A legal description is simply a statement that contains a designation by which a piece of land is identified.

These statements, or descriptions, may be in several different formats. Some may refer to systems using benchmark locations that reference points by latitude and longitude, some may describe a parcel of land by reference to courses (or bearings) and distances to established landmarks, and some may use several forms of mapping systems.

For most of Valley City, neighborhoods have been platted, or mapped, into individual blocks and lots. The legal descriptions, therefore, refer to the ownership boundaries as they relate to the established lines defining the breakdown of each lot and block.