WSLS - Wisconsin Society of Land Surveyors

Resources

WSLS Online Library

[Back to the Online Library]

GLOSSARY OF SURVEYING & MAPPING TERMS

Abut, Abutting	Reaching or contacting without interval.
Acre	Unit of area measure equal to 43,560 square feet.
Adjacent	Near to but not reaching or contacting.
Adjoiner	Adjoining owner and/or adjoining land of record.
Adjoining	Touching or bounding at a point or along a line.
Along	On and coincident with; same as upon.
Alley	Narrow service roadway created by land platting.
Aliquot	Division of a whole into parts without remainder.
And	Informative term of inclusion; in addition to.
Angle	Angular measure between directional lines.
Angle Right	Clockwise horizontal angular measure.
Angle Left	Counterclockwise horizontal angular measure.
Appurtenances	Accessorial property, rights and/or interests.
Astronomic North	North by celestial observation of Sun or stars.
Assumed North	North by arbitrary definition and/or reference.
At	Informative term of position or location.
Azimuth	Clockwise angle from a North or South reference.
Bank	Upland acclivity adjoining a waterway.
Bank, Left or Right	Referred bank of a stream, creek or river as one faces downstream in direction of flow.
Bearing	Quadrantal angle East or West of North or South, from 0° to 90°.
Bed	Land underlying a water body or roadway.
Beginning	Informative term of commencement and/or origin.
Being	Informative term of qualification referral.
Benchmark	Object of known elevation by datum reference.
Block	Platted lots; normally bounded by public streets.
BLM	Bureau of Land Management of U.S. Department of the Interior; formerly the General Land Office(GLO).
Boundary	Border line or exterior of a described parcel.
Bounded by	Informative term of location or limitation.
Bulkhead Line	Established line limiting land improvements into an abutting waterway.
Canal	Artificial open channel for waterway purposes.
Cardinal	North, South, East or West directions only.
Centerline, center of	Line or point of equal division or separation.
Chain	Unit of lineal measure equal to 66 feet.
Ch.	Chain or chains abbreviation.
Coincident with	Contacting a line or point without interval.
Commencing	Informative term of beginning and/or origin.
Complementary Angle	Remnant angle of 90 degrees less smaller angle.
Continue, continuation	Extension of a line or course; normally a curve.
Contour	Defined line of equal elevation on a map or plat.
Control	Surveying and mapping reference infrastructure.
Corner	Juncture of intersecting lines; locative point.
Course	Line or boundary defined by bearing and distance.
Covenant	Real property restriction and/or encumbrance.
CSM	Certified Survey Map abbreviation.
Crest	Highest elevation, uppermost level or height of.
Datum	Standard or common reference base or system.
Deflection Angle	Angle measured left or right of a line extension.
Dedicated	Land granted for public or special purposes by an expressed intent in a conveyance or upon a plat.
Departure(dE)	Longitudal interval between points.
Dia.	Diameter abbreviation.
Direction	Angular measure by reference to a defined line.
Distance	Lineal length between points on a straight line.
Due North	Normally infers True North; use of term is not recommended without a basis of reference.
Eeasement	Non-fee land title right or interest.
Easting	Coordinate value by longitudinal reference.
Egress	Exiting or emerging right of access.
Elevation	Vertical height from a defined reference datum.
Encumbrance	Restrictive real property interest or right.
Equator	Standard parallel of 0 degrees latitude.
Excepting	Informative term of exclusion and/or withdrawal.
Extension of	Continuation of defined line, boundary or course.
Exterior Angle	Exterior angle formed by intersecting lines of an polygon or land parcel boundaries.
Flowage Line	Defined contour line for water control purposes.
Frac.	Fraction or fractional abbreviation.
Fractional lot	Non-aliquot PLSS section division land remnant; normally abutting north and west township lines.
From	Informative term of origin and continuance.
Frontage	Land boundary abutting a roadway or waterway.
Ft.	Feet or foot abbreviation.
Forty	Quarter/quarter tract by aliquot PLSS division.
GLO	General Land Office; now known as BLM.
Government lot	Non-aliquot riparian land remnant by PLSS survey and designated upon an official GLO/BLM Township Plat.
Grade	Surface level of ground or rate/degree of slope.
Grantee	Person(s) or legal entity granted title rights and/or interests by a grantor.
Grantor	Person(s) or legal entity granting title rights and/or interests to a grantee.
Graphic Scale	Bar type scale upon a map or plat graduated by a representative length ratio; such as 1"=200'.
Grid	Equally spaced parallel lines intersecting at right angles or 90°; normally upon a plat or map.
Grid north	Central meridian of referred mapping projection.
Half	By equal area except for PLSS divisions which are aliquot partition per S.59.62 Wis. Stats.
Heretofore	Informative term of preceding/previous referral.
High water mark	Highest level of a waterway at normal rise.
Horizontal angle	Angular measure between intersecting lines in a level or horizontal plane.
I.D.	Inside diameter abbreviation.
Ingress	Entering right of access.
Included Angle	Interior angle formed by intersecting lines enclosed polygon or land parcel boundaries.
Interior Angle	Same as included angle above.
Intersection	To meet or cross at a point; a road junction.
I.P. or I.R.	Iron pipe or iron rod monument abbreviation.
Lane	Narrow traveled way; normally created by usage.
Landmark	Artificial or natural object defining lands; a boundary corner monument of public record.
Latitude(dN)	Latitudnal interval between points; angular arc distance north or south of the Equator along a meridian of longitude.
Line	Boundary, course or extension between points; may consist of straight or curvilinear segments.
Link	Lineal measurement equivalent to 1/100th of a chain equal to 0.66 feet or 7.92 inches.
