Closure check

Does my deed close? Check closure before relying on a legal description

A metes-and-bounds deed closes when its last call returns to the point of beginning. If the plotted calls end with a large gap, the description may have a typo, missing call, wrong bearing quadrant, or another problem that should be resolved before you rely on the acreage or location.

What closure error means

Plot each call in order from the point of beginning. The distance between the final endpoint and the start is the closure error. Near zero means the calls are internally consistent; a larger gap means the written geometry does not make a clean parcel.

Closure does not prove the parcel is in the correct place on Earth. It only proves the deed’s calls work together as written.

Why it matters before closing

Bad closure can make the acreage calculation unreliable.
A wrong bearing can flip a boundary into a neighboring parcel.
A missing call can hide a gap, overlap, or impossible shape.
Title and survey work gets slower when the description is ambiguous.

Quick checks when a deed does not close

Confirm every “thence” call was captured from the recorded instrument.
Look for E/W or N/S quadrant mistakes in bearings.
Check old units: chains, rods, poles, links, and varas need conversion.
Separate commencement calls from true boundary calls.

DeedSketch does the boring first pass: read the deed PDF, plot the calls, show the closure gap, and compute area from the plotted shape.

Stop reading deeds by hand — plot one.

Upload a PDF, scan, image, or pasted text. DeedSketch reads the legal description, plots the property on an aerial map, checks closure, and estimates acreage.

Map your first description for $0.99