Affiliate Broker Tennessee (TN PSI) National Practice Exam `

Richard is reviewing a legal description that contains a principal meridian. What type of legal description is he looking at?

1. Lot and block

2. Metes and bounds

3. Rectangular government survey

4. Subdivision description

The correct answer is: Rectangular government survey

The legal description that includes a principal meridian is indicative of the rectangular government survey system. This system divides land into townships and sections using a grid framework. The principal meridian serves as the starting point for measuring the land's location, running north-south, while base lines run east-west. Together, these lines allow for the systematic division of land into parcels, making it easier to identify and describe properties' locations. In contrast, other legal descriptions mentioned—like lot and block and subdivision descriptions—are based on specific parcels within a larger tract, typically used in urban areas and developed communities but do not incorporate principal meridians or the rectangular survey system. The metes and bounds description relies on physical features and specific measurements instead of a grid-based system. Therefore, the presence of a principal meridian clearly indicates the rectangular government survey as the method of legal description Richard is reviewing.