Lk.	Link or links abbreviation.
Longitude	Angular arc distance east or west of the Prime Meridian along a parallel of latitude.
Lot	Smallest area of land suitable for building or occupational purposes; normally by platting.
Low water mark	Lowest level of a waterway at normal ebb.
M.	Meter or meters abbreviation.
Magnetic north	Direction of north seeking end of compass needle.
Map	Graphical representation of land to scale.
Main Channel	Navigible channel of waterway; may not be center.
Mark	Defined object, point or line of reference.
Meander line	Line established along a waterway for purposes of surveying and mapping riparian land frontage.
Meander corner	Boundary and meander line point established on the bank of an intersected or abutting waterway.
M.C.	Abbreviation for meander corner.
Mean Sea Level	Elevation datum referenced to averaged sea level observations over an extended period of time.
Meter	Metric measurement equivalent to 3.280833>feet.
Mid-point	Center or halfway point of a line segment.
Monument	Natural or artificial physical object intended as a landmark; normally at a property corner.
Monumented by	Informative term of monumentation or identity.
More or less	Precautionary term of quantitative uncertainty.
Navigable	In Wisconsin, capability of floating a canoe at any time of the year; normally, any waterway with a defined bed and banks.
Normal To	At right angles to a line or radial to a curve.
Northerly, etc.	General directional term; normally by reference.
Northing	Coordinate value by latitudal reference.
O.D.	Outside diameter abbreviation.
Of	Informative term of inclusion and/or association.
Offset	Perpendicular interval; to parallel and continue a preceding course, line or boundary.
On	Same as along or upon.
One half	Same as half; divisional unit by protraction.
Outlot	Sub-standard land parcel; a platted land remnant.
Parallel with	Separation by equal interval or spacing.
Parcel	Area of land enclosed by defined boundaries.
Part of	Informative term of division or protraction.
Perch	Lineal measurement equal to 16.5 feet; a rod.
Plat	Map of a survey; normally a recorded subdivision.
PLSS	Public Land Survey System abbreviation.
Point	Spatial location without defined dimensions.
Point of beginning	Beginning and ending point of a defined boundary.
P.O.B.	Point of Beginning abbreviation.
Pole	Lineal measurement equal to 16.5 feet; a rod.
Portion	Informative term of division or protraction.
Prolongation	Continuation or extension of a straight line.
Proration	Equitable distribution of excess or deficiency.
Proportionate	Ratio of record to measured quantities.
Protraction	Division into relative parts; land partitioning.
Principal meridian	Line separating East and West PLSS Ranges.
Prime Meridian	Standard meridian of 0 degrees longitude.
Private claim	Legal foreign nation land grant, claim or title transfer; not included by original PLSS survey.
Quadrant	Quarter circular sector of 90 degrees.
Radial	Line radiating from the center of a circle.
Random Line	Non-monumented trial or temporary survey line.
Range	North/South tier of PLSS townships.
Reference Mark	Same as Mark above; normally monumented.
Reserved	Retained existing title rights and/or interests.
Reserving	Normally refers to new rights and/or interests.
Reservation	Established Military or Native American tract.
Restriction	Informative term of limitation; an encumbrance.
Retracement	Confirmation or reestablishment of land boundary lines and/or corners according to a prior survey.
Reversion	Legal repossession of land title rights and/or interests; such as vacated street right-of-way.
Right angle	Angular measurement of 90 degrees.
Right-of-way	Land by dedication, grant or easement for roads, utility or other designated purposes; normally described as a strip or corridor type parcel.
Riparian	Land and/or ownership abutting a waterway.
Roadway	Land and improvements for vehicular usage.
Rod	Lineal measurement equal to 16.5 feet; a pole.
Said	Informative term of referral to a preceding term.
Scale	Relative ratio of map to ground distances.
Scale Factor	Mapping projection distance conversion parameter.
Setback Line	Zoning regulation boundary clearance limitation.
Shore, shoreline	Riparian land boundary or frontage subject to the rise and ebb of the abutting waterway..
Slope	Surface deviation from level or horizontal grade.
SPCS	State Plane Coordinate System abbreviation.
Sq.Ft.	Square feet abbreviation.
Station	Computed or surveyed point; normally by standard measurement intervals along a defined centerline.
Street	Improved public transportation corridor; also known as a boulevard, avenue, road or highway.
Subdivision	Division of land into lots, blocks and streets by a survey upon a duly approved and recorded plat.
Subject to	Qualifying referral to an existing encumbrance.
Supplementary Angle	Remnant angle of 180 degrees less smaller angle.
Thence	Informative term of continuance.
Thread	Waterway centerline at ordinary or normal stage.
Tie	Direction and distance measurement from a defined point to a nearby object for reference purposes; normally used for perpetuation of landmarks.
To	Informative term of termination; exclusionary.
Toe	Lowest or bottom edge of a land bank or slope.
Togetherwith	Informative term of inclusion; in addition to.
To wit	That is to say; namely or furthermore.
Township	Divisional PLSS unit containing 36 sections.
Tract	Normally a land area enclosed by indefinite boundaries.
True north	North by celestial observation of Sun or stars.
Upon	Same as along.
Vertical Angle	Angular measurement in a vertical plane.
Waterway	Lake, pond, river, stream, creek, canal, etc.
With	Informative term of association or relationship.
Witness Corner	Reference monument to an inaccessible corner, and normally established on the related boundary by a directional and distance offset.
Yard	Lineal measurement equal to 3 feet.
Yd.	Yard or yards abbreviation.
ZZZzzzzzzz......	Retired/tired surveyor

