[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"learn-txss-blocks-and-sections":3,"learn-txss-related-blocks-and-sections":633},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"converterLink":580,"createdAt":602,"cta":603,"description":605,"draft":606,"extension":607,"icon":608,"industry":609,"keywords":610,"meridian":609,"meta":621,"navigation":622,"path":623,"relatedPages":624,"section":629,"seo":630,"state":609,"stem":631,"updatedAt":602,"__hash__":632},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Ftxss\u002Fblocks-and-sections.md","Blocks and Sections — How Texas Railroad Surveys Grid the Land",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":582},"minimark",[9,13,31,34,39,42,45,48,52,55,78,85,96,100,106,109,112,116,119,270,273,278,281,329,336,340,343,347,350,353,357,360,364,367,371,374,401,404,410,413,417,424,432,443,446,450,453,468,475,479,482,540,551,555,558,564,567,576],[10,11,5],"h1",{"id":12},"blocks-and-sections-how-texas-railroad-surveys-grid-the-land",[14,15,16,17,26,27,30],"p",{},"In West Texas — the Permian Basin, the Trans-Pecos, and the Panhandle — most TXSS legal descriptions take the form ",[18,19,20,21,25],"strong",{},"Block N, Section N, ",[22,23,24],"span",{},"Railroad"," Survey, County",". This is the ",[18,28,29],{},"Block & Section"," convention, and it is the closest thing TXSS has to a regular grid. It looks superficially like the PLSS township–section grid, but it is anchored in 19th-century railroad land grants rather than principal meridians and baselines.",[14,32,33],{},"This article explains where Block & Section came from, who the major railroad surveys are, how to read the notation, and how to disambiguate references when the same block number appears in multiple surveys.",[35,36,38],"h2",{"id":37},"where-block-section-came-from","Where Block & Section Came From",[14,40,41],{},"After Texas joined the Union, the state owned millions of acres of public land — much of it in the Trans-Pecos and the Panhandle, far from existing settlement. In the 1850s–1880s, Texas issued large land grants to railroad companies as inducements to build track across the state.",[14,43,44],{},"The deal was simple: build a railroad through Texas, get the land along it. The grants were enormous — sometimes tens of thousands of acres per mile of track — and the railroad companies surveyed their grants into blocks and sections so they could sell parcels to settlers.",[14,46,47],{},"The grants overlapped less than you might expect — each major railroad got a particular corridor — but they did overlap in places, which is why block numbers alone can be ambiguous (Block 5 might exist in both the T&P and the GC&SF surveys, and you need the survey name to disambiguate).",[35,49,51],{"id":50},"what-block-and-section-mean-here","What \"Block\" and \"Section\" Mean Here",[14,53,54],{},"In Block & Section TXSS:",[56,57,58,66,72],"ul",{},[59,60,61,62,65],"li",{},"A ",[18,63,64],{},"block"," is a large rectangular area of a railroad land grant. Blocks are numbered within each railroad survey (Block 1, Block 2, ... up to the highest assigned number for that survey).",[59,67,61,68,71],{},[18,69,70],{},"section"," is a one-square-mile subdivision within a block — usually ~640 acres, similar to PLSS sections but not always exactly that size.",[59,73,61,74,77],{},[18,75,76],{},"survey"," here means the named railroad's overall grant — for example, \"T&P Survey\" refers to the Texas and Pacific Railway Company Survey, the railroad's full land grant.",[14,79,80,81,84],{},"Critically, ",[18,82,83],{},"block numbers are scoped to each railroad survey",". There is no statewide Block 5; there are many Block 5s, one in each survey that has one. The full unambiguous reference is:",[86,87,92],"pre",{"className":88,"code":90,"language":91},[89],"language-text","(County, Survey Name, Block, Section)\n","text",[93,94,90],"code",{"__ignoreMap":95},"",[35,97,99],{"id":98},"a-typical-block-section-reference","A Typical Block & Section Reference",[86,101,104],{"className":102,"code":103,"language":91},[89],"Block 5, Sec 14, T&P Survey, Reeves County\nBlk 13 Sec 9 H&TC Survey, Loving County\nBlock 5, T&P RR Co. Survey, Section 14, Reeves\n",[93,105,103],{"__ignoreMap":95},[14,107,108],{},"All three formats are equivalent. Township America's parser is tolerant of word