Why do some Idaho sections have irregular acreage?

Mountainous terrain in Idaho's central highlands, panhandle, and eastern ranges forced surveyors to subdivide sections into government lots rather than standard quarter sections. These lots are numbered and carry individual acreage figures recorded on the original General Land Office survey plat. The acreage for a government lot must be confirmed from the GLO plat, not calculated from standard quarter-section geometry.

How do I convert an Idaho mining claim description to GPS?

Mining claims in Idaho are tied to PLSS descriptions in the BLM's Land and Mineral Record system (LR2000). Enter the section, township, and range from the claim record into the converter along with 'Boise Meridian' to get GPS coordinates. For lode claims, the converted point represents the section center or corner nearest the claim, not the exact vein location.

Can I convert Idaho descriptions for Forest Service permit areas?

Yes. National Forest grazing permits, special use permits, and timber sale contracts in Idaho all include PLSS legal descriptions. Enter the section and township from the permit document to map the permit area. For large permits spanning multiple sections, use batch conversion to process all parcels at once.

What does 'government lot' mean in an Idaho PLSS description?

Government lots are numbered subdivisions of sections that could not be divided into standard quarter sections — usually because of terrain, water bodies, or correction lines. In Idaho, government lots are common along the Snake River, in Lake Coeur d'Alene shoreline areas, and in mountainous counties. The lot number and acreage are recorded on the original GLO survey plat and carry forward into patent and title records.

Idaho PLSS Converter — Section Township Range to GPS

Convert Idaho Public Land Survey System (PLSS) land descriptions to GPS coordinates using the Boise system.

Convert Idaho Land Descriptions

Enter a Idaho PLSS land description to get GPS coordinates instantly.

Example: NW 4 6N 1E Boise Meridian

Open the converter

Understanding Idaho's PLSS System

Idaho's Public Land Survey System is governed entirely by the Boise Meridian, established in 1867 with its initial point set at a granite monument near the confluence of the Boise and Snake Rivers. The Boise Meridian — one of the later meridians established in the American West — covers all of Idaho's 44 counties, making the state simpler to navigate than neighboring multi-meridian states like Oregon or Montana. All township and range numbers in Idaho count outward from that single point near present-day Boise.

The terrain Idaho surveyors faced was among the most demanding in the entire PLSS system. The Sawtooth Range, the Salmon River Mountains, the Clearwater highlands, and the deeply incised canyons of the Snake and Salmon rivers forced surveyors to work in sections, returning repeatedly to inaccessible terrain as seasons allowed. The result is a higher proportion of protracted sections and government lots in Idaho's mountain counties than in the agricultural states. In the panhandle counties — Benewah, Clearwater, Latah, and Shoshone — dense timber and steep grades produced some of the most difficult surveys ever executed under the rectangular system.

Idaho's PLSS descriptions appear across an unusually diverse range of industries. Mining claims in the Silver Valley of Shoshone County, timber sales on National Forest land, Bureau of Reclamation irrigation parcels in the Snake River Plain, grazing allotments on BLM land in the high desert south of the Snake, and recreational cabin sites in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area all use Boise Meridian descriptions. The state's growing outdoor recreation economy has also created demand for precise parcel identification in areas that were rarely transacted before the 1990s.

Principal Meridians

Boise Meridian

Common Use Cases in Idaho

Who converts Idaho PLSS descriptions — and why.

Mining Claims and Mineral Leasing

Idaho's Silver Valley in Shoshone County is one of the richest silver-mining districts in North American history. Active lode and placer mining claims, federal mineral leases, and mill site patents are all described using Boise Meridian PLSS coordinates. Converting these descriptions to GPS is essential for claim boundary verification and conflict avoidance.

Timber and Forest Service Land Management

Idaho has more federally designated wilderness than any state in the lower 48. National Forest timber sales, grazing permits, and road maintenance agreements all reference PLSS legal descriptions for parcel identification. Accurate GPS conversion helps foresters, contractors, and permittees locate boundaries in the field.

Irrigation and Water Rights

The Snake River Plain supports Idaho's massive potato, grain, and dairy industries through an extensive network of Bureau of Reclamation canals and private irrigation districts. Water rights decrees and delivery agreements are tied to PLSS-described parcels. Converting these descriptions to GPS helps irrigators and watermaster offices verify delivery points and measure acreage.

Ranch and Recreational Property Transactions

Large ranch and recreational properties in Idaho's backcountry routinely sell with legal descriptions spanning dozens of sections. Buyers, title companies, and lenders need accurate GPS conversions to verify that fences, access roads, and improvements fall within the described boundaries before closing.

Industries: MiningTimberAgricultureRecreation

How to Convert Idaho Legal Descriptions

Three steps from legal description to GPS coordinates.

Enter your Idaho legal description

Type or paste your Boise Meridian description into the converter. A standard Idaho description looks like: NW 4 6N 1E Boise Meridian. All Idaho descriptions reference the Boise Meridian, so the meridian designation confirms you are in the right system. Include section quarter and aliquot subdivisions for the most precise result.

Verify the map location

Township America plots the converted parcel on an interactive map. For Idaho properties — especially in mountain terrain — cross-check the result against topographic basemap layers to confirm the parcel falls in the expected watershed or valley. The visual check catches transposed township and range numbers before they cause problems downstream.

Export for field use

Download coordinates as CSV, KML, or GeoJSON for use in Avenza, CalTopo, ArcGIS, or a GPS receiver. Idaho's backcountry properties often require field navigation, and having accurate GPS waypoints derived from the legal description reduces boundary disputes and trespass exposure.

Processing a large Idaho timber sale, a mining district claim inventory, or a ranch portfolio with multiple sections? Batch conversion handles any number of Boise Meridian descriptions in a single CSV upload, returning GPS coordinates for each parcel.

Learn about batch conversion

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Idaho PLSS descriptions and conversion.

Idaho uses a single principal meridian — the Boise Meridian — for all township and range surveys statewide. The initial point was established in 1867 near the confluence of the Boise and Snake Rivers. Unlike neighboring states, Idaho has no competing meridians, so all legal descriptions in the state reference Boise Meridian.