What is a Legal Land Description?
Complete guide to the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) used across 30 US states. Learn how townships, ranges, sections, and quarter sections work.
What is a Legal Land Description?
A legal land description is a standardized way to identify a specific parcel of land. In the United States, the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) is used across 30 states to precisely locate any piece of land using a grid-based system of townships, ranges, sections, and subdivisions.
Legal land descriptions are essential for property deeds, mineral rights, oil and gas leases, agricultural records, and government land management. Unlike street addresses, legal descriptions provide exact boundaries that don't change over time.
How to Convert Legal Descriptions to Coordinates
Township America makes it easy to convert any legal land description to GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude):
- Go to app.townshipamerica.com
- Enter your legal description (e.g., "NE 25 5N 30E Mount Diablo Meridian")
- View the location on the map with coordinates
- Export to CSV, KML, Shapefile, or GeoJSON for use in other applications
The Public Land Survey System (PLSS)
The PLSS, also known as the Rectangular Survey System or Township and Range System, was established by the Land Ordinance of 1785 to systematically survey and divide public lands for settlement.
Principal Meridians
The PLSS is organized around 37 principal meridians — north-south reference lines from which all measurements are made. Each meridian has a corresponding east-west baseline. Major meridians include:
- 5th Principal Meridian — Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota
- 6th Principal Meridian — Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming
- Mount Diablo Meridian — California, Nevada
- Indian Meridian — Oklahoma
- Willamette Meridian — Oregon, Washington
Townships
A township is a 6-mile by 6-mile square (36 square miles). Townships are numbered based on their distance from the baseline:
- T2N = Township 2 North of the baseline
- T5S = Township 5 South of the baseline
Ranges
A range is a 6-mile-wide column running north-south, numbered from the principal meridian:
- R4E = Range 4 East of the principal meridian
- R7W = Range 7 West of the principal meridian
Sections
Each township is divided into 36 sections, each measuring 1 mile by 1 mile (640 acres). Sections are numbered in a serpentine pattern:
Sections in a Township (36 square miles)
Sections are numbered 1-36 in a serpentine pattern starting from the northeast corner
Quarter Sections
Each section can be divided into four quarter sections of 160 acres each:
Quarter Sections (160 acres each)
NE = Northeast, NW = Northwest, SE = Southeast, SW = Southwest
Quarter-Quarter Sections
Quarter sections can be further divided into quarter-quarter sections of 40 acres each:
Quarter-Quarter Sections (40 acres each)
Example: NESW = Northeast quarter of the Southwest quarter
Supported Input Formats
Township America accepts legal land descriptions in various formats:
| Format | Example |
|---|---|
| Township Range Meridian | 6S 19W 5th Meridian |
| Township Range County State | 6S 19W Clark County Arkansas |
| Section Township Range Meridian | 4 2N 18E Indian Meridian |
| Section Township Range County State | 4 2N 18E Pushmataha County OK |
| Quarter Section | NE 25 5N 30E Mount Diablo Meridian |
| Quarter-Quarter Section | NESW 25 5N 30E Mineral County Nevada |
| Lot | L 12 25 5N 30E Mount Diablo Meridian |
| Survey | MB 24 5N 30E Indian Meridian |
⚠️ Important: Simplified format
Township America uses a simplified format. Drop the T and R prefixes from township/range, and do not include fractions like 1/4 or 1/8 for quarter sections.
T2N R18ENE 1/4NW1/4SE1/42N 18ENENWSETip: You can use County and State in place of Meridian. For example, 6S 19W 5th Meridian and 6S 19W Clark County Arkansas return the same location.
Geographic Coordinates
Township America also supports searching by GPS coordinates in multiple formats:
- Decimal Degrees:
38.825890, -95.742314 - Degrees Minutes Seconds:
38°49'33"N 95°44'32"W
Enter coordinates to find the legal land description for any location within PLSS coverage.
States Covered
Township America supports the PLSS grid for 30 states:
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a legal land description?
- A legal land description is a standardized way to identify a specific parcel of land using the Public Land Survey System (PLSS). It includes references to meridians, townships, ranges, and sections to precisely locate property.
- How do I convert a legal description to GPS coordinates?
- Use Township America's free converter. Enter your section, township, range, and meridian (or county/state), and the tool will calculate the latitude and longitude coordinates instantly.
- How big is a township?
- A standard township measures 6 miles by 6 miles, totaling 36 square miles or approximately 23,040 acres. Each township is divided into 36 sections of 1 square mile (640 acres) each.
- What states use the township and range system?
- Approximately 30 states use the PLSS township and range system, primarily states west of the Mississippi River plus Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
- Can I convert GPS coordinates to a legal description?
- Yes! Township America supports reverse lookups. Enter latitude and longitude coordinates to find the corresponding section, township, range, and meridian.
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