Opinion ID: 1730429
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Adequacy of description of the one additional acre granted by statute.

Text: The verified statement of lien which Bird filed on April 20, 1978, claimed a lien against (1) the newly constructed dwelling house of Linda L. O'Grady and husband, Johnny W. O'Grady ... which contains approximately 2,500 square feet, and the 1 acre of land surrounding and contiguous thereto, and (2) [a parallel clause claiming the barn and the one acre surrounding and contiguous to it], and (3) [a parallel clause claiming the renovated block house and the one acre surrounding and contiguous to it], all of which is a part of the following described real estate situated in Shelby County, Alabama and containing 20 acres, more or less, to-wit: [describing both the larger parcel and the 3.458 acres encompasse[d] as a part of it by correct legal description]. When Bird sought to have the lien declared and foreclosed, the defendants objected that the description of the property was insufficient. The trial court's decree awarded the lien against the three buildings and the land on which they were situated, but not against the additional surrounding acreage. In so holding, the court relied on Bice v. R. L. Bains Builders, Inc., 269 Ala. 663, 115 So.2d 468 (1959), and Fowler v. Mackentepe, 233 Ala. 458, 172 So. 266 (1937). We note to the same effect Tanner v. Foley Building & Manufacturing Co., 254 Ala. 476, 48 So. 785 (1950). This Court held in these three cases that the materialman's liens in question were enforceable as to the buildings and the land upon which they were situated, but not as to the surrounding one acre. In response to the defendants' challenges that his description was not sufficient, Bird amended his complaint to the effect that he did not know or have any reasonable means of knowing the legal description for one acre of land surrounding each one of the three aforesaid buildings. The court below found, after hearing the case without a jury, that As described, this additional one acre is specific and definite enough for anyone reading the lien statement to know approximately where it is located and to separate it from the balance of the tract. Also this one acre is described in terms that are as specific and definite as the Plaintiff was reasonably capable of furnishing until after the Court Appointed Surveyor completed his survey on April 21, 1979. From the evidence adduced at the trial of this cause, the Court could equitably fix the exact location of this additional one acre in land area.... Nevertheless, the court felt constrained by the decisions of this Court mentioned above to deny the additional one acre. We acknowledge that language in the cases above supports the result that the trial court felt was dictated. We also acknowledge the clearly implied conclusion that this result is inequitable. This case highlights the severity of the burden placed upon materialmen by the specificity required by a constrictive reading of Fowler, supra, and the cases following it. In order to acquire the surrounding and contiguous acre granted by §§ 35-11-210 and -217, materialmen would have to survey land owned by someone against whom no legal action was yet pending. Without this acre, comparatively, the materialman's lien on property outside of a city or town is much less valuable, and the description requirements on such materialmen are more onerous than they are on those supplying materials for buildings on city lots. Bird's lien statement claims the one acre surrounding and contiguous to the buildings. In Fowler, the lien claimed a building and one acre in addition to the land upon which the building or improvement is situated, 233 Ala. at 459, 172 So. 266. The materialmen in Tanner and Bice (for aught that appears) failed to specify that they were claiming the acre surrounding and contiguous to the improvement. Bird has given as definite a description as he could have without trespassing on Johnny and Linda's land. To hold that he has no right to the acre claimed would be to preclude the statutory grant from having any effect. The court-appointed surveyor fixed one additional acre for each of the three buildings. We note from an inspection of the exhibit showing this survey that the acre allotted to the new house extends beyond the parcel mortgaged to First Federal; this acre should be confined to the 3.458 acre parcel, because the lien on this building affects only the land reserved from the Seiers' mortgage. On remand, this acre should be redrawn within the 3.458 acre parcel. In summary, we hold that Bird's statement described the additional acre surrounding and contiguous to each building as well as was practicable at the time. On remand, therefore, the court should allot one acre to each of the residential buildings. As discussed under the Priorities heading below, Bird's lien does not attach to the land mortgaged to the Seiers; therefore, no lien attaches to the acre surrounding the barn.