Which type of legal description would describe the location given as S1/2 of the NW1/4 of the SE1/4 of Section 12, Township 8 North, Range 6 West?

• A. Metes and Bounds
• B. Lot and Block
• C. Recorded Plat
• D. Rectangular Survey

Answer: (D)

This is a description rooted in the Public Land Survey System, the Rectangular Survey method. It uses a grid of townships and ranges to locate land, with sections inside each township. The phrase Township 8 North, Range 6 West places the parcel within a specific 6-by-6 mile block system tied to a baseline and a principal meridian, while the reference to Section 12 and fractional parts shows how land within that section is subdivided: SE1/4 is the southeast quarter of the section, NW1/4 of that is the northwest quarter of that quarter, and S1/2 of that is the southern half of that quarter. That sequence yields a specific parcel (20 acres in this example: 640 acres in a section, 160 acres in SE1/4, 40 acres in NW1/4 of SE1/4, then 20 acres in the south half of that). This contrasts with metes and bounds, which uses distances and bearings from monuments; or a lot and block within a recorded plat, which describes parcels by lot numbers in a subdivision map.