First-pass legal-description review
Map legal descriptions automatically.
Snap a photo, screenshot the deed, or upload the PDF — DeedSketch reads it, plots the parcel, and checks closure.
Sample output
What a reviewer sees after one clean plot.
- Closure
- 0.00 ft
- Area
- 12.05 ac
- Calls
- 13
- Perimeter
- 5,258 ft
Closure is the gap between where the deed’s last call ends and the point of beginning. Near zero means the calls are internally consistent.
Step 1
Start with the file you already have
Preview acreage and call counts before signing in. Email sign-in is required to open the full drawing and exports.
Drop a PDF, screenshot, scan, or photo
We read the legal description and plot the property on an aerial map.
Screenshots, photos & scans OKor click to browseBest for
Rural metes-and-bounds deeds — bearings, distances, and a defined point of beginning.
You get
A plotted shape, closure check, acreage estimate, and editable call table.
Important
Approximate due-diligence output only. Always verify with the recorded instrument.
May need more information
Lot-and-block references, numbered government lots, and water boundaries may need a recorded plat or other survey information. Some descriptions require manual review. Review any warnings and verify the outline against the recorded document.
What you can check
The questions a deed alone can’t answer.
Where is it — on the actual aerial?
Drop the parcel onto live satellite imagery and see the real ground, roads, and neighbors. Even a survey won’t show you that.
Does the description close?
Closure error tells you whether the calls come back to the point of beginning cleanly — or hide a typo or a bad call.
What shape — and how many acres?
A wall of bearings and distances becomes an outline you can inspect: dimensions, corners, and acreage straight from the deed.
The whole property, or just a portion?
Deeds often convey only “a portion of” a larger tract. The plotted shape and acreage make it obvious what you’re actually getting.
Where does the access run?
Ingress/egress and utility easements are drawn right alongside the parcel, so access issues are visible during first-pass review.
The part everyone hates
Drag, drop, done.
No transcription.
Every other deed plotter makes you hand-key the legal description first — forty bearings and distances retyped off a scanned PDF, one fat-fingered call away from the wrong parcel. DeedSketch reads the deed for you: drop the PDF — even a scan or a phone photo — and we plot it. No typing. No transcription.
Other plotters
- N 89°45′00″ E 330.00…
- S 00°15′00″ E 660.00…
- S 89°45′00″ W 330.00…
- …+ 37 more, by hand
~15 min · typo risk
DeedSketch
~5 sec · no typing
How it works
From deed to tract sketch in three steps.
Upload the deed, review the shape, and check whether the description closes. If you know the point of beginning, you can place the tract on imagery too.
Drop the file
Upload a deed PDF, scan, phone photo, or image — or paste the legal-description text directly.
Review the plot
Review the parcel outline, closure error, acreage, and parsed calls so you can spot obvious problems quickly.
Check the review
Edit suspect calls, review multiple tracts, easements, and less-outs, then export a clean review sheet for your file.
Catch a bad deed before you buy
The five-figure mistakes hide in the legal description.
Does it close?
A description that doesn’t close is a red flag — bad calls, a typo, or a parcel that isn’t what the seller says. See the closure error in feet before you commit.
Where is it on the aerial?
When the deed has resolvable reference points and location data is available, DeedSketch can place the plotted property on aerial imagery. You can also position a drawn outline manually to review nearby roads and context.
Where are the corners?
Turn a wall of bearings and distances into a shape you can actually look at — acreage, dimensions, and corners, straight from the deed.
Pricing
Check pricing before you unlock.
Preview acreage and call counts first. Current pricing is confirmed before you unlock the full review. No subscription.
Questions
Is this a survey?
No. DeedSketch produces an approximate drawing from the text of a legal description — for planning and due-diligence reference only. It does not establish legal boundaries; always verify with a licensed surveyor and the recorded instrument. What it does that a survey usually won’t: place the parcel on live satellite imagery, so you can see the actual ground, roads, and neighbors before you dig deeper.
Does it work for any deed?
No. Descriptions with directions and distances work best. Some fractional-section descriptions that name Section, Township, and Range can also be drawn. Lot-and-block and numbered-government-lot references may need a recorded plat or other survey information. River and other water-boundary descriptions may not produce a usable approximate outline. Check the result’s warnings against the recorded document.
Can the outline be placed automatically on a map?
Descriptions with directions and distances can be sketched to scale before they are placed on a map. Automatic placement depends on the deed’s reference points and available location data. A Section/Township/Range reference or an address in the deed may provide a starting point. If an outline is drawn but cannot be placed automatically, you can position it manually. Map placement is approximate; verify it against the recorded document and a survey.
Can I just upload the deed PDF?
Yes — that’s the easy path. Upload a PDF, scan, phone photo, or image and we read it for you, pull the legal description out, and plot it. You can also paste the description text directly if you already have it.
What does “closure error” mean?
When you walk every call in the deed, you should end up back at the point of beginning. The gap between where you start and finish is the closure error. A small number means the calls are internally consistent; a large one means something’s off.
How much does it cost?
Preview acreage and call counts first. Current pricing is confirmed before you unlock the full review. No subscription.