[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"learn-glossary-aliquot-parts":3,"learn-glossary-related-aliquot-parts":346},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"converterLink":319,"createdAt":320,"cta":319,"description":321,"draft":322,"extension":323,"icon":319,"industry":319,"keywords":324,"meridian":319,"meta":335,"navigation":336,"path":337,"relatedPages":338,"section":342,"seo":343,"state":319,"stem":344,"updatedAt":320,"__hash__":345},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary\u002Faliquot-parts.md","Aliquot Parts",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":308},"minimark",[9,13,28,33,40,47,50,132,135,139,142,147,150,169,172,176,179,185,191,197,203,207,215,218,222,225,238,246,250,265,271,277,281,287,293,299],[10,11,5],"h1",{"id":12},"aliquot-parts",[14,15,16,17,21,22,27],"p",{},"An ",[18,19,20],"strong",{},"aliquot part"," is a fractional subdivision of a PLSS ",[23,24,26],"a",{"href":25},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary\u002Fsection","section"," created by dividing it into equal quarters, then quartering those quarters, and so on. The word \"aliquot\" means \"contained an exact number of times\" — each subdivision divides evenly into its parent. Aliquot parts are how the Public Land Survey System describes parcels smaller than a full 640-acre section without ambiguity.",[29,30,32],"h2",{"id":31},"how-aliquot-subdivision-works","How Aliquot Subdivision Works",[14,34,35,36,39],{},"Every standard section starts as a one-mile square containing 640 acres. The first division splits it into four ",[18,37,38],{},"quarter sections"," of 160 acres each, labeled by compass direction: NE¼, NW¼, SE¼, and SW¼. Each quarter section measures half a mile on each side.",[14,41,42,43,46],{},"Those quarter sections can be divided again into ",[18,44,45],{},"quarter-quarter sections"," of 40 acres each. The NE¼ of the SW¼ (written NE¼SW¼) is a specific 40-acre parcel sitting in the northeast corner of the southwest quarter. This 40-acre unit was the standard homestead claim size under the original Homestead Act.",[14,48,49],{},"The process continues. A quarter of a quarter-quarter section yields a 10-acre parcel — the smallest standard aliquot part the BLM recognizes. That gives four levels of subdivision:",[51,52,53,72],"table",{},[54,55,56],"thead",{},[57,58,59,63,66,69],"tr",{},[60,61,62],"th",{},"Level",[60,64,65],{},"Size",[60,67,68],{},"Acres",[60,70,71],{},"Example",[73,74,75,90,104,118],"tbody",{},[57,76,77,81,84,87],{},[78,79,80],"td",{},"Quarter section",[78,82,83],{},"½ mile × ½ mile",[78,85,86],{},"160",[78,88,89],{},"NE¼",[57,91,92,95,98,101],{},[78,93,94],{},"Quarter-quarter",[78,96,97],{},"¼ mile × ¼ mile",[78,99,100],{},"40",[78,102,103],{},"NE¼SW¼",[57,105,106,109,112,115],{},[78,107,108],{},"Quarter-quarter-quarter",[78,110,111],{},"⅛ mile × ⅛ mile",[78,113,114],{},"10",[78,116,117],{},"NE¼NE¼SW¼",[57,119,120,123,126,129],{},[78,121,122],{},"Half section",[78,124,125],{},"1 mile × ½ mile",[78,127,128],{},"320",[78,130,131],{},"N½ (north half)",[14,133,134],{},"Half designations (N½, S½, E½, W½) also qualify as aliquot parts. The N½ of the NE¼ is an 80-acre rectangle across the top of the northeast quarter.",[29,136,138],{"id":137},"reading-aliquot-descriptions","Reading Aliquot Descriptions",[14,140,141],{},"PLSS legal descriptions read from the smallest parcel outward to the largest. This is the opposite of a mailing address, and it trips up people who encounter it for the first time.",[14,143,144],{},[18,145,146],{},"NW¼SE¼ Sec 14, T4N R68W, 6th Principal Meridian",[14,148,149],{},"Read this right to left:",[151,152,153,157,160,163,166],"ol",{},[154,155,156],"li",{},"Start at the 6th Principal Meridian (eastern Colorado)",[154,158,159],{},"Find Township 4 North, Range 68 West",[154,161,162],{},"Go to Section 14",[154,164,165],{},"Locate the SE¼ (southeast quarter — 160 acres)",[154,167,168],{},"Within that, find the NW¼ (northwest quarter of the southeast quarter — 40 acres)",[14,170,171],{},"That final 40-acre parcel is the land being described. Every piece of the notation narrows the location, from an entire meridian system down to a specific tract.",[29,173,175],{"id":174},"where-aliquot-parts-show-up-in-practice","Where Aliquot Parts Show Up in Practice",[14,177,178],{},"Aliquot parts appear in virtually every PLSS-based land record:",[14,180,181,184],{},[18,182,183],{},"Oil and gas leases"," — A drilling permit might cover the SW¼NW¼ of Section 22, T15N R2E, Indian Meridian. That 40-acre parcel defines