order, abbreviations, and punctuation.",[14,110,111],{},"The reference identifies a one-square-mile section within Block 5 of the T&P railroad grant, located in Reeves County.",[35,113,115],{"id":114},"the-major-railroad-surveys","The Major Railroad Surveys",[14,117,118],{},"Several dozen railroads received Texas land grants. These are the ones you will see most often in modern Block & Section descriptions:",[120,121,122,138],"table",{},[123,124,125],"thead",{},[126,127,128,132,135],"tr",{},[129,130,131],"th",{},"Abbreviation",[129,133,134],{},"Full Name",[129,136,137],{},"Where",[139,140,141,155,168,181,194,207,220,233,245,257],"tbody",{},[126,142,143,149,152],{},[144,145,146],"td",{},[18,147,148],{},"T&P",[144,150,151],{},"Texas and Pacific Railway Company Survey",[144,153,154],{},"West \u002F North Texas, especially the Permian Basin",[126,156,157,162,165],{},[144,158,159],{},[18,160,161],{},"H&TC",[144,163,164],{},"Houston and Texas Central Railway Company Survey",[144,166,167],{},"Central \u002F East Texas, North Texas, Panhandle",[126,169,170,175,178],{},[144,171,172],{},[18,173,174],{},"GC&SF",[144,176,177],{},"Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway Company Survey",[144,179,180],{},"West Texas, especially the Trans-Pecos",[126,182,183,188,191],{},[144,184,185],{},[18,186,187],{},"BS&F",[144,189,190],{},"Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railway Company Survey",[144,192,193],{},"Central Texas",[126,195,196,201,204],{},[144,197,198],{},[18,199,200],{},"GH&SA",[144,202,203],{},"Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway Co. Survey",[144,205,206],{},"South \u002F West Texas",[126,208,209,214,217],{},[144,210,211],{},[18,212,213],{},"TT",[144,215,216],{},"Texas Trunk Railway Company Survey",[144,218,219],{},"East Texas",[126,221,222,227,230],{},[144,223,224],{},[18,225,226],{},"EL&RR",[144,228,229],{},"East Line and Red River Railroad Company Survey",[144,231,232],{},"Northeast Texas",[126,234,235,240,243],{},[144,236,237],{},[18,238,239],{},"T&NO",[144,241,242],{},"Texas and New Orleans Railroad Company Survey",[144,244,219],{},[126,246,247,252,255],{},[144,248,249],{},[18,250,251],{},"I&GN",[144,253,254],{},"International and Great Northern Railroad Company Survey",[144,256,193],{},[126,258,259,264,267],{},[144,260,261],{},[18,262,263],{},"MK&T",[144,265,266],{},"Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway Company Survey (\"Katy\")",[144,268,269],{},"North Texas",[14,271,272],{},"The T&P and GC&SF surveys are the dominant ones in the Permian Basin. The H&TC has the broadest geographic spread because it was an early grant.",[274,275,277],"h3",{"id":276},"abbreviation-variants","Abbreviation Variants",[14,279,280],{},"Railroad survey names appear in many forms across deeds, RRC filings, and lease databases:",[56,282,283,306,319],{},[59,284,285,287,288,287,291,287,294,287,297,287,300,287,303],{},[93,286,148],{}," \u002F ",[93,289,290],{},"T & P",[93,292,293],{},"T.&P.",[93,295,296],{},"T&P RR Co.",[93,298,299],{},"T&P Ry. Co.",[93,301,302],{},"Texas and Pacific",[93,304,305],{},"Texas and Pacific Railway Company",[59,307,308,287,310,287,313,287,316],{},[93,309,161],{},[93,311,312],{},"H&TC RR",[93,314,315],{},"Houston & Texas Central",[93,317,318],{},"Houston and Texas Central Railway Company",[59,320,321,287,323,287,326],{},[93,322,174],{},[93,324,325],{},"Gulf, Colo. & Santa Fe",[93,327,328],{},"Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway Company",[14,330,331,332,335],{},"Township America's parser normalizes all variants to a canonical survey name. The response includes a ",[93,333,334],{},"survey_name_norm"," field with the canonical form, so downstream code can join on a consistent name regardless of how the source data abbreviated it.",[35,337,339],{"id":338},"where-block-section-dominates","Where Block & Section Dominates",[14,341,342],{},"Block & Section is the dominant TXSS convention in three major regions of Texas:",[274,344,346],{"id":345},"permian-basin-west-texas","Permian Basin (West Texas)",[14,348,349],{},"The heart of US oil production. Counties like Reeves, Loving, Ward, Winkler, Pecos, Ector, Midland, Crane, Andrews, Martin, and Howard are predominantly Block & Section under the T&P, GC&SF, and H&TC railroad surveys.",[14,351,352],{},"This is where most landmen, lease analysts, and operators