Last Updated on May 11, 2022 by Fair Punishment Team

Have you recently moved and are looking to find the legal description of your new property?

Perhaps you have found yourself curious about the legal description of your current property and want to find out what it is?

Or maybe you are curious about legal descriptions in general and want to find out more? Whatever your reason might be, we have the answer for you!

If you own a property, you will often want to find out all you can about it. You might want to track down the original deed or learn more about the land it was built on.

Often you find yourself wondering about the legal description of the property.

You want to find out what the official records say about the property and the land it was built on, but no matter what you do, you can’t find the answers you need.

You find yourself desperately scrolling, trying to get answers, but find nothing every time you try. Disappointed and frustrated, you resign yourself to never knowing what the legal description of your property is.

Well, no more! Today we are here with the answers you need. Keep reading to find out how to find a legal description of property and everything else that you need to know about them!

What Is A Legal Description Of Property

Before we dive in, let’s have a quick recap for those in the room that need it. A legal description of property is a unique identifier, usually a paragraph or two that will contain information that describes your property.

Often it will include land features, the total acreage of the property, and what there is on the property.

It is usually short and considered one of the most important documents in real estate record-keeping. It will act as evidence of the location and boundaries of the property.

So what are they used for? Well, a legal description of property is used in every real estate transaction and will clarify what land, rather than building is moving from the seller to the buyer.

These legal descriptions can vary from state to state, and even cities and towns!

We see cities and suburbs use recorded plat (lot and block) to describe the property, whereas rural areas tend to use a different system known as metes and bounds.

If you are unsure how your property description has been created, you can speak to a legal advisor for more information or your real estate agent.

Often, they can help you to cut through any confusing legal jargon and tell you what you need to know about your property!

Now that we have discussed what a legal description of the property is, let’s take a look at what is included in the description and how you can find it!

What Is In A Legal Description Of Property?

So what will the legal description of property say? Well, usually there is a survey sketch and description of the property.

The description will tell you where the boundary lines are, the name of the parcel or parcels the property spans, and information about the county, town, or subdivision the property is located in.

If the description is written using the metes and bounds method then there will be a defined beginning point that the land must return to for it to be valid.

We usually see this method in rural areas describing large and unsubdivided parcels of land (think of large farms or ranches).

If the legal description was created using recorded plat, then the description will include the lot, block, and subdivision, and any government descriptions too. This is the usual method for describing the property in cities and suburbs.

If you are unsure, there are plenty of property description examples online that you can read to show you what to expect from your description.

Each description will be different as it relates to a specific property and land, so you can expect yours to be a unique description of your property.

How To Find Legal Description Of Property

Let’s dive straight in and answer the question that brought you here today! You can find the legal description of your property in its current deed.

The deed of your property is usually kept on file at your county clerk or recorder of deeds office. Sometimes this is also known as a registrar.

You can also find your legal description in the sales contract when you purchased the property.

In most states, this is where you would find the legal description of the property. There can be some discrepancies from state to state, so be sure to check where the deeds are kept in your state.

Chances are though, you will need to pay a visit to your county clerk’s office!

If you have a copy of the deed yourself, or the original deed for the property, then the legal description should also be there for you to view.

This might need to be updated if the land has expanded or there have been significant changes to the property.

Sometimes the descriptions can be incorrect due to these changes or have the wrong name on them.

In these cases, you will need a deed of correction of the scrivener’s affidavit corrections. These will allow you to note the errors and add the correct information and it can often be done at the recorded deeds office.

Be sure to check this beforehand though as this can vary depending on the state you are in.

You can raise any questions you might have about your property’s legal description with your real estate agent or at the county clerk’s office.

As the state and federal entities do not keep these records, you are likely to deal with the county clerk’s office or the recorder of deeds office.

Be sure to check where yours is in your local area to find your legal description and check that it is correct.

Any errors on the description or the deed, in general, can be flagged here and the office will assist you in making the changes.

Final Thoughts

And there you have it, to find your property’s legal description you will need to check the deed of the property.

If you do not have the deed you can view a copy at the county clerk’s office or the recorder of deeds office.

Here the staff can help you track down your deed and see how your property is legally described!

This information can also be found in your property’s sales contract and will show you the boundary of your land and the name of the parcels it sits on.

While this information is usually only needed for the closing of a sale or to settle any boundary disputes, it is still interesting to see the description of your property. Why not look yours up today?