the permitted drilling unit in central Oklahoma. The spacing unit for a well often maps directly to an aliquot subdivision.",[14,186,187,190],{},[18,188,189],{},"Agricultural filings"," — Crop insurance acreage reports and USDA program enrollments (ARC, PLC) require legal descriptions at the quarter-section or quarter-quarter-section level. A farm operator in North Dakota might file coverage for the N½NE¼ of Section 10, T142N R98W, 5th Principal Meridian — an 80-acre tract of spring wheat.",[14,192,193,196],{},[18,194,195],{},"Real estate transactions"," — Title documents and deeds in PLSS states describe property boundaries using aliquot parts. A residential lot carved from the SE¼SE¼ of a section still traces its legal lineage back through the aliquot chain.",[14,198,199,202],{},[18,200,201],{},"Mineral rights"," — Mineral ownership is frequently severed from surface rights at the aliquot level. A mineral deed might convey rights to the E½SW¼ of Section 30, T10S R20E, Salt Lake Meridian — 80 acres of subsurface rights in eastern Utah, separate from whoever owns the surface.",[29,204,206],{"id":205},"aliquot-parts-vs-government-lots","Aliquot Parts vs. Government Lots",[14,208,209,210,214],{},"Not every parcel within a section can be described with aliquot notation. Where a section's boundaries are interrupted by a river, lake, or state line, the irregular remnants are assigned numbered ",[23,211,213],{"href":212},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary\u002Fgovernment-lot","government lots"," instead of compass-direction subdivisions. A single section can contain both: standard aliquot parts on one side and government lots where the grid breaks down.",[14,216,217],{},"The key difference is predictability. If someone tells you \"NE¼SW¼ of Section 14,\" you know exactly where that 40 acres sits and how large it is — no plat required. A government lot description like \"Lot 3, Section 6\" requires the original GLO survey plat to determine shape, size, and location.",[29,219,221],{"id":220},"converting-aliquot-descriptions-to-coordinates","Converting Aliquot Descriptions to Coordinates",[14,223,224],{},"An aliquot description gives you a precise location within the PLSS grid, but translating that to latitude and longitude requires the underlying survey data — the township plat coordinates, section corner positions, and subdivision geometry.",[14,226,227,228,232,233,237],{},"Township America handles this conversion across all 30 PLSS states and all 37 ",[23,229,231],{"href":230},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary\u002Fprincipal-meridian","principal meridians",". Enter a description like \"NW¼SE¼ Sec 14 T4N R68W 6th PM\" into the ",[23,234,236],{"href":235},"\u002Fplss-converter","PLSS converter"," and get back the centroid coordinates, parcel boundary, and acreage. The converter supports aliquot parts down to the quarter-quarter-quarter section level (10 acres).",[14,239,240,241,245],{},"For bulk work — title searches, lease audits, acreage verification — the ",[23,242,244],{"href":243},"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Fbatch-convert-plss","batch converter"," processes hundreds of aliquot descriptions from a CSV upload in a single pass.",[29,247,249],{"id":248},"common-mistakes-with-aliquot-parts","Common Mistakes with Aliquot Parts",[14,251,252,255,256,260,261,264],{},[18,253,254],{},"Reading order"," — The description NE¼SW¼ means \"the northeast quarter ",[257,258,259],"em",{},"of"," the southwest quarter,\" not \"the northeast quarter ",[257,262,263],{},"and"," the southwest quarter.\" Misreading this places you in the wrong 40-acre parcel.",[14,266,267,270],{},[18,268,269],{},"Assuming uniform size"," — Along the north and west edges of a township, sections may be slightly over or under 640 acres due to convergence corrections. The aliquot parts in those sections inherit the size variation. The NE¼ of a 650-acre section is 162.5 acres, not 160.",[14,272,273,276],{},[18,274,275],{},"Mixing lot and aliquot notation"," — In fractional sections, some tracts are government lots and others are standard aliquot parts. A legal description that says \"Lot 2 and the SE¼\" is describing two different kinds of subdivisions within the same section. Both are valid, but they follow different rules.",[29,278,280],{"id":279},"faq","FAQ",[14,282,283,286],{},[18,284,285],{},"What does \"aliquot\" mean in land surveying?","\nAliquot means \"contained an exact number of times.