The PLSS System
Deep-dive explainers on how the Public Land Survey System works: townships, ranges, sections, quarter sections, principal meridians, and more.
How the Public Land Survey System Works
A complete guide to the US Public Land Survey System (PLSS) — its history, grid hierarchy, 37 principal meridians, and the 30 states that use it for legal land descriptions.
Read guideThe PLSS System
Deep-dive explainers on how the Public Land Survey System works: townships, ranges, sections, quarter sections, principal meridians, and more.
Read guideQuarter Sections and Aliquot Parts
How quarter sections and aliquot parts subdivide PLSS sections into 160-acre, 40-acre, and smaller parcels — including how to read legal land descriptions from smallest to largest unit.
Read guideSections — The 640-Acre Building Block
How sections work in the PLSS — the 1-mile-square, 640-acre units that divide every township into 36 numbered parcels, including the serpentine numbering pattern and fractional sections.
Read guideTownships and Ranges Explained
How townships and ranges form the backbone of the PLSS grid — 6-mile-wide strips measured from baselines and principal meridians, creating the framework for legal land descriptions across 30 US states.
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