Several published glossaries are available for further reference involving land description, land surveying, land mapping and land information terms; an adequate and reliable library is essential for reference purposes, as well as periodic continuing education courses and/or self-study programs.

Term Words To Avoid In Land Descriptions

Front	Rear	Back	Due	About
Running	Adjacent	Approximately	Lying	Either
To a point	Excepting and Reserving	Place	From which	which
Within	Without	In line	That lies	Common to
Common with	Marked by	Contiguous	Between	Hereby
Hereon	Hereto	Hereof	Hereupon	Hereunto
Hereinbefore	Hereinafter	Thereunto	Thereon	Thereto
Thereupon	Therewith	Thereat	Thereby	Therein
Therefrom	More or Less	Whereat	Whereas	Wherefor

Whereupon and any other similar words, terms or phrases of definitive deficiency.

Avoid all words or phrases of a differing, misleading or misinterpretive definition; particularly any terms or expressions of a general, redundant or somewhat moot nature.

Every word, term, phrase or expression, in every written land description, must be carefully selected and composed so that descriptive elements are fully defined and construed with absolute clarity, intent and propriety; and not merely surmised.

In every instance, regardless of the degree of complication, the primary attribute to be achieved for any written land description is that defined by the word unequivocal ..clear and admitting of no doubt or any misunderstanding; whatsoever.

Further Affiant Deponeth Not
(There is nothing more to be said)

By: William C. Rohde, RLS 841
P.O. Box 82
Larsen, Wisconsin 54947
920-836-9930 Phone/FAX
wrohde@new.rr.com

Publication Date: December 1999

[Back to the Online Library]