\" In PLSS context, it refers to the standard fractional divisions of a section — quarters, quarter-quarters, and so on — where each piece divides evenly into its parent parcel.",[14,288,289,292],{},[18,290,291],{},"What is the smallest aliquot part?","\nThe BLM recognizes aliquot parts down to 1\u002F64th of a section (10 acres), which is a quarter-quarter-quarter section. Some states and local recording offices accept descriptions at the 1\u002F256th level (2.5 acres), but this varies by jurisdiction.",[14,294,295,298],{},[18,296,297],{},"How many aliquot parts are in a section?","\nA section contains 4 quarter sections, 16 quarter-quarter sections, or 64 quarter-quarter-quarter sections. The number depends on which subdivision level you are counting. Half-sections and other combinations add further options.",[14,300,301,304,305,307],{},[18,302,303],{},"Can I convert an aliquot part description to GPS coordinates?","\nYes. Enter any aliquot description into the Township America ",[23,306,236],{"href":235}," to get latitude and longitude coordinates, a boundary polygon, and the computed acreage. The converter handles all standard aliquot levels across every PLSS state.",{"title":309,"searchDepth":310,"depth":310,"links":311},"",2,[312,313,314,315,316,317,318],{"id":31,"depth":310,"text":32},{"id":137,"depth":310,"text":138},{"id":174,"depth":310,"text":175},{"id":205,"depth":310,"text":206},{"id":220,"depth":310,"text":221},{"id":248,"depth":310,"text":249},{"id":279,"depth":310,"text":280},null,"2026-04-04","Aliquot parts are the standardized subdivisions of a PLSS section — quarter sections (160 acres), quarter-quarter sections (40 acres), and smaller parcels down to 10 acres — used in legal land descriptions across all 30 PLSS states.",false,"md",[325,326,327,328,329,330,331,332,333,334],"aliquot parts","aliquot part PLSS","quarter section","quarter-quarter section","PLSS subdivision","160 acres","40 acres","legal land description subdivision","aliquot notation","NE SW NW SE",{},true,"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary\u002Faliquot-parts",[25,339,212,340,341],"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary\u002Ftownship","\u002Flearn\u002Fplss\u002Fquarter-sections","\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Fconvert-plss-to-gps","glossary",{"title":5,"description":321},"learn\u002Fglossary\u002Faliquot-parts","w0P_disCQve56JYrF-kaQB4iDw_Eu1xbrdg_bdf1I4w",[347,606,620,825],{"id":348,"title":349,"body":350,"converterLink":319,"createdAt":591,"cta":319,"description":592,"draft":322,"extension":323,"icon":319,"industry":319,"keywords":593,"meridian":319,"meta":601,"navigation":336,"path":212,"relatedPages":602,"section":342,"seo":603,"state":319,"stem":604,"updatedAt":591,"__hash__":605},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary\u002Fgovernment-lot.md","Government Lot",{"type":7,"value":351,"toc":582},[352,355,370,374,377,383,387,390,415,419,422,425,429,432,452,460,464,467,473,479,488,492,562,568,572],[10,353,349],{"id":354},"government-lot",[14,356,357,358,361,362,365,366,369],{},"A ",[18,359,360],{},"government lot"," is an irregularly shaped parcel within a ",[23,363,364],{"href":25},"PLSS section"," that could not be divided into standard quarter sections during the original survey. Government lots appear wherever the rectangular grid meets an obstruction — a navigable river, a lake shoreline, a state boundary, or the north and west edges of a ",[23,367,368],{"href":339},"township"," where convergence corrections accumulate.",[29,371,373],{"id":372},"why-government-lots-exist","Why Government Lots Exist",[14,375,376],{},"The Public Land Survey System assumes a grid of one-mile-square sections, each containing four 160-acre quarter sections. That works on flat, uninterrupted terrain. But when a surveyor's line hits the Missouri River at Section 6, T1N R1E, the grid cannot continue through water. The land between the survey line and the water's edge is what remains — an odd-shaped tract that does not fit any standard aliquot subdivision.",[14,378,379,380,382],{},"Rather than ignore these parcels, the General Land Office (GLO) assigned them numbered ",[18,381,213],{}," — Lot 1, Lot 2, Lot 3, and so on — within the section. Each lot was individually surveyed and its acreage calculated from the field notes. A government lot might contain 15 acres or 120 acres depending on how much land fell between the standard grid lines and the natural feature.",[29,384,386],{"id":385},"where-government-lots-appear","Where Government Lots Appear",[14,388,389],{},"Government lots are concentrated in specific