What is a protracted township in Alaska?

A protracted township is a township where section lines have been established on paper from surveyed control points rather than measured by field crews on the ground. Protracted sections are numbered and used for land administration purposes in unsurveyed Alaska. When an area is eventually surveyed on the ground, the actual section boundaries may differ from the protracted positions, and legal descriptions may need to be updated.

Which meridian covers the North Slope oil fields?

North Slope oil and gas leases — including Prudhoe Bay and the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska — are governed by the Umiat Meridian, established in 1956 specifically to support North Slope energy development and exploration. All North Slope PLSS descriptions, including NPR-A lease descriptions and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain descriptions, reference 'Umiat Meridian.'

Alaska PLSS Converter — Section Township Range to GPS

Q: How much of Alaska has actually been surveyed under the PLSS?

The BLM estimates that approximately 30% of Alaska has been surveyed on the ground under the PLSS. The remainder uses protracted townships — section grids laid out on paper from control points rather than measured on the ground. Protracted descriptions are used for land selections, subsurface leasing, and administrative purposes but are subject to revision when actual surveys are completed.

Q: Can I use this converter for Alaska Native Corporation land selections?

Yes, for ANCSA land selections described using PLSS section descriptions. Enter the section, township, range, and meridian from the selection document to map the selected parcel. In surveyed areas, the GPS result represents a measured location. In unsurveyed areas using protracted descriptions, the result reflects the calculated grid position, which is useful for planning and administrative work but may be revised by future surveys.

Convert Alaska Public Land Survey System (PLSS) land descriptions to GPS coordinates using the Copper River / Fairbanks / Seward / Umiat / Kateel River system.

Convert Alaska Land Descriptions

Enter a Alaska PLSS land description to get GPS coordinates instantly.

Example: SW 8 7N 2E Seward Meridian

Open the converter

Understanding Alaska's PLSS System

Alaska presents the most expansive and least surveyed PLSS territory in the United States. The state's 365 million acres — more than twice the size of Texas — are governed by five principal meridians: the Copper River Meridian, the Fairbanks Meridian, the Seward Meridian, the Umiat Meridian, and the Kateel River Meridian. Each meridian was established to serve a specific geographic region, and together they provide a framework for whatever portion of Alaska has actually been surveyed on the ground — which, even today, represents only a fraction of the state's total land area.

The Seward Meridian, established in 1894, is the oldest and most widely used, governing the Kenai Peninsula, the Susitna Valley, and the agricultural areas around Palmer and Wasilla. The Fairbanks Meridian, established in 1903 in response to the Klondike and Fairbanks gold rushes, covers the Interior including the Tanana Valley and the mining districts surrounding Fairbanks. The Copper River Meridian, established in 1900, covers southcentral Alaska including the Copper River Basin and the areas around Valdez and Cordova. The Umiat Meridian was established in 1956 to support oil exploration on the North Slope, and the Kateel River Meridian was established in 1956 to cover western Alaska.

The practical reality of Alaska surveying is that most of the state has never been measured on the ground. The BLM estimates that roughly 70% of Alaska's land area has not been surveyed under the PLSS system. In surveyed areas — particularly around Anchorage, Fairbanks, the Kenai Peninsula, and the agricultural Matanuska-Susitna Valley — descriptions work exactly as they do in the lower 48. In unsurveyed areas, Alaska Natives, the state, and federal agencies use protracted townships — sections laid out on paper from control points rather than measured on the ground — which are used for land selections, subsurface leasing, and administrative purposes but are subject to revision when actual surveys are completed.

Principal Meridians

Copper River Meridian Fairbanks Meridian Seward Meridian Umiat Meridian Kateel River Meridian

Common Use Cases in Alaska

Who converts Alaska PLSS descriptions — and why.

Oil and Gas Leasing on the North Slope

Alaska's North Slope is one of the most significant oil producing regions in North American history. Lease descriptions for Prudhoe Bay, the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain all reference the Umiat Meridian. Converting these descriptions to GPS supports lease mapping, pipeline corridor analysis, and Bureau of Land Management regulatory filings.

Mining Claims in the Interior and Southeast

Alaska has active gold, silver, copper, and zinc mining across multiple districts. Placer and lode mining claims under the Fairbanks, Copper River, and Seward Meridians are registered with the BLM using PLSS descriptions. Converting these to GPS supports claim boundary verification and exploration planning in remote terrain.

Land Selections and Native Corporation Parcels

Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) of 1971 authorized Alaska Native Corporations to select millions of acres of federal land. These selections are described using PLSS section descriptions in the applicable meridian, even in unsurveyed areas where protracted townships are used. GPS conversion helps Native Corporations, the BLM, and state agencies confirm selection boundaries and manage the resulting land portfolio.

Real Estate and Development in Surveyed Areas

In and around Anchorage, Fairbanks, the Kenai Peninsula, and the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, PLSS-surveyed land is actively transacted and developed. Title searches, subdivision plats, and development permit applications all trace back to Seward or Fairbanks Meridian descriptions in the underlying patents. GPS conversion supports all standard real estate and land use work in these surveyed regions.

Industries: Oil & GasMiningFederal Land Management

How to Convert Alaska Legal Descriptions

Three steps from legal description to GPS coordinates.

Identify the meridian and enter your description

Alaska's five meridians require identifying the correct one first. A Seward Meridian description (Kenai Peninsula, Matanuska-Susitna, Anchorage area) looks like: SW 8 7N 2E Seward Meridian. A Fairbanks Meridian description looks like: NE 14 1N 1E Fairbanks Meridian. A Copper River Meridian description looks like: NW 22 4N 3E Copper River Meridian. A North Slope description uses the Umiat Meridian. Always include the meridian name — using the wrong one will place the parcel hundreds of miles from its true location.

Verify the map result

The converter plots the parcel on an interactive map. For Alaska, always cross-reference against the expected geographic region — if a Kenai Peninsula parcel shows up in Interior Alaska, the meridian is wrong. Toggle on satellite imagery to verify the result matches the expected terrain, vegetation, and drainage patterns.

Note whether the description is surveyed or protracted

Download coordinates as CSV, KML, or GeoJSON for use in mapping tools. For surveyed areas, the GPS result represents a measured location. For protracted townships, the result is based on the calculated grid position — useful for administrative purposes but subject to adjustment when or if an actual survey is completed.

Processing an Alaska oil lease inventory, a Native Corporation land selection database, or a mining district claim list? Batch conversion handles any number of Alaska PLSS descriptions from a single CSV upload. Include the meridian name for each row to ensure accurate results across Alaska's five-meridian system.

Learn about batch conversion

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Alaska PLSS descriptions and conversion.

Alaska uses five principal meridians: the Seward Meridian (southcentral Alaska, Kenai Peninsula, Matanuska-Susitna), the Fairbanks Meridian (Interior Alaska, Fairbanks area), the Copper River Meridian (Copper River Basin, Valdez area), the Umiat Meridian (North Slope), and the Kateel River Meridian (western Alaska). Always include the meridian name when entering Alaska PLSS descriptions.