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Missouri Revised Statutes

Mo. Rev. Stat. § 140.180 (2026)

Lawful abbreviations

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  140.180.  Lawful abbreviations. — 1.  In all advertisements, notices, lists, records, certificates, deeds or other papers, required to be made by or under any of the provisions of this chapter, it shall be lawful to use letters, figures and characters, as follows:

  (1)  Letters may be used to denote township, range, boundaries, parts of section, parts of lots or blocks, or other subdivisions of real estate, in the following manner:  "T" for township, "R" for range, "L" for lot, "B" for block, "N" for north, "E" for east, "S" for south and "W" for west, or any combination or combinations of the four last mentioned letters to denote parts of sections, lots, blocks, or other subdivisions of real property;

  (2)  Figures may be used as may be requisite to state any number required, whether it be of township, range, survey, section, block, lot or part thereof, acres or fractions thereof, date of any kind, amount of taxes, interest or costs, or any other matter or thing which may be stated or given in figures;

  (3)  Characters, such as ("), or the words "do", or "ditto", or "same", may be used to denote continuation of township, range, years, tax due or other dates and when either shall be so used, shall be deemed and held to denote the same as shall stand next above in the column in which any such character or word shall be so placed.

  2.  Any and all descriptions of real estate made under the provisions of this chapter by the use of letters, figures and characters, as provided in this section, when so made that the land or lot may be identified and located, shall be deemed and held to be good, valid and complete, as though the same had been written out in full.

  3.  Dates of valuation and taxation, taxes, interest, costs, acres, blocks or lots, or any fractions thereof, or any other number or amount, when stated in figures, letters or characters, as herein provided, shall be deemed and held to be fully and fairly stated, as though the same had been written out in full.

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(RSMo 1939 § 11212)

Prior revisions: 1929 § 9978; 1919 § 12968; 1909 § 11520

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 7 cases, 1953–2004 · leading case: Stadium West Props., L.L.C. v. Johnson, 133 S.W.3d 128 (Mo. Ct. App. 2004).
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Stadium West Props., L.L.C. v. Johnson, 133 S.W.3d 128 (Mo. Ct. App. 2004). · cites it 9× “Finally, although it is quite lengthy and we do not set it forth in full, § 140.180, RSMo 1994, authorizes the use of certain letters, figures, and characters as shorthand in “all advertisements, notices, lists, records, certificates, deeds or other papers, required to be made…”
Costello v. City of St. Louis, 262 S.W.2d 591 (Mo. 1953). · cites it 6× “180 authorizes the use of certain abbreviations in land descriptions.”
Beldner v. Gen. Elec. Co., 451 S.W.2d 65 (Mo. 1970). · cites it 5× “Section 140.180, RSMo 1959, V.A.M.S., provides for the use of certain abbreviations, letters, figures and characters in legal advertisements — capital L for Lot, B for Block, N for North, E for East, etc.”
McCready v. Southard, 671 S.W.2d 385 (Mo. Ct. App. 1984). “Defendants assert the trial court erred in basing its summary judgment on the failure of the notice to contain in its description of the property to be sold 1) the words “Township” and “Range” or the abbreviations for same authorized by § 140.180 1 ; or 2) the words “to *388 the…”
Trapf v. Lohr, 666 S.W.2d 414 (Mo. 1984). · cites it 2× “Nor can it be said under these facts that the use in published notices of abbreviations more specific than those provided by statute in any way prevented Mrs.”
Ruley v. Drey, 643 S.W.2d 101 (Mo. Ct. App. 1982). · cites it 2× “See § 140.180, RSMo 1978. By the use of those abbreviations the land was described with reasonable certainty.”
Mason v. Whyte, 660 S.W.2d 383 (Mo. Ct. App. 1983). “The Praters were the owners at the time the taxes accrued and the taxes were properly assessed against them. See §§ 137.075, 137.215. The land tax book listed the owners as “Prater, Robert A.”
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