What is a Legal Description?

A legal description is a statement that identifies the designation of a piece of land. These statements may be in several different formats:

1. Benchmark locations that reference points by latitude and longitude
2. Courses (or bearings) and distances to established landmarks
3. Several forms of mapping systems.

The City of Fargo plats, or maps, most neighborhoods into individual blocks and lots. The legal descriptions refer to the ownership boundaries as they relate to the lines defining the breakdown of each lot and block.