John A. Yoegel, PhD, is a certified real estate instructor and former board member of the Real Estate Educators Association. It was originally proposed by President Thomas Jefferson and is sometimes referred to as the Public Land Survey System (PLSS). Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. Townships have an area of 36 square miles, more or less, and are each further divided into 36 sections.

Figuring out the size of a piece of property, which sometimes is called a parcel, is simple, if you keep in mind that youre always dealing with a section of 640 acres. That means it is 3 townships north of the baseline and 5 townships east of the principal meridian. The principal meridians and baselines are based respectively on lines of longitude and latitude.\r\n\r\nYoure likely to see at least a few questions on the on calculating the area of part of a section, and youll also see questions about terminology and some of the measurements that the rectangular survey system uses. Were not done yet. Township lines, which run east and west, parallel to baselines, are horizontal parallel lines that form township tiers. Only about half of the states in the United States still use the Rectangular Survey System. These divisions mean just that. These range lines form ranges. The first sets of lines respectively are called principal meridians, which run north and south, and baselines, which run east and west. The rectangular survey system may just be a giant grid covering the United States, but understanding how it is used can seem a little complex, so stick with us while we cover the basic definitions.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'realestatelicensewizard_com-box-4','ezslot_11',688,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-realestatelicensewizard_com-box-4-0'); The largest grid comprises of two types of lines, principal meridians, and baselines. He is also a real estate investor, board gamer and homebrewer. It is considered as one of the most significant subdividing of the United States mainland. Standard parallels run east to west along with the baseline. As the United States grew from its original 13 colonies, a system was needed to identify who owned what land. It can be a quick and relatively straightforward way of dividing large areas of land into manageable, legally identifiable sections from the very large to the fairly small. Government Survey System or Public Land Survey System functions just like a mailing label on an envelope. The rectangular survey system is comprised of principal meridian lines that cover most states in the US, running north to south and baselines running east to west. After six years of aircrew service in the Air Force, he earned his MBA from the University of Phoenix following a BS from the University of Maryland. These principal meridian lines are named or numbered to identify their location. The Metes and bounds system dates back centuries to the original 13 colonies, while the rectangular survey method was established in 1785 and used in all 36 states formed after that point. Because of the curvature of the earth, correction lines and guide meridians are used to compensate. The following is a list of helpful terms: Correction lines and guide meridians were established to correct this problem in the government survey system. The rectangular government survey system is the most common system used in the United States to create legal descriptions for real estate. We have Quarter sections, Half sections, township sections, townships, quadrangles, and principal meridians with baselines. -also known as the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), because it was originally, used to survey federally owned blocks of land-is regulated by the, The rectangular government survey system is used in 30 western and southern states. Take for example there is a shared baseline in both Nebraska and Kansas as both states border is at the 40th parallel north. Range lines run parallel to the principal meridian and determine how far east and west the township is of that meridian.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'realestatelicensewizard_com-banner-1','ezslot_5',689,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-realestatelicensewizard_com-banner-1-0'); All township locations are defined by referencing how from they are from the principal meridian and baseline. I feel like its a lifeline. Townships are further divided into 36 sections of one square mile each. The government rectangular survey method is a legal description for land. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. This system, sometimes called the Public Land Survey System, was created in 1785 to plat or divide real property into squares and rectangles for sale and settling. Normally, a permanent monument, or marker, is placed at each section corner. [/caption]\r\n

Each half or quarter section can be further subdivided into halves and quarters. For example,Lot _ Block _ of Subdivision __ in the County of ______, State of ______________. The townships are consecutively numbered by their location within the intersection of multiple range lines and township lines. The system uses Metes, which are straight lines connecting two points, and Bounds, which are identifiable aspects of a property. The numbering then moves from right to left across that first upper tier. Government Survey System (Rectangular Survey System) Public Land Survey System (PLSS) After the Revolutionary War ended, the United States Government needed a way to describe lands in the West to insure locating and selling. The rectangular survey system was enacted by the Land Ordinance Act of 1785. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9566"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/282532"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"