Legal Descriptions

Legal Descriptions ## What Is a Legal Description? A legal description is the precise, legally recognized way to identify a specific parcel of real property. An informal address like "123 Main Street, Oakland, CA" is not a legal description — it can change over time, duplicate in other cities, and is insufficient for a deed or deed of trust. Every deed, mortgage, and title insurance policy in California requires a formal legal description that will stand up in court. There are three primary methods used in California: lot and block, metes and bounds, and the government rectangular survey system. California uses all three, depending on the region and age of the survey. --- ## Lot and Block (Recorded Plat) The lot and block system (also called the recorded subdivision plat system) is the most common method used in California's cities and suburbs. When a developer subdivides land, they file a subdivision plat map with the county recorder. This map divides the land into numbered lots within numbered blocks, within a named subdivision. A lot and block legal description looks like: > "Lot 14, Block 7, of the Greenwood Park Subdivision, as recorded in Book 22, Page 105 of Maps, in the Office of the County Recorder of Santa Clara County, State of California." How it works in practice: When a Sunnyvale developer builds a 200-unit tract subdivision, they record the plat with Santa Clara County. Each lot gets a number. The legal description is simple, stable, and ties directly to a publicly recorded map anyone can look up. The buyer's escrow officer, title company, and lender all use this same reference. Lot and block descriptions are reliable because: -…