The legal description for 321 Steele Street gives the west twenty-six feet of the east half of two lots. It can establish ownership without describing how the place works.
The line does not show shade from the two-story wall, water moving toward the alley, a hose route through the studio, delivery access, a neighbor’s roof drainage, or the narrow passage between buildings. It does not show which person sweeps beyond the exact edge because stopping at the line would leave the entrance unusable.
Parcel maps need this reduction. Taxes, deeds, sales, permits, and disputes require a defined unit. Trouble begins when the unit is mistaken for an ecological or social container.
Water crosses. Roots cross. Sound crosses. A wall casts shade across land it does not own. Fire protection, snow storage, maintenance access, and views depend on spaces held by several parties or by the public.
The Steele Street GIS adds a useful warning. Its parcel polygon is visibly misregistered against the aerial photograph. The legal data remains useful, but the screen is not a survey. Even the line that can show ownership may not show its physical position precisely enough for construction.
A property owner therefore holds both rights and interfaces. The courtyard can be planted, but drainage cannot simply be sent toward another building. A wall can be repaired, but access may require conversation. A hedge can occupy the edge while affecting sightlines and passage beyond it.
Ownership answers who may decide. It does not answer every consequence of the decision.
Source
knowledge/property.md