Land Report API Guide

The Land Report API returns multi-layer intelligence for a single legal description — federal datasets (BLM, FEMA, USFWS, USFS, NRCS, USGS, USDA) plus Texas state datasets (GLO, RRC) joined onto a PLSS section or a Texas OTLS abstract. One request, fifteen-plus layers, JSON response.

Quick start

Try the API live at developer.townshipamerica.com or explore a sample report at /app/report.

Endpoint

GET https://developer.townshipamerica.com/land-report?description=T4N+R5E+Sec+12+Sixth+PM

Headers:

X-API-Key: your_api_key

That's the whole request surface — one query parameter, one header.

Supported input formats

The Lambda inspects the description string and routes to the correct grid (PLSS or Texas OTLS) automatically. You don't pass a grid hint.

PLSS coverage is nationwide across all 30+ PLSS states. Texas OTLS coverage is statewide for Texas only.

Response shape

{
  "description": "T4N R5E Sec 12 Sixth PM",
  "grid": "plss",
  "section": {
    "legal_location": "T4N R5E Sec 12 Sixth PM",
    "state": "Wyoming",
    "county": "Albany"
  },
  "report": {
    "surface_management": [...],
    "og_leases": [...],
    "flood_zones": [...],
    "soils": [...],
    "elevation": { ... },
    "...": "..."
  },
  "generated_at": "2026-05-22T12:34:56Z"
}

For Texas inputs the section block carries survey_name, county_fips, abstract_no, block_no, and acreage instead of state + county.

Available layers

The set of layers in the report block depends on the grid.

PLSS layers (15)

Texas OTLS layers (17)

Texas tracts get the federal layers above (minus the BLM-only datasets that don't apply to Texas state lands) plus Texas-specific overlays:

Code examples

cURL

curl "https://developer.townshipamerica.com/land-report?description=T4N+R5E+Sec+12+Sixth+PM" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

TypeScript

const response = await fetch(
  "https://developer.townshipamerica.com/land-report" +
    "?description=" +
    encodeURIComponent("T4N R5E Sec 12 Sixth PM"),
  {
    headers: { "X-API-Key": process.env.TOWNSHIP_API_KEY }
  }
);

const report = await response.json();

// Surface ownership
const blmAdmin = report.report.surface_management?.[0]?.admin_unit ?? "Private";

// Flood risk
const inSfha = report.report.flood_zones?.some((z) => z.sfha === "T");

// Soil productivity
const primeAcres = report.report.soils?.filter((s) => s.prime_farmland?.startsWith("Prime")).length;

Python

import os
import requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://developer.townshipamerica.com/land-report",
    params={"description": "Abstract 1301 Block 4 Reeves County"},
    headers={"X-API-Key": os.environ["TOWNSHIP_API_KEY"]}
)
report = response.json()

# Texas state lease ownership
for lease in report["report"].get("state_leases", []):
    print(lease["lessee"], lease["status"], lease["royalty_rate"])

# Active wells on the tract
print(f"{len(report['report'].get('active_wells', []))} producing wells")

Use cases

• Land due diligence. Compose a one-page tract summary for acquisitions — surface ownership, mineral split, flood exposure, prime farmland acreage, active wells.
• Title and lease research. Pull federal and state leases by section / abstract without scraping BLM MLRS or TX GLO portals.
• Underwriting and insurance. Score wildfire risk (USFS WRC), flood exposure (FEMA NFHL), and erosion exposure (TX GLO coastal) for a portfolio.
• Energy operations. Look up federal leasehold status, BLM rights-of-way, orphaned wells, and adjacent active Texas wells in one call.
• Conservation and habitat compliance. Detect critical habitat (USFWS ECOS) and wetland intersections (USFWS NWI) before fieldwork.
• AI agents and LLM workflows. The Land Report layer is exposed via the MCP server — point Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Cline at it and let agents pull tract-level reports inside chat.

Pricing

The Land Report API has its own tiered pricing — separate from Search / Autocomplete / Batch / Maps.

Annual billing saves two months. See live pricing on the API page.

Web app Pro+ subscribers get unlimited Land Report views inside the in-app workbench — the API tiers are for programmatic / third-party app usage.

Rate limits and errors

Rate limits are enforced per API key, per second. Tier monthly caps roll over on the first of each month.

Related guides

• API integration guide — how to subscribe, create keys, and call the developer API in general.
• Search API guide — convert any single PLSS description to coordinates.
• Python SDK guide — install and use the Python client.
• MCP server — expose the Land Report to AI agents via Model Context Protocol.

Next steps

• Subscribe at API → Land Report in your dashboard.
• Generate an API key on the Build, Scale, or Enterprise tier.
• Try a sample report inside the Land Report workbench before integrating.