PLSS API for Developers & GIS Professionals
The Township America API geocodes PLSS legal descriptions programmatically. Single conversion, autocomplete, and batch endpoints — with sub-200ms response times for production workloads. Add PLSS support to your application in an afternoon.
Building PLSS Support from Scratch Is Not Trivial
If your application handles land records, mineral rights, agricultural data, or public land management, you will eventually encounter PLSS legal descriptions as user input or stored data. The US has 37 principal meridians, each with its own baseline and township numbering. Descriptions appear in dozens of formatting variations. Building a parser and geocoder that handles all of them correctly takes months.
The Township America API wraps that complexity in a simple HTTP call. Send a PLSS description as a string, get back coordinates and parsed components as JSON. The API handles meridian identification, format normalization, and edge cases — so your team ships the feature without becoming PLSS experts.
The same API powers the Township America web app and mobile app, processing millions of conversions per month across all 30+ PLSS states.
A Simple Conversion Request
One POST request. A description string in, coordinates and parsed components out.
curl "https://developer.townshipamerica.com/search/legal-location?location=NE+14+5N+3W+6th+Meridian" \
-H "X-API-Key: 1234567890abcdefghij"
# Response
{
"type": "FeatureCollection",
"features": [{
"type": "Feature",
"geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [...] },
"properties": {
"descriptor": "NE 14 5N 3W 6th Meridian",
"state": "Colorado"
}
}]
}How Developers & GIS Professionals Use the API
Land Management App with PLSS Geocoding
A land management application needs to geocode PLSS descriptions that users enter as property locations. The developer integrates the Township America autocomplete endpoint into the location input field — users type a partial description and see ranked suggestions appear in real time. When they select one, the app calls the convert endpoint and pins the location on the map. The API returns coordinates in under 200ms, fast enough to feel instantaneous.
Data Engineer Enriching a Mineral Rights Database
A data engineer has 50,000 mineral rights records stored with PLSS descriptions but no GPS coordinates. They write a pipeline that reads records in batches of 500, sends each batch to the Township America batch endpoint, and writes the returned coordinates back to the database. The entire dataset is enriched overnight. Going forward, new records are geocoded at write time via a webhook integration.
GIS Analyst Integrating PLSS Conversion into ArcGIS
A GIS analyst receives a dataset of oil and gas well locations described in PLSS notation and needs to display them on a map. They write a Python script using ArcPy that reads each legal description, calls the Township America API, and uses the returned coordinates to create point features. The script runs inside ArcGIS Pro as a geoprocessing tool, so other team members can use it without touching the API directly.
API Endpoints
REST API
Simple HTTP endpoints with JSON responses. Authenticate with an API key. Average response time under 200ms.
Autocomplete Endpoint
Return ranked PLSS suggestions as users type. Handles abbreviations and formatting variations. Under 80ms latency.
Batch Endpoint
Process up to 1,000 descriptions per request in parallel. Async batch jobs for larger datasets with polling.
Maps Endpoint
Return section boundary GeoJSON for rendering on maps. Integrates with Mapbox, Leaflet, Google Maps, and ArcGIS.
Developer Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Township America API return?
The API returns latitude and longitude coordinates for the centroid of the described PLSS parcel, along with the parsed components (principal meridian, township, range, section, aliquot part), and confidence score. All responses are JSON. Response times average under 200ms.
Is there a batch endpoint for processing large datasets?
Yes. The batch endpoint accepts up to 1,000 PLSS descriptions per request and processes them in parallel. For larger datasets, use the async batch endpoint which returns a job ID you poll for results. Ideal for enriching mineral rights databases, land management records, or historical document archives.
Does the API support autocomplete for PLSS input fields?
Yes. The autocomplete endpoint accepts partial PLSS descriptions and returns ranked suggestions as the user types. It handles common abbreviations (T4N, R5E, Sec 12) and corrects formatting variations automatically. Typical latency is under 80ms, fast enough for keystroke-level autocomplete.
How do I get started with the API?
Sign up for a Township America account, generate an API key from the dashboard, and make your first request within minutes. The quickstart guide walks through authentication, a single conversion request, and a batch request with working code examples in JavaScript, Python, and curl.
Add PLSS Geocoding to Your Application
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