Abstract of Title - A condensed history or summary of all transactions affecting a particular tract of land.

Abutter - One whose property abuts, is contiguous, or joins at a border or boundary.

Access - The right to enter and leave a tract of land from a public way. "Oftentimes the right to enter and leave over the lands of another."

Accretion - The slow build up of lands by natural forces such as wind, water or wave.

A.C.S.M. - American Congress on Surveying and Mapping.

Acknowledgment - The act by which a party executing a legal document goes before an authorized officer or notary public and declares the same to be his voluntary act and deed. "Oftentimes the act of the officer or notary public."

Acre - A tract of land 208.71 feet square and containing 43,560 square feet of land, in whatever shape.

Adverse Possession - A claim made against the lands of another by virtue of open and notorious possession of said lands by the claimant.

A.L.T.A. - American Land Title Association, a national association of title insurance companies, abstractors and attorneys specializing in real property law which speaks for the title insurance and abstracting industry and establishes standard title policies and procedures, with headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Aliquot - Greek, meaning "even." This implies that the land is always known as, and even with, the perimeter of its boundary.

Amortize - To reduce debt by means of regular periodic payments which include amounts applicable to both principal and interest.

Appurtenance - Anything so annexed to land or used with it that it will pass with the conveyance of the land.

Appurtenant Easement - An easement that will effect other properties. Examples would be; an easement for ingress and egress, parking, storm drains or utilities.

Area Coordinates - A system of laying out a survey on the x-axis or east-west and y axis or north-south.

Assessment - The imposition of tax, charge or levy, usually according to the established rates.

Assessor - A public official who evaluates property for the purpose of taxation.

Attachment - Legal seizure of property to force payment of a debt.

Bearing - The compass direction or heading of one object or point from another point.

Benchmark - A permanent point, the elevation of which above some definite or assumed datum, is known.

Bounds - The external lines, or limiting lines, of property.

Boundary - Every separation, natural or artificial, which marks the lines of division of two adjoining properties.

Building (Restriction) Line or Set Back - A line fixed at a certain distance from the front and/or sides of a lot or at a certain distance from a road or street, which line marks the boundary of the area within which no part of any building may project. This line may be established by a filed plat or subdivision, by restrictive covenants in deeds or leases, by building codes or by zoning ordinance.

Chain - Refers to either the engineer's or Gunter's (surveyor's) chain. The Gunter's chain is 66 feet (4 rods) long.

Chain of Title - Successive conveyances, or deeds, affecting a parcel of land.

Clear Title - Good title of deed, clear from any defects or limitations.

Cloud on Title - A claim or encumbrance which could affect or impair the ownership of a particular parcel.

Condemnation - Taking private property for public use through court proceedings.

Conditions and Restrictions - A common term used to designate the uses to which land may not be put and providing penalties for failure to comply. "Commonly used by land sub-dividers on newly platted areas."

Condominium - A system of individual fee ownership of units in a multi-unit structure, combined with joint ownership of common areas of the structure and land.

Contract - An agreement to sell and purchase under which title is withheld from the purchaser until such time as the required payments to the seller have been completed.

Control Points - Points that have been established in a series with a high degree of accuracy or precision, to which parcels may be tied.

Convey - The act of deeding or transferring title to another.

Conveyance - An instrument by which title to property is transferred; a deed.

Course - The direction of a line with reference to the meridian.

Covenant - An agreement written into deeds and other instruments promising performance or non-performance of certain acts, or stipulating certain uses or non-uses of the property.

Deed - A document or writing signed by a grantor which conveys land from one party to another.

Deed of Trust - A conveyance of a land title by a maker of a note (the debtor) to a third party, a trustee, as collateral security for the payment of the note with the condition that the trustee shall re-convey the title to the debtor upon payment of the note, and with power in the trustee to sell the land and pay the note in the event of a default on the part of the debtor.

Departure - With the north-south line being the latitude of a survey, the east-west line is called the departure.

Easement - Right of use over the property of another.

Egress - The right to leave a tract of land.

Eminent Domain - The power to take private property for use where the public interest can best be served.

Encroachment - Improvements or uses that extend across a property or easement line without written permission.

Encumbrance - A lien, liability or charge upon a parcel of land.

