention any names) ripping me a new you-know-what claiming that my misuse of commas might change the whole meaning of the text.;-)
Why go a hundred miles to describe 1 foot?
