What is Metes and Bounds?
Metes and bounds is a system of describing real property boundaries by specifying the distances (metes) and directions (bounds) of each boundary line, starting from a defined point of beginning and tracing the perimeter of the property back to that starting point. It is the oldest method of describing land in the United States and is still used today, particularly for irregularly shaped parcels, rural properties, and older properties that predate the platted subdivision system.
A metes and bounds legal description reads like a set of walking directions around the property boundary. It starts at a fixed point (the "point of beginning"), follows a specific compass direction for a specific distance, turns to a new direction and distance at each corner, and returns to the point of beginning. Every line segment is described with a bearing (compass direction) and a distance (in feet or chains).
How to read a metes and bounds description
Example:
"Beginning at an iron pin at the intersection of the south line of Oak Street and the west line of Elm Avenue; thence South 0 degrees 15 minutes East along the west line of Elm Avenue, 150 feet to an iron pin; thence South 89 degrees 45 minutes West, 200 feet to an iron pin; thence North 0 degrees 15 minutes West, 150 feet to an iron pin on the south line of Oak Street; thence North 89 degrees 45 minutes East along the south line of Oak Street, 200 feet to the point of beginning."
This describes a roughly rectangular lot that is 200 feet wide and 150 feet deep. The bearings are expressed in degrees, minutes, and seconds from either North or South, turning East or West. "South 0 degrees 15 minutes East" means a line running almost due south with a very slight eastward angle. Modern surveys use decimal degrees, but older descriptions use the degrees-minutes-seconds format.
When metes and bounds are used
In Texas, metes and bounds descriptions are common for older properties (particularly those predating 20th-century subdivisions), rural and agricultural land that was never subdivided, irregularly shaped parcels that don't fit neatly into a plat, and properties created from larger tracts through carving out specific portions. Most modern residential properties in subdivisions use lot-and-block descriptions that reference a recorded plat rather than metes and bounds.
Investors encounter metes and bounds descriptions when dealing with older homes in established neighborhoods, rural land, and properties where the deed predates the modern subdivision system. These descriptions can be confusing to read but are legally precise -- each boundary line is defined by both a direction and a distance, and the description must close (return to the starting point) to be valid.
Potential issues with metes and bounds
The main challenge with metes and bounds descriptions is that they depend on physical reference points that may change over time. An old description might reference "an oak tree at the northeast corner" or "the center of Willow Creek" -- landmarks that may no longer exist or may have moved. When reference points are lost or ambiguous, boundary disputes can arise that require a surveyor to resolve using the original description and any available monuments.
For investors buying properties with metes and bounds descriptions, a current survey is highly recommended. The surveyor will locate the boundary lines described in the deed, mark the corners with physical monuments, and identify any discrepancies between the legal description and the actual conditions on the ground. Without a survey, you're relying on a written description that may be decades old and may not match current reality.