How do Kansas township and range numbers work?

Kansas townships are numbered south from the Nebraska border (1S at the north, 35S at the Oklahoma line). Ranges are numbered east from the Sixth Principal Meridian (1E at the Missouri border) and west (up to 43W at the Colorado line). Including the correct direction indicators (N/S and E/W) is important for accurate results.

Can I convert Kansas farmland descriptions?

Yes. Kansas farmland descriptions use standard PLSS format. Enter the quarter section, section number, township (with south direction), and range (with east or west direction) — for example, NW 22 8S 7W 6th Meridian. The converter returns the GPS centerpoint of the described parcel.

How do I convert a Kansas oil and gas lease description?

Kansas oil and gas lease descriptions follow the standard PLSS format: Quarter Section Township Range 6th Meridian. Enter the description exactly as it appears on the lease document. The converter handles standard aliquot parts, government lots in river bottoms, and multi-tract descriptions.

Can I process multiple Kansas PLSS descriptions at once?

Yes. Township America's batch tool accepts CSV files with any number of descriptions and returns GPS coordinates for each. This is the most efficient approach for title companies working with large land portfolios, landmen processing lease packages, and wind developers mapping project areas.

Kansas PLSS Converter — Section Township Range to GPS

Convert Kansas Public Land Survey System (PLSS) land descriptions to GPS coordinates using the Sixth Principal system.

Convert Kansas Land Descriptions

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

Example: SE 33 16S 12W 6th Meridian

Open the converter

Understanding Kansas's PLSS System

Kansas is surveyed entirely under the Sixth Principal Meridian, one of the most widely used principal meridians in the American West. The meridian runs through eastern Kansas near the Kansas-Nebraska border, and all township and range descriptions in the state reference it. Kansas's flat to gently rolling terrain made the original survey straightforward — the state has one of the most regular and complete PLSS grids in the country, with very few government lots or irregular sections outside the river bottoms.

The original survey of Kansas was conducted primarily in the 1850s and 1860s, accelerated by the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the push for agricultural settlement before and after the Civil War. The survey proceeded methodically from east to west, and the resulting grid is clean and consistent across all 105 counties. Township numbers run from 1S along the Nebraska border to 35S at the Oklahoma line; ranges run from 1E at the Missouri border to 43W at the Colorado line. The regularity of Kansas's PLSS makes it one of the easier states for PLSS navigation and interpretation.

Kansas agriculture dominates the state's land use: the state is a top producer of winter wheat, grain sorghum, and beef cattle. Agricultural land descriptions are bread-and-butter PLSS work in Kansas — farm sales, FSA program enrollments, crop insurance applications, and conservation easements all reference section, township, and range. In addition to agriculture, Kansas has significant oil and gas production in the Hugoton Gas Area, Anadarko Basin extensions, and Central Kansas Uplift, all described in PLSS terms.

Principal Meridians

Sixth Principal Meridian

Common Use Cases in Kansas

Who converts Kansas PLSS descriptions — and why.

Farmland Sales and Title Work

Kansas farmland changes hands regularly, and PLSS legal descriptions are the standard format for all agricultural land transactions. Title companies, attorneys, and landowners rely on accurate PLSS-to-GPS conversion to verify boundaries, confirm acreage, and check descriptions against county records and aerial imagery.

FSA Farm Program Administration

USDA Farm Service Agency farm tracts in Kansas are identified by PLSS legal descriptions. Farmers and their agents convert these descriptions to GPS to confirm field boundaries, verify CLU (Common Land Unit) boundaries, and ensure program payment eligibility is correctly attributed to the right parcels.

Oil and Gas Leasing

The Hugoton Gas Area in southwestern Kansas is one of the largest natural gas fields in North America. The Central Kansas Uplift and Anadarko Basin extensions also produce oil and gas across a wide swath of the state. Every lease, well permit, and regulatory filing with the Kansas Corporation Commission references PLSS descriptions.

Wind Energy Development

Kansas has some of the best wind resources in the country and has become a leading wind energy state. Turbine easements, collector lines, and project area boundaries are all described in PLSS terms. Wind developers, landowners, and title companies all need PLSS-to-GPS conversion during project development and land acquisition.

Industries: AgricultureOil & GasWind Energy

How to Convert Kansas Legal Descriptions

Three steps from legal description to GPS coordinates.

Enter your legal description

Type or paste your Kansas PLSS description. The standard format is: SE 33 16S 12W 6th Meridian. Kansas uses the Sixth Principal Meridian statewide. Township numbers typically run from 1S to 35S and ranges from 1E to 43W.

Review the GPS coordinates and map

The converter returns GPS coordinates and displays the parcel on an interactive map. For Kansas farmland, verify the result against FSA CLU maps and county assessor aerial imagery. For oil and gas, cross-check with Kansas Corporation Commission records.

Export or save your results

Download coordinates as CSV, KML, or GeoJSON. Save locations to a project for organized access — particularly useful for managing farm portfolios, lease blocks, or wind project area parcels across multiple counties.

Large Kansas farmland portfolios and oil and gas lease blocks involve dozens to hundreds of PLSS descriptions. Batch conversion processes your entire CSV in one pass — ideal for title companies, farm managers, and energy landmen.

Learn about batch conversion

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Kansas PLSS descriptions and conversion.

Kansas is surveyed entirely under the Sixth Principal Meridian. The meridian runs through eastern Kansas near the Nebraska border, and all township and range descriptions in the state reference it. Kansas uses a single meridian, so there is no ambiguity about which reference system applies.