Township and Range System: How Legal Land Descriptions Work

Converting a township and range description to latitude and longitude takes seconds with Township America:

1. 1Enter your legal land description in the search box (e.g., NE 12-4N-5E Indian Meridian)
2. 2Click "Search" or press Enter
3. 3View the exact coordinates on the map and in the results panel

You can also do reverse lookups — enter GPS coordinates or an address to get the legal land description.

Used across 30+ states in the western and central United States, the PLSS divides land relative to Principal Meridians and Base Lines that serve as reference points.

The hierarchy works as follows:

• Principal Meridians — 37 north-south reference lines across the US
• Townships — Six-mile-wide rows numbered north or south from the base line
• Ranges — Six-mile-wide columns numbered east or west from the meridian
• Sections — 36 one-square-mile divisions within each township, numbered in a serpentine pattern
• Quarter Sections — Four quarters (NE, NW, SE, SW) per section, each 160 acres
• Quarter-Quarters — Further subdivisions of 40 acres each

PLSS Format Examples

Each township contains 36 sections, each approximately one square mile (640 acres). Sections are numbered in a serpentine (back-and-forth) pattern starting from the northeast corner.

Sections are further divided into Quarter Sections of 160 acres each (NE, NW, SE, SW). These can be subdivided again into Quarter-Quarter Sections of 40 acres each for precise parcel identification.

The PLSS uses 37 Principal Meridians as north-south reference lines, each paired with a Base Line running east-west. All township and range numbering originates from these reference points.

Some of the most commonly used principal meridians include:

• Indian Meridian — Oklahoma
• 6th Principal Meridian — Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming
• 5th Principal Meridian — Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota
• Salt Lake Meridian — Utah
• Willamette Meridian — Oregon, Washington
• Montana Principal Meridian — Montana

When writing a PLSS description, the meridian is always included to avoid ambiguity. For example, "NE 12-4N-5E Indian Meridian" specifies the NE quarter of Section 12, Township 4 North, Range 5 East, referenced from the Indian Meridian in Oklahoma.

Township America accepts legal land descriptions in various formats:

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. You can use County and State in place of Meridian (e.g., 6S 19W Clark County Arkansas).

Township America also accepts GPS coordinates and addresses. Supported formats:

• Decimal Degrees: 51.05022, -114.08853
• Degrees Minutes Seconds: 51°27'17"N 114°38'56.2"W
• Addresses: Any US address or ZIP code