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

Last updated: April 2026

If you are preparing to earn your Maine real estate license, understanding how land is legally measured and described is a non-negotiable skill. Because Maine is located in New England and boasts a rich colonial history dating back centuries, its real estate framework relies heavily on traditional methods of land surveying. Chief among these is the metes and bounds system.

Unlike newer western states that rely almost exclusively on the rectangular Public Land Survey System (PLSS), Maine property deeds primarily use metes and bounds to define property lines. This article will break down exactly what you need to know about metes and bounds legal descriptions to confidently pass the Maine real estate exam and serve your future clients.

Why Maine Relies on Metes and Bounds

To understand why metes and bounds is so prevalent in Maine, you have to look at the state's history. Maine was originally a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and became its own state in 1820. Because the land was settled long before the federal government established the Rectangular Survey System in 1785, property lines were drawn organically. Settlers used natural landmarks—like the Kennebec River, granite outcroppings, and old oak trees—to define their property boundaries.

Today, under Maine Revised Statutes Title 33 (Property), a valid deed must contain an adequate legal description of the property being conveyed. While some newer subdivisions in places like Portland or Bangor use the "Lot and Block" system, the vast majority of rural, coastal, and older residential properties in Maine are still described using metes and bounds.

Primary Legal Description Methods in Maine Deeds (%)

The Anatomy of a Metes and Bounds Description

The term "metes" refers to distance and direction, while "bounds" refers to landmarks and monuments. A valid metes and bounds legal description must completely enclose a parcel of land, meaning it must start and end at the exact same spot. Here are the core components you will be tested on:

1. The Point of Beginning (POB)

Every metes and bounds description must have a designated Point of Beginning (POB). This is the absolute starting point of the survey. The surveyor will travel along the boundaries from the POB and ultimately return to the POB to ensure the property is fully enclosed. If a description does not return to the POB, it is considered legally defective.

2. Monuments and Markers

Monuments are fixed objects used to establish boundaries. In Maine, you will encounter two types of monuments:

Natural Monuments: Trees, boulders, streams, or the Atlantic coastline. For example, "along the low-water mark of Casco Bay."
Artificial Monuments: Man-made markers such as iron pipes driven into the ground, concrete posts, or historic stone walls (which are incredibly common in rural Maine).

Exam Tip: In Maine boundary disputes, actual physical monuments take precedence over written linear measurements. If a deed says a line is 150 feet to an iron pin, but the iron pin is actually 155 feet away, the location of the iron pin dictates the boundary.

3. Compass Bearings and Distances (Calls)

The segments between monuments are known as "calls." Each call consists of a distance (measured in feet, rods, or chains) and a direction (measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds based on a surveyor's compass). For instance, a call might read: "North 45 degrees 30 minutes East, a distance of 100 feet."

Practical Example: Reading a Maine Deed

Let's look at a hypothetical metes and bounds description for a property in Kennebunkport, Maine. Reading through this will help you understand how the components come together in practice:

"Beginning at an iron pipe set in the ground on the northerly side of Ocean Avenue, said pipe being located 200 feet easterly from the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Elm Street;

Thence running North 15° 20' East along the land now or formerly of Smith, a distance of 150 feet to a granite monument;

Thence turning and running South 74° 40' East along a historic stone wall, a distance of 100 feet to an iron pin;

Thence turning and running South 15° 20' West along the land of Jones, a distance of 150 feet to an iron pin on the northerly side of Ocean Avenue;

Thence North 74° 40' West along the northerly side of Ocean Avenue, a distance of 100 feet to the Point of Beginning. Containing 15,000 square feet, more or less."

Notice how the description explicitly starts at the POB, uses both natural/historic bounds (the stone wall) and artificial bounds (iron pipes), provides exact compass degrees and distances, and returns perfectly to the Point of Beginning.

What Maine Real Estate Candidates Need to Know

The Maine Real Estate Commission (MREC) expects licensees to be able to identify a metes and bounds description, understand its components, and explain it in basic terms to a client. You are not expected to be a licensed surveyor, but you must know how to read a deed to verify that the property being sold matches the property described in the listing.

Understanding property boundaries is a critical component of agency duties. When you represent a client, knowing how legal descriptions impact property rights is a vital part of Maine buyer vs seller representation. Misrepresenting boundary lines can lead to severe liability and disciplinary action.

To ensure you are fully prepared for the property ownership and land description portions of your exam, we highly recommend reviewing our Complete Maine Exam Guide. Furthermore, mastering these technical concepts is one of the best ways to beat the testing curve—you can see how candidates typically perform by checking out the Maine pass rate statistics and difficulty.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do I need to know how to survey land to pass the Maine real estate exam?

No. The Maine real estate exam tests your conceptual understanding of legal descriptions, not your ability to physically survey land. You need to know the terminology (POB, monuments, calls) and be able to recognize a metes and bounds description compared to a lot and block description.

What happens if a monument in a metes and bounds description is destroyed?

This is a common issue in Maine, especially with old trees or shifting streams. If a monument is destroyed, surveyors will rely on the recorded compass bearings and distances (the "calls") from the last known intact monument, as well as historical records and neighboring deeds, to re-establish the boundary.

Does Maine use the Rectangular Survey System (PLSS)?

Generally, no. Maine is not a PLSS state. However, in the Unorganized Territories of northern and western Maine, you will find a grid-like system of townships and ranges created by the state (e.g., "T3 R4 WELS"). While similar in appearance to the federal PLSS, it is a state-specific system. The vast majority of standard real estate transactions you handle will use metes and bounds or lot and block.

How does Metes and Bounds differ from Lot and Block in Maine?

Metes and bounds describes the perimeter of a parcel using distances and directions. Lot and block is used in subdivisions where a large parcel (originally described by metes and bounds) has been subdivided into smaller lots. A lot and block description simply refers to a recorded plat map (e.g., "Lot 12, Block B, Whispering Pines Subdivision, recorded in the Cumberland County Registry of Deeds").

What is a "call" in a metes and bounds description?

A "call" is a single segment of the boundary line. It gives the surveyor the specific direction (compass bearing) and the specific distance to travel to reach the next monument or turning point.