Quarter Section Finder: Locate Any Quarter Section in the United States

A quarter section is 160 acres of land — one of the most commonly referenced parcel sizes in the rural United States. This guide shows you how to find any quarter section by its legal description and get the GPS coordinates, map boundaries, and surrounding land details.

What Is a Quarter Section?

In the Public Land Survey System, every section (640 acres, roughly 1 square mile) is divided into four quarter sections:

• NE — Northeast quarter
• NW — Northwest quarter
• SE — Southeast quarter
• SW — Southwest quarter

Each quarter section is approximately 160 acres. The legal description format is Quarter-Section-Township-Range-Principal Meridian — for example, NW 22-12S-7E Black Hills Meridian.

Quarter sections are the standard unit for most land transactions in rural Colorado, Montana, Kansas, North Dakota, and other PLSS states. When a farmer buys a piece of land, the deed almost always references a quarter section. When a county assesses property taxes, the roll is organized by quarter section. When a pipeline company negotiates a right-of-way, the crossing agreements reference quarter sections.

When You'd Need a Quarter Section Finder

A real estate agent receives a listing for a ranch near Billings, Montana. The listing describes the property as "NW 22-12N-25E Montana Principal Meridian and adjacent quarters." The agent needs to see exactly where those quarters sit on a map and how they relate to nearby roads, waterways, and other properties.

A crop insurance adjuster in Kansas needs to visit three quarter sections after a hail storm: SE 15-28S-3W Sixth PM, NE 15-28S-3W Sixth PM, and SW 22-28S-3W Sixth PM. Before driving out, they need GPS coordinates and directions for each one.

A county planner reviewing a subdivision application needs to confirm the quarter section boundaries against the proposed lot layout. Getting the exact GPS coordinates and boundary outline is the starting point.

How to Find a Quarter Section with Township America

Step 1: Enter the Quarter Section

Go to Township America and type the legal description into the search bar:

• NW 22-12S-7E Black Hills Meridian
• NW 22 12S 7E Black Hills PM
• NW Sec 22 T12S R7E Black Hills Meridian (long-form)

Step 2: Review the Result

The converter returns:

• GPS coordinates for the center of the quarter section
• Boundary outline on the survey grid map, showing exactly which 160 acres are included
• Adjacent quarters — easily see the NE, SE, and SW of the same section
• Satellite imagery for visual reference (on Pro and Business plans)

Step 3: Take Action

From the result, you can:

• Get turn-by-turn directions to the quarter section
• Save it to your saved places for future reference
• Export the location and boundary as PDF, CSV, KML, Shapefile, or GeoJSON (export guide)
• Look up the individual quarter-quarter sections within the quarter section for more precise 40-acre locations

Step 4: Find Multiple Quarter Sections

If you have a list of quarter sections — for instance, all parcels in a lease agreement or all fields in a farming operation — upload them as a CSV to the batch converter. Township America returns GPS coordinates for every quarter section in the file. This feature is available on the Business plan.

Example: Finding NW 22-12S-7E Black Hills Meridian

Enter NW 22-12S-7E Black Hills Meridian into Township America:

• Location: Northwest quarter of Section 22, Township 12 South, Range 7 East, Black Hills Meridian
• GPS: approximately 43.50°N, 103.10°W
• Area: roughly 160 acres
• Region: Western South Dakota — rolling plains with a mix of rangeland and agriculture

This quarter section sits in a part of South Dakota where land titles, oil and gas surface leases, and county planning all reference the quarter section as the basic unit.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Forgetting the quarter designation: Typing 22-12S-7E without specifying NE, NW, SE, or SW gives you the full 640-acre section, not a specific quarter. Always include the quarter.
• Wrong principal meridian: Different meridians cover different states. Using the wrong meridian moves your result to an entirely different state.
• Confusing township direction: T12S (Township 12 South) and T12N (Township 12 North) are on opposite sides of the baseline. Always confirm the direction.

For more precise locations within a quarter section, use quarter-quarter section descriptions. For a full overview of PLSS conversions at any level, see the PLSS to GPS converter guide.

Find Your Quarter Section Now

Try it — enter NW 22-12S-7E Black Hills Meridian into the Township America converter and see the result instantly. Or enter any quarter section from your own land titles, lease agreements, or field records.