Escrow - A procedure whereby a disinterested third party handles legal documents and funds on behalf of a seller and buyer.

Exception - In legal descriptions that portion of lands to be deleted or excluded.

Exclusive Access Easement - This is an easement to allow access to a property such as a driveway for access to a public road, highway or utility access.

Fee Simple - Absolute ownership (of land) with unrestricted rights of disposition.

FEMA - Federal Emergency Management Act.

Geodetic Marker - A survey marker placed by the government in either a horizontal or vertical plane.

Grantor - One from whom a deed or grant is made.

Heirs and Assigns - Terminology used in deeds and wills to provide that the recipient receives a "fee simple estate" in lands rather that a lesser interest.

Hiatus - A gap or space unintentionally left between, when attempting to describe adjacent parcels of land.

Highway Marker - A stone bound placed by the State Highway Department denoting the sidelines, curve points, and offsets of highway points.

Ingress - The right to enter a tract of land.

Insurance of Title - Insurance as to who owns a specified interest in designated real estate, and showing as exceptions to the insured interest the defects, liens and encumbrances which exist as against that insured interest.

Lien - A hold, a claim or a charge allowed a creditor upon the lands of a debtor.

Life Estate - A grant or reservation of the right of use, occupancy and ownership for the life of an individual.

Linen - A type of material upon which ink drawings of land surveys were drawn for filing.

Link - A term of land measurement being 1/100th of a chain or 66/100th of a foot.

L.O.M.A. - Letter of map amendment.

Longitude - Distance on the earth's surface east or west from a meridian point.

Metes and Bounds - The boundary lines of land, with their terminal points and angles. Described by compass headings and distances.

Minute - The sixtieth part of a degree as of longitude.

Notary Public - An official authorized by law to attest and certify certain documents by his hand and official seal.

Partition - Division of land, into 3 or fewer parcels.

Patent - A document issued for the purpose of granting public lands to an individual.

Plat  - A map representing a piece of land subdivided into parcels or lots . Filed at the County Surveyor's office and recorded with the County Clerk.

P.O.B. - Point of beginning.

Pole - Unit of measure - 25 links or 16 ½ feet.

Public Records - Records which by law impart constructive notice of matters relating to land.

Quiet Title - The removal of a cloud on title by proper action in a court.

Quiet Title Action - To bring into court a proceeding to establish title to land by forcing the claimant to establish his claim.

Record of Survey - Drawing of survey, showing all vital data gained during a survey, which has been filed atthe County Surveyor's office.

Restriction - Provision in  a "Declaration of Conditions, Covenants and Restrictions" which limits in some way the right to use land or convey its title.

Reversion - Provision in conveyance by which, upon the happening of an event or contingency, title to the land will return to the grantor his successor in interest in the land.

Right of Way - The right of a person to pass over the land of another.

Riparian - Belonging to or relating to the bank of a river.

Section or Section of Land - A parcel of land comprising one square mile or 640 acres.

Set Back Lines - Those lines which delineate the required distances for the location of structure in relation to the perimeter of the property.

Subdivision - A tract of land surveyed and divided into lots for purposes of sale.

Tax Deed - The deed given to a purchaser at a public sale of land for nonpayment of taxes.

Tenancy in Common - An estate or interest in land held by two or more persons each having equal rights of possession and enjoyment but without any right of survivorship between the owners.

Tenant - Any person in possession of real property with the owner's permission.

Testate - The estate or condition of leaving a will at death.

Testatrix - A woman who makes or has made a testament or will.

Title - The evidence of right which a person has to the ownership and possession of land.

Title Defect - Any legal right held by others to claim property or to make demands upon the owner.

Title Insurance - Insurance against loss or damage resulting from defects or failure of title to a particular parcel of real property.

Title Search - An examination of public records, laws and court decisions to disclose the current facts regarding ownership of real estate.

Torrens System - A governmental title registration system wherein title to land is evidenced by a certificate of title issued by a public official known as the registrar of title.

Township - A division of territory 6 miles square, containing 36 sections or 36 square miles.

Traverse - Series of angles and distances from one point to another in order to measure from one place to another.

Vendor - A seller of real property.

Warranty Deed - A deed by which one binds oneself by covenant to defend the grantee in his title and possession.