Selling a piece of the family land sounds simple until someone asks exactly where the new line sits. An old fence, a handshake, or a note in a parent’s files won’t hold up at closing. A metes and bounds survey gives the new parcel a precise legal description, so the buyer, the title company, and your family all know what’s changing hands. Order it before you sign a contract, and the sale will move forward with far fewer surprises.

Defining the Acreage Portion Intended for Sale

Before a surveyor sets a single pin, your family needs to agree on what’s being sold. Sketch the rough shape on a tax map or aerial photo and note the acreage you have in mind. Talk through which outbuildings, ponds, tree lines, or pastures go with the sale and which stay. Small disagreements now can grow once lines are on paper.

Your surveyor will compare that plan to the records and the ground. They’ll research the parent deed, older surveys, and nearby plats to confirm the true outer boundary of the whole tract. Family land is often a little smaller, larger, or differently shaped than everyone assumed. Ask the surveyor to show the new parcel and the land you’re keeping on one drawing, so you can spot odd shapes, lost road frontage, or a well on the wrong side.

Establishing a Metes and Bounds Description for the New Parcel

The surveyor measures each new line in the field and records its bearing and distance. The description is tied to a reliable starting point, called the point of beginning, which is often an existing corner of the parent tract. From there, it traces every line until it closes back on itself. The result is a written boundary that anyone with the right tools can retrace.

Good descriptions rely on markers that can be found again. Your surveyor will usually set new pins at the new corners and name them in the description. Vague calls like “to the old oak” or “along the creek” cause trouble later, since trees fall and creeks move. The description should also state the acreage and reference the parent deed, which helps the title company follow ownership from the original tract to the new lot.

Accounting for Access Across the Remaining Family Property

Access is where partial sales most often go wrong. If the new parcel doesn’t touch a public road, the buyer needs a legal right to cross family land to reach it. A farm lane everyone has used for decades may not be written down anywhere. Lenders and title companies usually want that right recorded before closing.

Your surveyor can locate the existing drive, measure its width, and write a separate description for an access easement. Decide early who maintains the drive, who pays for gravel or repairs, and whether it’s wide enough for emergency vehicles. An attorney can draft the easement terms, while the survey shows exactly where it runs. Mention any power lines, water lines, or septic areas that cross the new line too, because they may need their own easements.

Coordinating the Survey With the Proposed Property Division

Splitting land usually needs local approval. Rules for minimum lot size, road frontage, and setbacks vary by county, township, city, and zoning district. Some splits need only a survey plat and a signed form, while others require subdivision review, health department approval for septic, or a driveway permit. Call the local planning office early, or ask your surveyor what that office has required on past splits.

The survey may need changes if the planning office asks for more frontage or a different lot shape. Low ground near a creek or steep slopes can also limit where a buyer can build, drive, or place a septic system. Building these checks into the plan keeps you from redrawing lines while the buyer waits. It also gives the buyer confidence that the lot can actually be used.

Preparing Survey Documents for the Acreage Sale

When fieldwork is done, the surveyor prepares the final package. It typically includes a signed survey plat, the metes and bounds description for the new parcel, and any easement descriptions. Some sales also need an updated description for the land the family keeps. Ask which documents the title company, lender, and county recorder expect, since this can vary by property and lender.

Review everything before closing. Compare the acreage, frontage, and corner locations to what the family agreed on, and walk the new corners with the surveyor if you can. Share copies with the buyer and title company early, because late changes can push back a closing date. Keep a copy in the family records, where it will help future heirs and neighbors.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a metes and bounds survey?

It’s a survey that describes land by the length and direction of each boundary line. The description starts at a fixed point and travels around the parcel until it returns to that point. It’s common for rural and acreage land that isn’t part of a platted subdivision. When you sell part of a larger tract, it creates the legal description for the new piece.

How long does a metes and bounds survey take for a land split?

Timing depends on the size of the tract, the quality of old records, and the surveyor’s schedule. Simple splits with good records may take a few weeks from order to final documents. Land with missing corners, unclear deeds, or heavy woods can take longer. Local approval can add more time, so start the survey before you set a closing date.

Can we use an old family survey instead of ordering a new one?

An old survey is useful for research, but it won’t describe the new parcel you’re creating. The new lines need to be measured, marked, and written into a fresh description. Your surveyor may rely on older records to confirm the outer boundary. Share every old survey, deed, and map you have, because it can save research time.