situations:",[391,392,393,399,409],"ul",{},[154,394,395,398],{},[18,396,397],{},"Riparian sections"," — Sections bordering navigable rivers and lakes. The surveyor ran a meander line along the water's edge, and the land between that meander line and the nearest quarter-section line became a government lot.",[154,400,401,404,405,408],{},[18,402,403],{},"North and west township edges"," — Sections 1 through 6 (the north tier) and Sections 6, 7, 18, 19, 30, and 31 (the west column) absorb the accumulated error from converging ",[23,406,407],{"href":230},"principal meridian"," lines. These sections are often slightly oversized or undersized, and the excess or deficit land is placed into government lots rather than standard quarter sections.",[154,410,411,414],{},[18,412,413],{},"State and reservation boundaries"," — Where a state line or Indian reservation boundary cuts through a section at an angle, the resulting fragments become government lots.",[29,416,418],{"id":417},"how-government-lots-are-numbered","How Government Lots Are Numbered",[14,420,421],{},"Lot numbering starts at 1 within each section and counts upward. The numbering sequence typically begins in the northeast corner of the section and proceeds west and south, but this is not universal — the original surveyor's field notes are the authority for lot placement and numbering.",[14,423,424],{},"A single section might contain both standard quarter sections and government lots. For example, a section along the Mississippi River might have NE and SE quarters (standard 160-acre tracts) on the east side, while the west side — where the river cuts in — is divided into Lots 1 through 4. The lot descriptions coexist with standard aliquot descriptions in the same section.",[29,426,428],{"id":427},"government-lots-in-legal-descriptions","Government Lots in Legal Descriptions",[14,430,431],{},"A government lot description looks different from a standard aliquot description. Instead of directional designations (NE, SW, NWSE), you see a lot number:",[391,433,434,440,446],{},[154,435,436,439],{},[18,437,438],{},"Lot 3, Section 6, T1N R1E, 6th Principal Meridian"," — An irregular tract along the Missouri River in eastern Nebraska",[154,441,442,445],{},[18,443,444],{},"Lots 1 and 2, Section 31, T2N R4W, 5th Principal Meridian"," — Fractional lots on the west edge of a township in eastern Arkansas",[154,447,448,451],{},[18,449,450],{},"Lot 4, Section 18, T15N R2E, Indian Meridian"," — A correction lot on the west side of a township in central Oklahoma",[14,453,454,455,459],{},"The lot number alone does not tell you where in the section the parcel sits or how many acres it contains. That information comes from the original ",[23,456,458],{"href":457},"\u002Fblog\u002Fblm-glo-records-2026-whats-new-how-to-use","GLO survey plat",", which shows the lot boundaries, meander lines, and computed acreage.",[29,461,463],{"id":462},"why-government-lots-matter","Why Government Lots Matter",[14,465,466],{},"Government lots create specific challenges in land work:",[14,468,469,472],{},[18,470,471],{},"Title searches"," — A deed referencing \"Lot 3, Section 6\" requires the surveyor's plat to confirm exact boundaries. Unlike the NE quarter, which is always the same shape and size, Lot 3 could be any shape and any acreage.",[14,474,475,478],{},[18,476,477],{},"Acreage calculations"," — Standard quarter sections are exactly 160 acres. Government lots are whatever the survey measured. If you are calculating lease payments, mineral royalties, or crop insurance coverage, you need the actual lot acreage from the plat — not an assumption.",[14,480,481,484,485,487],{},[18,482,483],{},"Coordinate conversion"," — Converting a government lot description to GPS coordinates requires data that accounts for the irregular shape. Township America handles government lot conversions by referencing the original survey geometry, returning the centroid coordinates and actual acreage. Try it with the ",[23,486,236],{"href":235}," — enter a lot description like \"Lot 3 Section 6 T1N R1E 6th PM\" and get the coordinates back.",[29,489,491],{"id":490},"government-lots-vs-quarter-sections","Government Lots vs. Quarter Sections",[51,493,494,505],{},[54,495,496],{},[57,497,498,500,503],{},[60,499],{},[60,501,502],{},"Quarter Section",[60,504,349],{},[73,506,507,518,529,540,551],{},[57,508,509,512,515],{},[78,510,511],{},"Shape",[78,513,514],{},"Square (½ mile × ½ mile)",[78,516,517],{},"Irregular",[57,519,520,523,526],{},[78,521,522],{},"Acreage",[78,524,525],{},"160 (standard)",[78,527,528],{},"Varies (often 15–160 acres)",[57,530,531,534,537],{},[78,532,533],{},"Description",[78,535,536],{},"Compass directions (NE, SW)",[78,538,539],{},"Lot number (Lot 1, Lot 2)",[57,541,542,545,548],{},[78,543,544],{},"Location",[78,546,547],{},"Interior sections",[78,549,550],{},"Edges, water, boundaries",[57,552,553,556,559],{},[78,554,555],{},"Boundary source",[78,557,558],{},"Grid geometry",[78,560,561],{},"Original survey plat",[14,563,564,565,567],{},"Both are valid subdivisions of a PLSS ",[23,566,26],{"href":25},". In practice, many title documents, drilling permits, and agricultural filings mix the two — a single section can have quarter sections on one side and government lots on the other.",[29,569,571],{"id":570},"converting-government-lot-descriptions","Converting Government Lot Descriptions",[14,573,574,575,578,579,581],{},"If you have a legal description that references a government lot and need GPS coordinates, Township America can ",[23,576,577],{"href":341},"convert it to latitude and longitude",". The converter handles both standard aliquot parts and government lots across all 30 PLSS states and all 37 principal meridians. For bulk work, the ",[23,580,244],{"href":243}," processes hundreds of descriptions — including mixed lot and quarter-section descriptions — in a single upload.",{"title":309,"searchDepth":310,"depth":310,"links":583},[584,585,586,587,588,589,590],{"id":372,"depth":310,"text":373},{"id":385,"depth":310,"text":386},{"id":417,"depth":310,"text":418},{"id":427,"depth":310,"text":428},{"id":462,"depth":310,"text":463},{"id":490,"depth":310,"text":491},{"id":570,"depth":310,"text":571},"2026-03-30","A government lot is an irregularly shaped parcel within a PLSS section that cannot be divided into standard quarter sections, typically found along rivers, lakes, and state boundaries.",[360,594,595,596,597,598,599,600],"government lot PLSS","fractional section","irregular lot","PLSS lot numbering","fractional lot","riparian section","meander line",{},[25,339,230,341],{"title":349,"description":592},"learn\u002Fglossary\u002Fgovernment-lot","Fw40fXVYdD5Qrzq-NE8opGG17PuzioUDAGDcs3McK1g",{"id":607,"title":608,"body":609,"converterLink":319,"createdAt":613,"cta":319,"description":614,"draft":322,"extension":323,"icon":319,"industry":319,"keywords":319,"meridian":319,"meta":615,"navigation":336,"path":616,"relatedPages":319,"section":342,"seo":617,"state":319,"stem":618,"updatedAt":613,"__hash__":619},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary\u002Findex.md","PLSS Glossary",{"type":7,"value":610,"toc":611},[],{"title":309,"searchDepth":310,"depth":310,"links":612},[],"2026-03-09","Definitions for PLSS, township, range, section, quarter section, principal meridian, and all US public land survey terms.",{},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary",{"title":608,"description":614},"learn\u002Fglossary\u002Findex","gmkphY5SGs838oxjNtuVLh1ZBSzHAGRirp8sIWbBm68",{"id":621,"title":622,"body":623,"converterLink":319,"createdAt":613,"cta":319,"description":814,"draft":322,"extension":323,"icon":319,"industry":319,"keywords":815,"meridian":319,"meta":820,"navigation":336,"path":230,"relatedPages":821,"section":342,"seo":822,"state":319,"stem":823,"updatedAt":613,"__hash__":824},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary\u002Fprincipal-meridian.md","Principal Meridian",{"type":7,"value":624,"toc":807},[625,628,649,653,656,669,680,684,687,739,747,751,754,757,761,768,771,775,778,781,804],[10,626,622],{"id":627},"principal-meridian",[14,629,357,630,632,633,636,637,640,641,644,645,648],{},[18,631,407],{}," is a north-south reference line used as the starting axis for PLSS surveys in a defined region of the United States. There are 37 principal meridians across the 30 PLSS states, each paired with an east-west ",[18,634,635],{},"baseline",". The point where a principal meridian and its baseline intersect is called the ",[18,638,639],{},"initial point"," — the origin from which all ",[23,642,643],{"href":339},"townships",", ranges, and ",[23,646,647],{"href":25},"sections"," in that region are measured.",[29,650,652],{"id":651},"how-principal-meridians-work","How Principal Meridians Work",[14,654,655],{},"The Public Land Survey System divides land into a grid of townships and ranges. But a grid needs a reference point — a zero coordinate from which rows and columns are counted. That is what a principal meridian provides.",[391,657,658,664],{},[154,659,660,661,663],{},"The ",[18,662,407],{}," runs north-south. Township rows are counted as \"North\" or \"South\" from the baseline that accompanies it.",[154,665,660,666,668],{},[18,667,635],{}," runs east-west. Range columns are counted as \"East\" or \"West\" from the principal meridian itself.",[14,670,671,672,676,677,679],{},"When a legal land description reads \"T5N R3W, Sixth Principal Meridian,\" it means: go five township rows north of the ",[23,673,675],{"href":674},"\u002Flearn\u002Fmeridians\u002Fsixth-principal","Sixth Principal Meridian's"," baseline, and three range columns west of the meridian line. That intersection defines a specific 6-by-6-mile ",[23,678,368],{"href":339},".",[29,681,683],{"id":682},"the-37-principal-meridians","The 37 Principal Meridians",[14,685,686],{},"The US has 37 principal meridians, established between 1785 and 1890 as surveying expanded westward. Some of the most commonly encountered include:",[391,688,689,697,706,715,721,727,733],{},[154,690,691,696],{},[18,692,693],{},[23,694,695],{"href":674},"Sixth Principal Meridian"," — Covers Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota. The most widely used single meridian in the PLSS.",[154,698,699,705],{},[18,700,701],{},[23,702,704],{"href":703},"\u002Flearn\u002Fmeridians\u002Findian-meridian","Indian Meridian"," — Covers Oklahoma. Established in 1870 for the survey of Indian Territory.",[154,707,708,714],{},[18,709,710],{},[23,711,713],{"href":712},"\u002Flearn\u002Fmeridians\u002Fwillamette","Willamette Meridian"," — Covers Oregon and Washington. Marked by the Willamette Stone near Portland.",[154,716,717,720],{},[18,718,719],{},"Salt Lake Meridian"," — Covers Utah.",[154,722,723,726],{},[18,724,725],{},"Mount Diablo Meridian"," — Covers most of California and Nevada.",[154,728,729,732],{},[18,730,731],{},"Tallahassee Meridian"," — Covers Florida.",[154,734,735,738],{},[18,736,737],{},"Black Hills Meridian"," — Covers the Black Hills region of South Dakota.",[14,740,741,742,746],{},"Each meridian covers a specific geographic area. Some states fall entirely within one meridian's grid (Kansas uses only the Sixth Principal Meridian; Oklahoma uses only the Indian Meridian). Other states are split across multiple meridians — Colorado, for example, is covered by the Sixth Principal Meridian, the New Mexico Principal Meridian, and the Ute Meridian. This matters especially for ",[23,743,745],{"href":744},"\u002Fblog\u002Fblm-solar-wind-leases-plss-coordinates-siting","BLM solar and wind lease applications",", where a project spanning sections in Wyoming must reference the correct meridian — Wind River or Sixth Principal — for each parcel in the filing.",[29,748,750],{"id":749},"why-multiple-meridians-exist","Why Multiple Meridians Exist",[14,752,753],{},"The PLSS was not designed as a single unified grid. As settlement moved westward, new meridians were established to anchor surveys in new territories. Starting a fresh grid with a local meridian was more practical than extending lines thousands of miles from an earlier one. Each meridian was positioned to serve the immediate survey needs of its region.",[14,755,756],{},"This means that township and range numbers reset with each meridian. \"T5N R3W\" under the Sixth Principal Meridian is a completely different location from \"T5N R3W\" under the Indian Meridian. Omitting the meridian from a legal land description creates ambiguity that can lead to serious errors — wrong locations on drilling permits, incorrect property identifications, or failed title searches.",[29,758,760],{"id":759},"the-initial-point","The Initial Point",[14,762,763,764,767],{},"Every principal meridian has an initial point — the exact spot where the meridian line and its baseline cross. Some initial points are marked with physical monuments you can visit. The ",[23,765,766],{"href":712},"Willamette Stone"," near Portland, Oregon, is one of the most accessible. Others are in remote locations, marked by brass caps or stone monuments that are easy to miss.",[14,769,770],{},"The initial point was typically established by a surveyor general using astronomical observations to fix latitude and longitude. From that single point, survey crews extended lines in four directions, creating the grid that would eventually cover millions of acres.",[29,772,774],{"id":773},"identifying-the-correct-meridian","Identifying the Correct Meridian",[14,776,777],{},"When working with a PLSS legal land description, the principal meridian tells you which grid the description belongs to. Without it, a description like \"NWSE 15-4N-7W\" could refer to multiple locations across the country.",[14,779,780],{},"To