encounter TXSS — and where the Block & Section convention shows up in drilling permits, well headers, lease maps, and pipeline rights-of-way.",[274,354,356],{"id":355},"trans-pecos-far-west-texas","Trans-Pecos (Far West Texas)",[14,358,359],{},"Counties like El Paso, Hudspeth, Culberson, Jeff Davis, Presidio, and Brewster. Block & Section dominates here under GC&SF, T&P, and H&TC grants, with some smaller railroad and state surveys interspersed.",[274,361,363],{"id":362},"texas-panhandle","Texas Panhandle",[14,365,366],{},"Counties like Dallam, Hartley, Moore, Sherman, Hansford, Ochiltree, Lipscomb, Hemphill, Wheeler, and beyond. The H&GN (Houston and Great Northern) and several other surveys appear alongside T&P and H&TC.",[35,368,370],{"id":369},"how-to-read-a-block-section-reference","How to Read a Block & Section Reference",[14,372,373],{},"A complete Block & Section reference has four required pieces:",[375,376,377,383,389,395],"ol",{},[59,378,379,382],{},[18,380,381],{},"County"," — e.g., Reeves County, Loving County",[59,384,385,388],{},[18,386,387],{},"Survey name"," — e.g., T&P, H&TC (sometimes called \"Original Grantee\" or \"Granted To\")",[59,390,391,394],{},[18,392,393],{},"Block number"," — e.g., Block 5, Blk 13",[59,396,397,400],{},[18,398,399],{},"Section number"," — e.g., Sec 14, Section 9",[14,402,403],{},"Sometimes you will see the survey name written as the abstract record's \"Grantee\" field rather than as a survey name explicitly. For example:",[86,405,408],{"className":406,"code":407,"language":91},[89],"Section 14, Block 5, T&P RR Co., Reeves County, Abstract 1234\n",[93,409,407],{"__ignoreMap":95},[14,411,412],{},"Here the railroad company name (T&P RR Co.) functions as the survey identifier, and the abstract number ties the section back to GLO's index.",[35,414,416],{"id":415},"disambiguating-when-the-survey-name-is-missing","Disambiguating When the Survey Name Is Missing",[14,418,419,420,423],{},"If you have a description like ",[93,421,422],{},"Block 5, Sec 14, Reeves County"," with no survey name, you need to know:",[56,425,426],{},[59,427,428,431],{},[18,429,430],{},"How many surveys in this county have a Block 5?"," If only one, the reference is unambiguous and the converter returns that section. If multiple, you have a real ambiguity.",[14,433,434,435,438,439,442],{},"Township America's resolver handles this as follows: it queries ",[93,436,437],{},"(county, block, section)"," first; if it resolves to exactly one row, it returns the match. If it resolves to multiple, the API returns a 422 with a list of candidate ",[93,440,441],{},"(abstract, survey, section)"," tuples so the caller can pick.",[14,444,445],{},"In practice, most West Texas references include the survey name explicitly because everyone working in the region knows ambiguity is common.",[35,447,449],{"id":448},"sections-and-acreage","Sections and Acreage",[14,451,452],{},"In theory, a Block & Section parcel is one square mile (640 acres), like a PLSS section. In practice:",[56,454,455,458,461],{},[59,456,457],{},"Block boundaries were laid out by 19th-century surveyors using chain and compass, often in harsh terrain. Some blocks are slightly larger or smaller than the nominal grid.",[59,459,460],{},"Sections at the edge of a block absorb the variance — exactly like PLSS sections at the north and west edges of a township absorb meridian convergence.",[59,462,463,464,467],{},"Survey errors or terrain irregularities sometimes produce ",[18,465,466],{},"fractional sections"," that are notably smaller or larger than 640 acres.",[14,469,470,471,474],{},"When Township America returns a section polygon, the computed ",[93,472,473],{},"acreage"," reflects the actual polygon — not the nominal 640.",[35,476,478],{"id":477},"how-block-section-differs-from-plss-townships","How Block & Section Differs from PLSS Townships",[14,480,481],{},"For PLSS users, the Block & Section convention can feel familiar, but the analogy is partial:",[120,483,484,493],{},[123,485,486],{},[126,487,488,491],{},[129,489,490],{},"PLSS",[129,492,29],{},[139,494,495,503,511,519,527],{},[126,496,497,500],{},[144,498,499],{},"Township (6×6 miles, 36 sections)",[144,501,502],{},"Block (variable size, many sections)",[126,504,505,508],{},[144,506,507],{},"Sections numbered 1–36 in serpentine pattern",[144,509,510],{},"Sections