What Is a Metes and Bounds Description?
Metes and bounds is a method of describing the exact boundaries of a parcel using a sequence of compass bearings, distances, and physical monuments, rather than a lot-and-block number from a recorded plat. "Metes" refers to the measured distances and directions of each boundary line, and "bounds" refers to the landmarks and adjoining features that frame the parcel. Every metes and bounds description begins and ends at the same Point of Beginning (POB), tracing the perimeter so that the description "closes" — if it does not return to the POB, the description is defective.
In Florida, metes and bounds descriptions are common for irregular, rural, agricultural, and waterfront parcels that predate modern platted subdivisions, and they appear frequently in older deeds throughout Manatee, Sarasota, and the surrounding counties.
Components of the Description
- Point of Beginning (POB) — a fixed, identifiable starting point
- Courses — compass bearings stated in degrees, minutes, and seconds
- Distances — the length of each line, usually measured in feet
- Monuments — natural features (rivers, lakes, trees) and artificial markers (iron pipes, concrete monuments, fences)
Florida's "Priority of Calls" Rule
When the elements of a description conflict — a common source of boundary litigation — Florida courts resolve the ambiguity using the priority of calls, which ranks the description's elements from most to least reliable:
- Natural monuments (a river, lake, or shoreline)
- Artificial monuments (iron pipes, surveyor's markers, fences)
- Courses (the stated compass bearings)
- Distances (the stated measurements)
- Quantity or area (the total acreage)
The logic is that a physical monument on the ground is harder to mistake than a number copied from deed to deed, so a fixed monument generally controls over a conflicting bearing or distance. Gaps, overlaps, ambiguous monuments, and measurements that no longer match the ground are the usual triggers for a boundary dispute or a corrective survey.
Related Terms
- Legal Description — The formal identification of a parcel in a deed
- Survey — The field measurement that maps a metes and bounds description
- Plat — The alternative lot-and-block method of describing land
- Boundary Dispute — Litigation that often turns on conflicting calls
- Encroachment — An intrusion frequently revealed by a boundary survey
Barnes Walker Real Estate
Barnes Walker's real estate and litigation attorneys interpret metes and bounds descriptions, resolve conflicting calls, and handle boundary disputes and quiet title actions across Southwest Florida. Request a legal inquiry for assistance.
Reviewed by the attorneys at Barnes Walker, Goethe, Shea & Robinson, PLLC