identify the correct meridian:",[151,782,783,789,795],{},[154,784,785,788],{},[18,786,787],{},"Check the document."," Deeds, permits, and official filings usually include the meridian reference, often abbreviated (6th PM, IM, WM).",[154,790,791,794],{},[18,792,793],{},"Know the state."," If you know the state, you can narrow it down. Single-meridian states like Kansas or Oklahoma make this easy.",[154,796,797,800,801,679],{},[18,798,799],{},"Use Township America."," Enter a description and select the appropriate state — the tool will apply the correct principal meridian for ",[23,802,803],{"href":341},"coordinate conversion",[14,805,806],{},"Getting the meridian right is not optional. It is the anchor for the entire description.",{"title":309,"searchDepth":310,"depth":310,"links":808},[809,810,811,812,813],{"id":651,"depth":310,"text":652},{"id":682,"depth":310,"text":683},{"id":749,"depth":310,"text":750},{"id":759,"depth":310,"text":760},{"id":773,"depth":310,"text":774},"A principal meridian is one of 37 north-south reference lines in the US Public Land Survey System, each paired with a baseline to anchor the township and range grid.",[407,816,635,639,817,818,819],"PLSS meridian","37 principal meridians","Public Land Survey System","north-south reference line",{},[339,25,674,703,712,341],{"title":622,"description":814},"learn\u002Fglossary\u002Fprincipal-meridian","BdNzpxH782s6T5n6ZSohYVOCbcOSHJbTLkJNtSJ3NVw",{"id":826,"title":827,"body":828,"converterLink":319,"createdAt":613,"cta":319,"description":986,"draft":322,"extension":323,"icon":319,"industry":319,"keywords":987,"meridian":319,"meta":993,"navigation":336,"path":25,"relatedPages":994,"section":342,"seo":996,"state":319,"stem":997,"updatedAt":998,"__hash__":999},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary\u002Fsection.md","Section",{"type":7,"value":829,"toc":978},[830,832,840,844,850,853,857,860,870,875,878,882,885,904,913,917,920,924,930,962,965,969],[10,831,827],{"id":26},[14,833,357,834,836,837,839],{},[18,835,26],{}," is the fundamental land unit in the ",[23,838,818],{"href":230}," (PLSS). Each section is nominally one square mile — 640 acres — and represents the level at which most legal land descriptions begin before subdividing further into quarter sections, quarter-quarter sections, and government lots.",[29,841,843],{"id":842},"size-and-shape","Size and Shape",[14,845,846,847,849],{},"A standard section measures one mile on each side, enclosing 640 acres. In practice, sections along the north and west edges of a ",[23,848,368],{"href":339}," may be slightly larger or smaller than 640 acres due to survey corrections for the earth's curvature. These edge sections absorb the accumulated error from converging meridian lines. Sections that border rivers, lakes, or state boundaries may also have irregular shapes, with fractional lots replacing the standard quarter-section subdivisions.",[14,851,852],{},"Despite these variations, the 640-acre standard section is the baseline unit that the entire PLSS grid is built on. When someone refers to \"a section of land,\" they mean approximately one square mile.",[29,854,856],{"id":855},"serpentine-numbering","Serpentine Numbering",[14,858,859],{},"Within each township, the 36 sections are numbered in a serpentine (back-and-forth) pattern that starts in the northeast corner:",[861,862,867],"pre",{"className":863,"code":865,"language":866},[864],"language-text"," 6 |  5 |  4 |  3 |  2 |  1\n 7 |  8 |  9 | 10 | 11 | 12\n18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13\n19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24\n30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25\n31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36\n","text",[868,869,865],"code",{"__ignoreMap":309},[14,871,872,873,679],{},"Section 1 is always in the northeast corner, Section 6 in the northwest, Section 31 in the southwest, and Section 36 in the southeast. The numbering snakes left-to-right, then right-to-left, alternating with each row. This pattern is consistent across all PLSS states and all ",[23,874,231],{"href":230},[14,876,877],{},"Memorizing this layout matters. If a deed references Section 6, you immediately know it is in the northwest corner of the township. Section 16 is near the center — historically reserved for school funding in many states.",[29,879,881],{"id":880},"subdivisions-of-a-section","Subdivisions of a Section",[14,883,884],{},"Most legal land descriptions go below the section level. The standard subdivisions