When you buy real estate the description on your
deed tells you what you bought. It is called the legal description,
or sometimes the deed
description. The surveyor uses this description to locate
your land boundaries. Deeds are found in the Cook
County Recorder’s Office at the county courthouse
in Grand Marais.
The tax assessor will put a description on your
tax bill. Usually it is a shortened version of the legal description.
It’s there so you will know what piece of land you are paying
taxes on, but it’s not the legal description that describes
what you own. What you own is described on your deed.
The Parcel
ID is also used by the tax assessor to keep track of which
property is which.
For properties which have been bought or sold
within the last 20 years or so, we can use the Parcel ID to find
your deed at the courthouse. Then we will use the legal description
from your deed to survey your boundary.