Section

A section is the fundamental land unit in the Public Land Survey System (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.

Size and Shape

A standard section measures one mile on each side, enclosing 640 acres. In practice, sections along the north and west edges of a township 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.

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.

Serpentine Numbering

Within each township, the 36 sections are numbered in a serpentine (back-and-forth) pattern that starts in the northeast corner:

 6 |  5 |  4 |  3 |  2 |  1
 7 |  8 |  9 | 10 | 11 | 12
18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13
19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24
30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25
31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36

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 principal meridians.

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.

Subdivisions of a Section

Most legal land descriptions go below the section level. The standard subdivisions are:

• Quarter section — 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.
• 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.
• 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.

These subdivisions are called aliquot parts — fractional portions of a section described by halving and quartering. A legal description like "NE 14-5N-3W 6th PM" identifies the northeast quarter of Section 14, Township 5 North, Range 3 West — a 160-acre parcel in central Kansas.

Section 16 and School Lands

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.

Sections in Practice

Legal land descriptions in deeds, drilling permits, crop insurance filings, and title documents always include the section number. Here are examples across different principal meridians:

• SW 22-9N-15W 6th PM — Southwest Quarter, Section 22, Township 9 North, Range 15 West, Sixth Principal Meridian
• NW 15-8N-4W IM — Northwest Quarter, Section 15, Township 8 North, Range 4 West, Indian Meridian
• NE 12-4S-2W WM — Northeast Quarter, Section 12, Township 4 South, Range 2 West, Willamette Meridian

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.

Converting Section-Level Descriptions

If you have a PLSS description that includes a section number and need GPS coordinates, Township America can convert it to latitude and longitude. For large sets of descriptions, the batch converter processes hundreds at once, returning the center-point coordinates for each parcel.