numbered within each block (varies; not always serpentine)",[126,512,513,516],{},[144,514,515],{},"Anchored to a principal meridian",[144,517,518],{},"Anchored to a named railroad survey",[126,520,521,524],{},[144,522,523],{},"Township + Range + Section + Meridian",[144,525,526],{},"County + Block + Section + Survey",[126,528,529,532],{},[144,530,531],{},"Section is always (~)640 acres",[144,533,534,535,539],{},"Section is ",[536,537,538],"em",{},"usually"," (~)640 acres but varies more",[14,541,542,543,546,547,550],{},"The conceptual difference: PLSS is ",[18,544,545],{},"a single national grid"," with regional meridians. Block & Section is ",[18,548,549],{},"many parallel grids",", one per railroad survey, often overlapping geographically. You cannot read a Block & Section reference without knowing which railroad's grid it lives in.",[35,552,554],{"id":553},"converting-a-block-section-reference","Converting a Block & Section Reference",[14,556,557],{},"Township America's converter accepts Block & Section references in any of the supported formats. The most reliable form includes all four pieces:",[86,559,562],{"className":560,"code":561,"language":91},[89],"Block 5, Sec 14, T&P Survey, Reeves County\n",[93,563,561],{"__ignoreMap":95},[14,565,566],{},"For shorthand or partial references, the converter will try to disambiguate; if the block number is unique within the county, you do not need to include the survey name. If it is not unique, the API will return candidate matches.",[14,568,569,570,575],{},"For batch workflows, see ",[571,572,574],"a",{"href":573},"\u002Fguides\u002Fconvert-texas-abstract-to-coordinates","Convert Texas Abstract to GPS Coordinates"," — the same workflow handles Block & Section descriptions.",[14,577,578],{},[571,579,581],{"href":580},"\u002Ftexas","Try the Texas converter →",{"title":95,"searchDepth":583,"depth":583,"links":584},2,[585,586,587,588,592,597,598,599,600,601],{"id":37,"depth":583,"text":38},{"id":50,"depth":583,"text":51},{"id":98,"depth":583,"text":99},{"id":114,"depth":583,"text":115,"children":589},[590],{"id":276,"depth":591,"text":277},3,{"id":338,"depth":583,"text":339,"children":593},[594,595,596],{"id":345,"depth":591,"text":346},{"id":355,"depth":591,"text":356},{"id":362,"depth":591,"text":363},{"id":369,"depth":583,"text":370},{"id":415,"depth":583,"text":416},{"id":448,"depth":583,"text":449},{"id":477,"depth":583,"text":478},{"id":553,"depth":583,"text":554},"2026-05-22",{"label":604,"href":580},"Try the Texas converter","How the Block & Section convention works in West Texas — railroad land grants from the 1850s–1880s, the major surveys (T&P, H&TC, GC&SF), and how to read and disambiguate Block & Section references.",false,"md","i-lucide-grid-3x3",null,[611,612,613,614,615,616,617,618,619,620],"Texas block and section","railroad survey","T&P Survey","Texas and Pacific Railway","H&TC Survey","Houston and Texas Central","GC&SF Survey","Permian Basin land description","West Texas land grant","block number",{},true,"\u002Flearn\u002Ftxss\u002Fblocks-and-sections",[625,626,627,628],"\u002Flearn\u002Ftxss\u002Fhow-txss-works","\u002Flearn\u002Ftxss\u002Fabstracts","\u002Flearn\u002Ftxss\u002Fsurveys-and-leagues","\u002Flearn\u002Fstates\u002Ftexas","txss",{"title":5,"description":605},"learn\u002Ftxss\u002Fblocks-and-sections","gPXpbM0VRoJ7C9rhNPKh2qPkpcM0Uj5ZJEk9HuPJGjA",[634,1127,1642],{"id":635,"title":636,"body":637,"converterLink":580,"createdAt":602,"cta":1113,"description":1114,"draft":606,"extension":607,"icon":1115,"industry":609,"keywords":1116,"meridian":609,"meta":1122,"navigation":622,"path":626,"relatedPages":1123,"section":629,"seo":1124,"state":609,"stem":1125,"updatedAt":602,"__hash__":1126},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Ftxss\u002Fabstracts.md","Texas Abstracts — The County-Scoped Land ID",{"type":7,"value":638,"toc":1094},[639,642,653,656,660,663,710,713,717,720,755,762,766,769,843,846,850,853,857,860,864,867,871,874,878,881,887,890,894,897,901,907,914,918,921,927,930,934,937,941,944,975,979,985,1068,1071,1075,1078,1084,1090],[10,640,636],{"id":641},"texas-abstracts-the-county-scoped-land-id",[14,643,644,645,648,649,652],{},"The ",[18,646,647],{},"abstract number"," is the most common identifier in the Texas Survey System. Every original land grant in Texas — Spanish, Mexican, