PLSS Converter for Oil & Gas Professionals
Drilling permits, mineral leases, ROW agreements, and division orders all use PLSS legal descriptions. Convert them to GPS coordinates individually or in bulk — fast enough to keep pace with field operations.
The Problem with PLSS in Oil & Gas Work
Every upstream land document — drilling permits from state regulators, mineral leases from landowners, right-of-way agreements from pipeline companies, division orders from operators — describes locations in PLSS notation. NE 12 4N 5E Indian Meridian means something precise on the ground, but it takes local knowledge or a dedicated tool to translate it to coordinates your GPS, GIS, or mapping software actually understands.
Landmen working a new county, geologists verifying well spots before spud, pipeline engineers drafting survey instructions — everyone ends up with a stack of legal descriptions that need coordinates attached. Doing it one at a time in a county plat book is slow. Doing it wrong costs money.
Township America converts PLSS descriptions to GPS coordinates in seconds, one at a time or by the hundreds. The same engine powers the web app, the mobile app, and the REST API — so your team works however the job demands.
How Oil & Gas Teams Use Township America
Landman Processing a Lease Package
A landman receives a 200-page lease package with legal descriptions for wells across 3 counties. Rather than looking up each section manually, they export the PLSS descriptions to a CSV, upload it to Township America's batch converter, and download GPS coordinates for every location in under a minute. The output drops straight into their land management system.
Geologist Verifying Well Locations Before Spud
A geologist needs to verify that proposed well locations match the permitted coordinates before the rig moves. They convert the permit legal descriptions to GPS, compare against the operator's plat, and flag any discrepancies — all before the AFE is signed. Catching a one-section error at the desk costs nothing. Catching it at the wellsite costs the day.
Pipeline Engineers Mapping ROW Easements
Pipeline engineers receive ROW easement agreements where the corridor is described by a series of PLSS sections and quarter sections. They convert each segment to GPS coordinates, generate a KML file, and share the route with field survey crews — who walk the corridor using the exported waypoints. No manual replotting, no ambiguity about which section boundary the easement follows.
Built for Upstream Land Work
Batch Conversion
Upload a CSV with hundreds of PLSS descriptions from lease packages or permit applications. Download GPS coordinates in one pass.
API Integration
Connect directly to your land management system, GIS platform, or internal tools via the REST API. Sub-200ms response times.
Route Planning
Generate driving routes to well locations described in PLSS for field operations, inspection runs, and survey crews.
CSV & KML Export
Export converted coordinates as CSV for spreadsheets, KML for Google Earth, or GeoJSON for GIS workflows.
State Coverage for Oil & Gas Operations
Township America covers every PLSS state where oil and gas production is active. The same converter handles descriptions from Indian Meridian leases in Oklahoma, 6th PM permits in Wyoming, and Cimarron Meridian tracts in the Anadarko Basin — without needing to configure the meridian manually.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I batch convert an entire lease package?
Yes. Upload a CSV with PLSS legal descriptions and Township America returns GPS coordinates for every row. A 200-record lease package converts in under a minute. Supported export formats include CSV, KML, and GeoJSON.
Does the API integrate with land management systems?
Yes. The Township America REST API accepts PLSS descriptions and returns coordinates in standard JSON format. It integrates with any land management system, GIS platform, or internal tool that can make HTTP requests. Response times average under 200ms.
Which states are covered for oil & gas operations?
Township America covers all 30+ PLSS states including Oklahoma, Wyoming, North Dakota, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Kansas, Texas, and more — every state where the Public Land Survey System is used for mineral rights and drilling permits.
How accurate is the PLSS to GPS conversion for well locations?
Conversions are accurate to the quarter-quarter section level (approximately 40 acres), which matches the precision of most PLSS legal descriptions on drilling permits and mineral leases. For sub-40-acre precision, the actual permit GPS coordinates should be used.
Related Resources
Convert Your Next Lease Package
Batch convert PLSS descriptions to GPS coordinates in seconds.