How to Plot a Metes and Bounds Description

1. Read the description before you draw anything

Find the point of beginning (POB), then list every call in order. Each call has a bearing (a direction like N 45° 30′ E) and a distance (in feet, varas or chains). Note the unit. Mixing varas and feet is the fastest way to a parcel that will not close.

2. Establish the point of beginning

The POB is your anchor. It is often tied to a known monument, a survey corner or a coordinate. Set it deliberately. Everything downstream is measured relative to this single point, so a sloppy start compounds through every call.

3. Walk the calls one bearing and distance at a time

Plot each call as a vector: turn to the bearing, run the distance, drop the next vertex. Work in the same order the description is written. Most GIS and CAD tools accept traverse entry directly, which beats eyeballing angles by hand.

• Convert every bearing to a consistent quadrant format.
• Keep distances in one unit, converting varas to feet up front.
• Label each vertex so you can audit the traverse later.

4. Check your closure

A correct description returns to the POB. The gap between your last vertex and the POB is the closure error. A small error usually means a rounding or transcription slip; a large one means a misread bearing or a skipped call. Find it before you trust the polygon.

5. Georeference and verify against reality

Tie the closed traverse to real-world coordinates and overlay it on current parcel data and aerial imagery. The shape should sit sensibly against adjoining tracts, roads and physical features. If it does not, re-check the POB tie and the unit conversions first.

Common pitfalls

• Treating varas as feet (1 vara ≈ 2.7778 feet in Texas).
• Reversing a bearing quadrant (NE vs SW).
• Ignoring curve calls, which need radius and arc data, not just a line.
• Forcing closure by fudging the last call instead of finding the real error.

Plotted carefully, a metes and bounds description becomes a clean, defensible polygon you can build a lease map, exhibit or title opinion on. Plotted carelessly, it becomes a problem that shows up at the worst possible time.