Mastering Metes and Bounds Legal Descriptions for the Alaska Real Estate Exam

Last updated: April 2026

Navigating Alaska's vast, rugged, and often unsurveyed terrain requires a highly specialized understanding of property boundaries. For real estate license applicants, mastering how land is legally identified is a cornerstone of the profession. Whether you are dealing with a plotted subdivision in Anchorage or a remote, off-grid cabin in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, you must understand how to read and interpret legal descriptions. For a broader overview of the exam requirements, be sure to review our Complete Alaska Exam Guide.

One of the oldest and most precise methods of describing land is the metes and bounds system. While modern subdivisions often rely on the Lot and Block system, and vast tracts of federal or state land use the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), metes and bounds remains essential—especially in Alaska, where irregular parcels, waterfront boundaries, and unplatted lands are incredibly common. This article will break down the mechanics of metes and bounds legal descriptions to help you ace your Alaska real estate exam.

What is a Metes and Bounds Legal Description?

The term "metes and bounds" refers to a method of describing real estate by outlining its boundaries using directions, distances, and physical markers. The system relies heavily on the physical features of the local geography, alongside precise compass directions. Let's break down the terminology:

Metes: Refers to the measurement of distance. In real estate, this is typically expressed in linear feet, yards, or miles.
Bounds: Refers to compass directions or physical boundaries (such as a river, a road, or an adjoining property line) that enclose the parcel of land.

Unlike the PLSS, which divides land into neat, rectangular grids (townships and sections), metes and bounds can describe a property of any shape. This makes it the ideal system for Alaska's irregular parcels carved out of the wilderness.

The Point of Beginning (POB)

Every metes and bounds description must have a definitive starting point, known as the Point of Beginning (POB). The description traces the perimeter of the property, moving from the POB along the various boundaries, and must ultimately return exactly to the POB. If a description does not return to the POB, it is considered "defective" because it fails to create a closed geometric shape. An open-ended description cannot legally transfer title under Alaska law.

Monuments and Markers

To establish the POB and the corners of the property boundaries, surveyors use monuments. Monuments can be either natural or artificial:

Natural Monuments: Trees, boulders, riverbanks, or shorelines. In Alaska, relying on natural monuments can be risky. Rivers frequently change course due to erosion, avulsion, or glacial melting, and permafrost shifting can move boulders over time.
Artificial Monuments: Man-made markers such as iron pins, concrete posts, or brass caps set into the ground by a licensed surveyor. Artificial monuments are heavily preferred in modern Alaskan land conveyances.

Why Metes and Bounds Matter in Alaska

Under Alaska Statutes Title 34 (Property), a valid deed must contain an adequate legal description of the property being conveyed. A simple street address is never sufficient for a deed, as addresses can change and do not define exact boundary lines.

Alaska is the largest state in the U.S., encompassing over 365 million acres. A significant portion of this land remains unsurveyed by the federal PLSS. When the State of Alaska or private individuals carve out unique parcels—such as a 5-acre tract along the Kenai River—a metes and bounds description is often the only way to accurately define the property lines. Furthermore, when larger PLSS tracts (like a 640-acre section) are subdivided into smaller, irregular shapes, metes and bounds descriptions are used to establish the new boundaries.

Common Legal Description Methods Used in Alaska (%)

A Practical Example of Metes and Bounds

To succeed on the Alaska real estate exam, you must be able to recognize and conceptualize a metes and bounds description. Here is a simplified example of what one might look like on a deed for an Alaskan property:

"Beginning at the brass surveyor's cap located at the intersection of the southern right-of-way line of Parks Highway and the eastern bank of Willow Creek; thence South 45 degrees East a distance of 400 feet to an iron pin; thence North 90 degrees East a distance of 300 feet to a concrete monument; thence North 45 degrees West a distance of 400 feet to the southern right-of-way line of Parks Highway; thence South 90 degrees West along the highway right-of-way a distance of 300 feet to the Point of Beginning."

How to Read the Example:

Find the POB: The description starts at a highly specific point (the brass cap at the intersection of the highway and the creek).
Follow the Compass Bearings: "South 45 degrees East" tells you to face South, then turn 45 degrees toward the East.
Measure the Distance: Walk 400 feet in that exact direction to hit the next monument (the iron pin).
Close the Shape: The final instruction brings the boundary back to the exact Point of Beginning, successfully closing the property lines and forming a parallelogram.

Licensee Responsibilities and Legal Descriptions

As a real estate licensee in Alaska, you are not a surveyor, and you should never attempt to draft a metes and bounds legal description from scratch. Doing so constitutes the unauthorized practice of law and violates your fiduciary duties of agents, specifically the duty of reasonable care and skill.

However, you are responsible for ensuring that the legal description on the purchase agreement matches the legal description on the seller's deed and the preliminary title report. An inaccurate legal description can render a real estate contract void or voidable. To understand more about what makes a contract legally binding, review our guide on Alaska contract essentials and elements.

Legal descriptions are not just for sales; they are also critical in commercial leasing and long-term land leases, which are common in Alaska's resource and tourism sectors. If you are handling property management or commercial leasing, a solid grasp of these descriptions is vital. Read more in our Alaska landlord-tenant law essentials article.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What happens if the Point of Beginning (POB) monument is destroyed in Alaska?

If a POB monument (like a brass cap or iron pin) is destroyed by frost heave, construction, or natural disasters, a licensed surveyor must be hired to re-establish the point. They will use historical survey records, GPS coordinates, and surrounding monuments to legally reset the POB.

2. Can a metes and bounds description be used alongside the Public Land Survey System (PLSS)?

Yes, this is very common in Alaska. A metes and bounds description will often use a PLSS monument (such as a section corner) to establish its initial Point of Beginning, and then use metes and bounds to carve out a smaller, irregular shape from that section.

3. Are real estate licensees allowed to measure property lines using metes and bounds for a client?

No. While licensees can help clients locate approximate boundaries using plat maps and existing markers, only a state-licensed surveyor can legally establish, measure, or verify exact property lines. Licensees who attempt to act as surveyors expose themselves to severe liability.

4. Why are natural monuments considered problematic in Alaska real estate?

Alaska's dynamic environment makes natural monuments unreliable. Rivers experience high rates of avulsion (sudden changing of course) and erosion. Glaciers retreat, and permafrost melt can shift massive boulders. If a deed relies solely on a "large spruce tree" or a "riverbank" that no longer exists or has moved, the property boundaries become legally ambiguous.

5. Is a metes and bounds description required for a valid Alaska real estate contract?

A valid contract requires a legally sufficient description of the property. While a metes and bounds description is one way to satisfy this requirement, a Lot and Block description (if the property is in a platted subdivision) or a PLSS description (for rectangular tracts) is also perfectly valid. A simple street address, however, is generally insufficient for the actual conveyance deed.