are:",[391,886,887,892,898],{},[154,888,889,891],{},[18,890,80],{}," — 160 acres, one-fourth of a section. Designated by compass direction: NE (Northeast), NW (Northwest), SE (Southeast), SW (Southwest). A quarter section measures approximately one-half mile on each side.",[154,893,894,897],{},[18,895,896],{},"Quarter-quarter section"," — 40 acres, one-fourth of a quarter section. Written as a combination like NENW (Northeast Quarter of the Northwest Quarter) or SWSE (Southwest Quarter of the Southeast Quarter). The first two letters identify the smaller parcel; the second two identify the quarter section it sits within.",[154,899,900,903],{},[18,901,902],{},"Government lots"," — Irregularly sized parcels that replace standard quarter sections along water boundaries, state lines, or other irregularities. Government lots are numbered (Lot 1, Lot 2, etc.) within a section and can range from a few acres to over 100 acres.",[14,905,906,907,909,910,912],{},"These subdivisions are called ",[18,908,325],{}," — fractional portions of a section described by halving and quartering. A legal description like \"NENE Sec 12, T4N R5E, 6th Principal Meridian\" identifies the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 12, Township 4 North, Range 5 East — a 40-acre parcel in central Kansas. The same format works across all 37 ",[23,911,231],{"href":230}," in the PLSS land survey system.",[29,914,916],{"id":915},"section-16-and-school-lands","Section 16 and School Lands",[14,918,919],{},"In most PLSS states, Section 16 (and sometimes Section 36) was historically reserved as \"school land.\" Revenue from these sections — through leasing or sale — funded local public schools. This policy dates back to the Land Ordinance of 1785 and explains why Section 16 often has different ownership or management than surrounding sections. In some western states, these sections are still managed by state land trusts.",[29,921,923],{"id":922},"sections-in-practice","Sections in Practice",[14,925,926,927,929],{},"Legal land descriptions in deeds, drilling permits, crop insurance filings, and title documents always include the section number. Here are examples across different ",[23,928,231],{"href":230},":",[391,931,932,938,946,954],{},[154,933,934,937],{},[18,935,936],{},"NE 12-4N-5E 6th PM"," — Northeast Quarter, Section 12, Township 4 North, Range 5 East, 6th Principal Meridian — a quarter section in central Kansas",[154,939,940,943,944],{},[18,941,942],{},"SWNE 22-9N-15W IM"," — Southwest Quarter of the Northeast Quarter, Section 22, Township 9 North, Range 15 West, ",[23,945,704],{"href":703},[154,947,948,951,952],{},[18,949,950],{},"NWSE 15-4N-7W IM"," — Northwest Quarter of the Southeast Quarter, Section 15, Township 4 North, Range 7 West, ",[23,953,704],{"href":703},[154,955,956,959,960],{},[18,957,958],{},"NE 31-5N-7W WM"," — Northeast Quarter, Section 31, Township 5 North, Range 7 West, ",[23,961,713],{"href":712},[14,963,964],{},"The section number places you within a specific square mile. Combined with the quarter section designation, you are down to 160 acres. Add a quarter-quarter and you are at 40 acres — precise enough for most practical purposes.",[29,966,968],{"id":967},"converting-section-level-descriptions","Converting Section-Level Descriptions",[14,970,971,972,974,975,977],{},"If you have a PLSS description that includes a section number and need GPS coordinates, enter it into the Township America ",[23,973,236],{"href":235}," to get latitude and longitude instantly. The converter handles section-level PLSS land survey descriptions across all 30 states and 37 principal meridians. For large sets of descriptions, the ",[23,976,244],{"href":243}," processes hundreds at once, returning the center-point coordinates for each parcel.",{"title":309,"searchDepth":310,"depth":310,"links":979},[980,981,982,983,984,985],{"id":842,"depth":310,"text":843},{"id":855,"depth":310,"text":856},{"id":880,"depth":310,"text":881},{"id":915,"depth":310,"text":916},{"id":922,"depth":310,"text":923},{"id":967,"depth":310,"text":968},"A section in the Public Land Survey System is a one-square-mile parcel of land containing 640 acres, numbered 1 through 36 within each township.",[988,26,364,989,990,991,992,327,20],"section PLSS land survey","640 acres","one square mile","section numbering","serpentine numbering",{},[339,230,337,341,995],"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Ffind-township-range-section",{"title":827,"description":986},"learn\u002Fglossary\u002Fsection","2026-04-05","13t9jctjnkmQkWlAbqrgt6eoFJRKNaZYDedgGF1aWoQ"]