Convert Section Township Range to Lat/Long | Free Tool & Guide

Quick Answer: Enter your legal description (e.g., "4 2N 18E Indian Meridian") into Township America and instantly get GPS coordinates. Plans start at $10/month.

Converting section, township, and range (STR) to latitude and longitude coordinates is a common need for landowners, real estate professionals, oil and gas workers, and GIS analysts. This guide shows you how to do it quickly using Township America's converter.

Quick Conversion: Use Our Free Tool

The fastest way to convert any PLSS location to GPS coordinates is with Township America:

1. Go to townshipamerica.com/plss-converter
2. Enter your legal description (e.g., "4 2N 18E Indian Meridian")
3. Press Enter or select from the suggestions
4. View the coordinates in the results panel

That's it! The tool displays the latitude and longitude, shows the location on a map, and lets you export the data.

Understanding the Input Format

Township America uses a simplified format. Here are the supported formats:

Format 1: Section Township Range Meridian

4 2N 18E Indian Meridian

Format 2: Section Township Range County State

4 2N 18E Pushmataha County Oklahoma
4 2N 18E Pushmataha County OK

Format 3: With Quarter Sections

NENE 25 5N 30E Mount Diablo Meridian
NESW 25 5N 30E Mineral County Nevada

Format 4: Township Range Only (no section)

6S 19W 5th Meridian
6S 19W Clark County Arkansas

Format 5: Lots and Surveys

L 12 25 5N 30E Mount Diablo Meridian
MB 24 5N 30E Indian Meridian

Step-by-Step Manual Conversion Process

If you need to understand how the conversion works:

Step 1: Identify the Principal Meridian

Your legal description references one of 37 principal meridians. Each meridian has specific coordinates. For example:

• 5th Principal Meridian: 91°3'9"W longitude
• 6th Principal Meridian: 97°22'8"W longitude
• Indian Meridian: 97°14'30"W longitude

Step 2: Calculate Township Position

Townships are 6 miles apart:

• Start at the baseline for that meridian
• Move north or south by the township number × 6 miles
• T2N means 12 miles (2 × 6) north of the baseline

Step 3: Calculate Range Position

Ranges are also 6 miles apart:

• Start at the principal meridian
• Move east or west by the range number × 6 miles
• R18E means 108 miles (18 × 6) east of the meridian

Step 4: Find the Section

Sections are numbered 1-36 within each township in a serpentine pattern. Each section is 1 mile × 1 mile.

Step 5: Apply Subdivisions

If the description includes quarter sections, identify which quarter of the section:

For quarter-quarter sections (40 acres), find the quarter within the quarter:

Common Conversion Examples

Example 1: Oil Well Location

Input: NWSE 14 3N 5W 5th Meridian

This describes:

• The Northwest quarter of the Southeast quarter
• Of Section 14
• In Township 3 North, Range 5 West
• Referenced to the 5th Principal Meridian

Result: A 40-acre parcel with coordinates approximately in central Arkansas or Missouri.

Example 2: Farm Field

Input: 22 4S 2E Willamette Meridian

This describes:

• All of Section 22 (640 acres)
• Township 4 South, Range 2 East
• Referenced to the Willamette Meridian (Oregon)

Example 3: Rural Property

Input: NENE 7 12N 4W Indian Meridian

This describes:

• The Northeast quarter of the Northeast quarter of Section 7
• Township 12 North, Range 4 West
• Referenced to the Indian Meridian (Oklahoma)

Converting Multiple Locations (Batch)

Need to convert many locations at once? Township America offers batch conversion:

1. Prepare a list of legal descriptions (one per line or in a spreadsheet)
2. Upload to the batch converter
3. Download results with coordinates in CSV, KML, Shapefile, or GeoJSON format

This is ideal for:

• Converting entire lease databases
• Mapping all sections in a county
• GIS projects requiring bulk data

Reverse Conversion: Lat/Long to Legal Description

For a detailed walkthrough of the reverse process, see the complete guide to GPS to legal description conversion.

Township America also converts GPS coordinates to legal descriptions:

1. Enter coordinates like 35.4676, -97.5164
2. The tool returns the section, township, range, and meridian
3. View on map and export as needed

API Access for Developers

Building an application that needs PLSS conversion? Use our Legal Land Description API:

# Example API request
curl "https://developer.townshipamerica.com/search/legal-location?location=4+2N+18E+Indian+Meridian" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

The API returns a GeoJSON FeatureCollection with:

• Latitude and longitude coordinates (centroid)
• Full legal description components
• GeoJSON boundary polygon
• Section, township, range, and meridian details

Tips for Accurate Conversions

1. Include the meridian or state - Without location context, "T2N R18E" could be in multiple states
2. Check quarter section notation - NE, NW, SE, SW should come before the section number
3. Verify results on the map - Township America shows the exact parcel location
4. Use county/state as alternatives - If you don't know the meridian, use "County, State" instead

Start Converting Now

Ready to convert your legal land descriptions?

Open Township America →

Plans start at $10/month, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the most common input format? "Section Township Range Meridian" like 4 2N 18E Indian Meridian or with County/State like 4 2N 18E Pushmataha County OK.

Do I need to include "T" and "R" prefixes? No! Use simplified format: 2N 18E instead of T2N R18E.

Do I need to include fractions like 1/4? No! Use letter codes only: NE instead of NE 1/4, and NESW instead of NE1/4 SW1/4.

How accurate are the coordinates? Township America uses official BLM survey data. Coordinates represent the centroid of the specified parcel.

Can I convert coordinates TO a legal description? Yes! Enter coordinates like 35.4676, -97.5164 to get the section, township, range, and meridian.

What if my legal description doesn't include a meridian? Use County and State instead: 4 2N 18E Logan County Oklahoma works the same way.