--- title: "Convert Texas Abstract to GPS Coordinates | TXSS Conversion Guide | Township America" description: "Convert Texas Abstract, Block & Section, and Survey-name descriptions to latitude and longitude coordinates. Step-by-step guide plus an online tool that handles all 254 counties." url: https://townshipamerica.com/guides/convert-texas-abstract-to-coordinates --- # Convert Texas Abstract to GPS Coordinates | TXSS Conversion Guide Convert Texas Abstract, Block & Section, and Survey-name descriptions to latitude and longitude coordinates. Step-by-step guide plus an online tool that handles all 254 counties. **Quick Answer:** Paste a Texas legal description (e.g., `A-123 Reeves County, TX`) into Township America and get latitude, longitude, polygon boundaries, and acreage in one click. No Texas mode toggle, no separate workflow. --- Texas legal descriptions don't look like PLSS descriptions, but converting them is just as fast. This guide walks through every TXSS shape Township America accepts, plus batch and API workflows. ## [Quick Conversion: Use the Free Tool](#quick-conversion-use-the-free-tool) 1. Go to [townshipamerica.com/plss-converter](https://townshipamerica.com/plss-converter) 2. Paste your Texas legal description in the search box 3. Press Enter or click a suggestion 4. View the centroid, map, polygon, and acreage in the results panel The converter detects TXSS vs PLSS automatically, no mode switch needed. ## [Supported Input Formats](#supported-input-formats) Township America's parser is tolerant of abbreviation, case, and punctuation. The three primary shapes: ### [Format 1: Abstract-Only](#format-1-abstract-only) The simplest form, abstract number plus county: ``` A-123 Reeves County, TX Abstract 250, Bowie County Abs 47 Pecos County ``` You can use `A-`, `Abstract`, `Abs`, or `Abst`, all are accepted. The county is required to disambiguate abstracts with the same number across different counties. ### [Format 2: Block & Section](#format-2-block-section) Common in West Texas oil and gas country: ``` Block 5, Sec 14, T&P Survey, Reeves County Blk 13 Sec 9 H&TC Survey, Loving County Block 5, T&P RR Co. Survey, Section 14, Reeves ``` If a block number exists in multiple railroad surveys in the same county, you need the survey name. Block 5 in Reeves County is one parcel under T&P and a different one under GC&SF, the parser will ask which you mean. ### [Format 3: Survey-Name](#format-3-survey-name) For Spanish/Mexican leagues, labors, and original land grants in South and Central Texas: ``` John Smith Survey, Bexar County W. H. Jenkins Survey, Karnes County Maria de los Reyes Survey, Cameron County ``` ## [Common Conversion Examples](#common-conversion-examples) ### [Example 1: Permian Basin Lease](#example-1-permian-basin-lease) **Input:** `Block 5, Sec 14, T&P Survey, Reeves County` **Result:** A \~640-acre section in the Texas and Pacific Railway Company Survey, returned with a polygon and centroid near 31.4128°N, 103.8721°W. ### [Example 2: East Texas Pine](#example-2-east-texas-pine) **Input:** `A-250 Bowie County, TX` **Result:** An East Texas abstract, typically smaller and often irregular due to early-1800s metes-and-bounds origin. ### [Example 3: South Texas Ranch](#example-3-south-texas-ranch) **Input:** `John Smith Survey, Bexar County` **Result:** A \~4,400-acre Spanish league grant, a single named survey polygon, returned with centroid and boundary. ### [Example 4: Section-Level Lookup](#example-4-section-level-lookup) Texas TXSS doesn't use standardized PLSS-style quarter sections, but section-level lookups within Block & Section descriptions work: ``` Block 5, Sec 14, T&P Survey, Reeves ``` returns the section polygon. Sub-section parcel queries (lots, tracts, easement-level) require commercial-grade survey vendors and aren't part of Township America today. ## [Step-by-Step: What the Converter Does Under the Hood](#step-by-step-what-the-converter-does-under-the-hood) If you want to understand how a Texas description is resolved: ### [Step 1: Parse the Description](#step-1-parse-the-description) The parser identifies which TXSS shape you've given it, Abstract, Block & Section, or Survey, and extracts: * County (by name or FIPS code) * Abstract / block / section / survey-name fields * Optional state ("TX", "Texas", or none) ### [Step 2: Look Up the Polygon](#step-2-look-up-the-polygon) The parsed fields are matched against the Texas General Land Office's official survey polygons. Each polygon is keyed by `(county_fips, abstract_no)` or `(county_fips, block, section, survey_norm)`. ### [Step 3: Return the Geometry](#step-3-return-the-geometry) The response includes: * `centroid`, latitude/longitude of the parcel's center * `polygon`, full boundary GeoJSON * `acreage`, computed from the polygon * `county_fips` \+ `county_name`, for downstream joins * `survey_name_norm`, canonical railroad-survey name (when applicable) ## [Batch Conversion](#batch-conversion) Need to convert hundreds of Texas descriptions at once? Use