Hi Expert:
I want to know how to find the municipal address using the legal description?
I'm a property investor that I see the county only use the legal description on the deed.
1 reply
Jun 19, 2020
That’s a great question!
The most recent deed is one of the best places to get a complete legal description of a property. With that being said, many of the terms used by surveyors and other real estate professionals are not all that easy to understand.
First, it should be noted that there are several different types of legal descriptions, the most common generally being metes and bounds, subdivision/lot/block, and the Public Land Survey System, or PLSS. While the type of legal description you encounter may or may not change how you go about finding the address for a property, it is helpful to familiarize yourself with the different types and some of the common language you may encounter.
One method for finding out basic information for a property, including the address (if any) would be contacting or visiting the website for the county assessor where the property is located. Most assessors offer the ability to search by name, partial legal descriptions, parcel number, and sometimes other property or party information. In the absence of a firm address, searching by the name of the grantee on your deed, assuming it is for the most recent transfer of the property, should provide a list of all properties owned by that party including the one you're looking for. From there, if multiple properties are owned, matching the legal description from your deed to the brief description provided by the county assessor will help ensure that you’ve selected the right property. Another approach would be to utilize the APN or Assessor’s Parcel Number, which is often included on the deed. APNs are like a parcel of land’s Social Security number, matching this unique identifier to what appears on the deed you have is a quick way to locate the property you’re looking for. Double checking the legal description on your deed against the brief description provided by the assessor is also wise here as parcels can be merged, divided, or otherwise changed over time.
If you happen to know the general location of the property, you may want to see if the county assessor also has a GIS map. GIS, or geographic information system maps, are interactive maps the county provides to aid in searches for property information. When a county makes a map like this available, they often have many layers of data and different base maps that can be utilized to filter out unwanted information and zero in on your property from the air. Clicking on a parcel will generally reveal property information and often a link to the assessor’s information page for that parcel.