Editing Metes and bounds (section)

== Usage ==
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A typical description for a small parcel of land would be: "Commencing at a corner at the intersection of two stone walls near an apple tree on the north side of Muddy Creek road one mile above the junction of Muddy and Indian Creeks, thence north for 150 rods to the end of the stone wall bordering the road, thence northwest along a line to a large standing rock on the corner of the property now or formerly belonging to John Smith, thence west 150 rods to the corner of a barn near a large oak tree, thence south to Muddy Creek road, thence down the side of the creek road to the point of commencement." The sequence begins with an identified corner serving as benchmark.  The description then gives distance, direction and various boundary descriptions as if one were walking the bounds pacing off the distance to the next corner where there is a change of direction. Where watercourses form part of the bounds their meander is generally taken as a straight line between the established corners and their monuments.

In many deeds, the direction is described not by [[azimuth]] (a clockwise degree measure out of 360 degrees) but instead by [[Bearing (navigation)|bearing]] (a direction north or south followed by a degree measure out of 90 degrees and another direction west or east). For example, such a bearing might be listed as "N 42°35' W", which means that the bearing is 42°35' counterclockwise, or west of north. This has the advantage of providing the same degree measure regardless of which direction a particular boundary is being followed; the boundary can be traversed in the opposite direction simply by exchanging N for S and E for W. In other words, "N 42°35' W" describes the same boundary as "S 42°35' E" but is traversed in the opposite direction.

In most distance measures, especially those in older deeds and where measuring distances over a [[furlong]], boundary lengths are listed in [[rod (unit)|rods]] or poles instead of [[Foot (unit)|feet]] or [[Metre|meters]]. [[Rod (unit)|Rods and poles]] are equivalent measures equaling 16.5 feet. There are four rods in one [[Chain (unit)|chain]]. English surveyors carried chains (such as a [[Gunter's chain]]) with which to measure lengths, as well as poles, and many older legal descriptions of real estate in the United States are given in chains and poles.