the [batch converter](/guides/batch-conversion): 1. Prepare a CSV of TXSS descriptions (one per row, in any of the supported formats, they don't need to be uniform) 2. Upload via the batch interface 3. Download results with `centroid`, `polygon`, `acreage`, `county_fips`, and `survey_name_norm` Batch jobs accept PLSS and TXSS in the **same CSV**, you don't need to split them. The parser routes each row to the right engine and returns a `system` column so downstream code can branch if needed. ## [Reverse Conversion: GPS to Texas Description](#reverse-conversion-gps-to-texas-description) Enter latitude/longitude and Township America returns the underlying TXSS description: ``` 31.4128, -103.8721 ``` returns county, abstract number, and the railroad-survey name of the polygon containing that point, useful for tagging GPS-derived data (drone surveys, well headers, sensor placements) back to legal descriptions. ## [API Access for Developers](#api-access-for-developers) Township America's REST API exposes a unified `POST /api/convert` endpoint that handles PLSS and TXSS transparently: ``` # Unified converter, accepts PLSS or TXSS curl -X POST https://townshipamerica.com/api/convert \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"description": "A-123 Reeves County, TX"}' ``` See [Township America API](/api) for the full endpoint reference and authentication. ## [Tips for Accurate Conversions](#tips-for-accurate-conversions) 1. **Always include the county.** Abstract numbers repeat across counties, `A-123` in Reeves and `A-123` in Bowie are different parcels. 2. **Include the survey name** if you know it for Block & Section descriptions, it removes ambiguity when multiple railroad surveys overlap. 3. **Don't worry about abbreviations.** `T&P`, `Texas and Pacific`, `T&P RR Co.`, and similar all resolve to the same canonical survey. 4. **Use county FIPS if your source data has it**, `48389` is more reliable than `Reeves Co.` in automated pipelines. 5. **Check acreage to sanity-check the match.** A Spanish league should be \~4,400 acres; a railroad section \~640\. If the acreage is wildly off, you may have hit the wrong abstract. ## [Start Converting Now](#start-converting-now) Ready to convert your Texas legal descriptions? [Open Township America →](https://townshipamerica.com/plss-converter) Plans start at $10/month. ### [For teams, batch, and API workflows](#for-teams-batch-and-api-workflows) If you're converting Texas descriptions at scale, pulling abstracts into ArcGIS, exporting polygons for GIS, or wiring conversions into your own software, see [Township America pricing](/pricing). Plans start at $10/mo. Business ($40/user/mo) adds batch conversion, polygon export (Shapefile, GeoJSON, KML), and MCP server access. Standalone REST API subscriptions are sold separately. ## [Related Guides](#related-guides) * [Texas Survey System (TXSS): How Texas Describes Land Without PLSS](/guides/texas-survey-system), Background on the system itself * [Texas Abstracts, Blocks, and Surveys: TXSS Reference Guide](/guides/texas-abstracts-blocks-surveys), Reference on the three shapes * [Convert Section Township Range to Lat/Long](/guides/convert-section-township-range-to-coordinates), PLSS conversion counterpart ## [Frequently Asked Questions](#frequently-asked-questions) **What's the simplest Texas description format?**Abstract-only, like `A-123 Reeves County, TX`. **Do I need to know the survey name for Block & Section?**Only when the block number is ambiguous across surveys in the same county. If you omit it and the resolver finds a single match, you get the answer; otherwise you get a list of candidates. **Can I batch-convert Texas + PLSS in the same job?**Yes. The batch converter accepts mixed PLSS and TXSS descriptions in one CSV. **Does Township America handle Spanish/Mexican land grants?**Yes, to the extent they appear in the Texas GLO survey dataset. Pre-Republic-of-Texas historical land grant research beyond what GLO maintains is out of scope. **Can I get Texas polygon exports?**Yes, Business subscribers can export Shapefile, GeoJSON, or KML for any TXSS description, identical to PLSS exports. ### Related Guides [Convert Section Township Range to Lat/Long | Free Tool & GuideConvert any section, township, and range to latitude and longitude coordinates. Step-by-step instructions plus an online conversion tool.](/guides/convert-section-township-range-to-coordinates)[Texas Abstracts, Blocks, and Surveys: TXSS Reference GuideComplete reference for the three Texas Survey System (TXSS) description shapes, Abstract, Block & Section, and Survey-name. Covers railroad surveys, Spanish leagues, county coverage, and how acreage varies.](/guides/texas-abstracts-blocks-surveys)[Texas Survey System (TXSS): How Texas Describes Land Without PLSSTexas is the only US state that never adopted PLSS. Learn how the Texas Survey System (TXSS) describes land using Abstract numbers, Block & Section, and Survey-name conventions across all 254 counties.](/guides/texas-survey-system)