Range, PLSS Definition

In the PLSS, a range is a six-mile-wide vertical column of townships extending north-south across a survey area. Ranges are numbered sequentially east and west from the principal meridian. The first column of townships immediately east of the principal meridian is Range 1 East (R1E); the first column to the west is Range 1 West (R1W). Numbering continues outward in both directions.

Every complete PLSS legal description includes both the township number (which identifies the horizontal row) and the range number (which identifies the vertical column). Together, these two numbers locate a specific 36-square-mile township within the survey grid. The section number then identifies one of the 36 one-mile squares within that township, and the aliquot part description identifies the specific parcel within the section.

Range lines — the north-south boundaries between adjacent ranges — are true meridians. Because meridians converge toward the poles, range lines are not strictly parallel to each other; they converge slightly as they extend north. This is why the PLSS uses guide meridians and standard parallels to correct the grid at 24-mile intervals. Despite this convergence, ranges are numbered as if they were parallel columns, with the correction absorbed at guide meridians.

In everyday usage by landmen, title professionals, and real estate agents, ranges are commonly abbreviated with just a number and letter: "R5E" means Range 5 East, "R12W" means Range 12 West. When the principal meridian is understood from context — for example, when working entirely within one state governed by a single meridian — it may be omitted from casual references, though it should always be included in formal legal descriptions.