Land records · Parcel maps · October 4, 2026
Lot and Block vs Metes and Bounds Descriptions
Lot and block vs metes and bounds: how subdivision plats name lots differently from compass bearings, and how to match either description to a parcel map.
Lot and block vs metes and bounds are the two common ways a deed describes where a parcel sits. Lot-and-block language points to a recorded subdivision plat. Metes-and-bounds language walks the boundary with distances and bearings (or monuments) without needing a lot number. Knowing which style your deed uses tells you whether to pull a plat first or to plot a survey description against a parcel map.
What a lot-and-block description means
A lot-and-block (or lot, block, and subdivision) description names a lot inside a recorded plat: for example, Lot 12, Block 3 of Oak Ridge Addition, as shown on a plat recorded in a certain book and page. The deed does not list every bearing around the lot because the recorded plat already drew those lines. Your job is to find that plat and confirm the lot number matches the tax parcel you care about.
Start with how to find a recorded plat and how to read a plat map. The assessor’s parcel ID helps you open the right polygon even when the subdivision name is unfamiliar—see what is an APN number.
What a metes-and-bounds description means
A metes-and-bounds description narrates the boundary: begin at a point, then run a series of courses (distance and direction) or call out monuments such as rods, trees, or road intersections, until the path closes. Older rural deeds and many tracts that were never subdivided still use this form. There may be no “Lot 12” to look up—only a chain of calls that a surveyor can stake on the ground.
Reading the deed itself is covered in how to read a property deed. If you still need the recorded instrument, see how to get a copy of my deed.
Lot and block vs metes and bounds side by side
- Source of the shape. Lot and block leans on a recorded plat sheet. Metes and bounds leans on the written courses in the deed (and any survey that created them).
- What you search first. Lot and block → recorder plat index or GIS plat link. Metes and bounds → deed image, then often a surveyor or GIS bearing tools.
- How tax maps relate. Tax parcel drawings approximate either style for taxation. They are not a substitute for the recorded plat or a field survey—see survey plat vs tax map.
- Common mix-ups. Some deeds cite both a lot number and a short metes-and-bounds “also described as” paragraph. Prefer the controlling language your jurisdiction and title company recognize; when unsure, ask a title professional or surveyor rather than guessing from a listing flyer.
Match either description to a county GIS map
- Open the county viewer from our county GIS map directory and find the parcel by address or APN.
- For lot and block, open any linked plat and confirm lot and block labels against the deed citation.
- For metes and bounds, use the deed calls as a checklist against fence lines and mapped boundaries—knowing that GIS outlines can lag splits and are not monuments.
- Note acreage on the plat or deed versus the assessor figure; large gaps deserve a closer look—see how to find acreage of property.
Viewer basics live in how to use a county GIS viewer. Easement language on either style of description can still limit use—vocabulary help is in easement vs right of way.
When you still need a survey
Neither a lot-and-block plat PDF nor a carefully typed metes-and-bounds paragraph places iron pins for you. Before you fence, build, or settle an encroachment, a licensed surveyor locates how those paper lines sit on the ground today. Cost-sharing questions in a dispute are a separate topic—see property line dispute who pays for survey.
Lot and block vs metes and bounds FAQ
Which is better, lot and block or metes and bounds?
Neither is universally better. Lot and block is efficient when a recorded plat exists. Metes and bounds fits tracts that were never subdivided or need a custom boundary narrative. Use the form your deed actually contains.
Can one deed use both styles?
Yes. Some deeds cite a lot and block and also include a metes-and-bounds “also described as” paragraph. Follow the controlling language your title company or counsel recognizes, and verify against the recorded plat when a lot number is cited.
Does GIS show metes and bounds courses?
Usually not as a full bearing list. GIS shows a parcel outline that may approximate the deed. Treat the viewer as a finder, then read the deed or plat for the legal description.
When do I still need a survey?
When you will build, fence, or settle an encroachment. Lot-and-block plats and metes-and-bounds text describe paper boundaries; a licensed surveyor locates how those lines sit on the ground today.