Is this land landlocked? How to check before you buy

Listing maps and county GIS outlines are useful clues, but the deed controls what was conveyed. Plot the legal description first so you know which shape you are actually evaluating.

If the description is metes and bounds, DeedSketch can read the PDF, plot the calls, check closure, and place the sketch near nearby parcels for a fast access sanity check.

• Does any boundary touch a public road or maintained right-of-way?
• Is the apparent driveway on the parcel, or does it cross someone else’s land?
• Do neighboring parcels block the only route to the road?
• Does the deed call run “along” a road, or only near one?

A parcel can lack road frontage and still have legal access through a recorded easement. Search the deed and exceptions for words like “easement,” “ingress,” “egress,” “right of way,” “access,” and “non-exclusive.” The map tells you where to look; the recorded documents tell you what rights exist.

No tool can create access that is not in the title record. Treat a missing or vague access path as a deal-risk flag for your title company, attorney, or surveyor.

• The only visible road crosses an adjoining owner’s parcel.
• The deed describes acreage but no road frontage, easement, or right-of-way.
• The seller says “there is access” but cannot point to a recorded instrument.
• The parcel shape does not close, making the access check unreliable until corrected.

If you are new to the deed vocabulary, read the metes-and-bounds guide before reviewing access calls.