City of Grand Rapids and Kent Co, Michigan

Permanent Parcel Number

Permanent Parcel Numbers are NOT permanent. They change if the lot size changes and the old number is "retired" and no longer available. Permanent Parcel numbers have an underlying meaning. They are based of the old Township and Range lines.

I will use my former home at 152 Indian Ave SW. The permanent parcel number is  41-13-26-441-005

First two numbers identify the county - 41 is Kent County
The next two numbers identify the township - 13 is Walker, 14 is Grand Rapids Twp, 17 is Paris Twp, 18 is Wyoming Twp
The next two numbers identify the section - 26
The next three numbers identify the 1/4 section or city block - 1xx is NW, 2xx is NE, 3xx is SW and 4xx is SE
The next three numbers identify the 1/4 section 1/4 section or city lot - 5

 The  tax description is   LOT 5* LAVIN'S SUBDIVISION

Older Style Description

Separate the description into three parts and Read it Backwards!

The third line identifies where in Michigan you are, Battle Creek, Gaylord, Detroit
The first line tells you where in Grand Rapids you are.
The middle line identifies YOUR property.

Commencing Blah Blah Blah to the Point of Beginning
 thence blah blah blah thence blah blah blah thence blah blah blah thence blah blah blah to the Point of Beginning
 SE 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of Section 26 of T7N R4W. 

City Engineers nicely provides us with the SE 1/4 of Section 26 of T7N R12W. Thank you.
 and I have marked in red the extra SE 1/4 AND the Commencing with a red C and the Point of Beginning with a red P

^{City Engineer's}

Commencing x feet north  of the SE corner of Section 26
                            thence x number of feet West to the Point of Beginning                         
thence x feet north thence x feet west thence x feet south thence x feet east to the Point of Beginning

Tax Descriptions

Tax Description is a term used by the county instead of Legal Description cause they want to cover their ass and not be held responsible for any short cut they take. The also just love using abbreviations and jargon which makes them feel superior to dumb tax payers. Now these tax descriptions are being used on new deeds forcing the City to copy the descriptions from the new deeds. In my experience, lawyers write the worse deeds.

 My definition of a bureaucrat: He will give you a perfectly legal but totally useless answer.

This system works better for farm acreage and suburban lots with irregular sides. It doesn't give you your lot dimensions but the acreage and  the size of the 1/4 section after your acreage has been cut out by assuming the Point of Beginning.
Never assume!

Example: S x feet of the E xxxxxx feet of the SE 1/4 * SEC 26 T7N R13W .31 A

The first part of the sentence identifies YOUR property
The middle part of the sentence tells you what 1/4 section
The last part tells you where in Michigan you are Battle Creek, Gaylord, Detroit

X feet of xxxxxx feet of
of the SE 1/4 *
Sec 26 T7NR12W

Here is true county example:
Example: S 411.58 FT OF W 244.44 FT OF E 425.02 FT OF NE 1/4 * SEC 25 T9N R11W 2.31 A

Here is another one:

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Copyright © 2006 My Grand Rapids
Last modified: 05/17/10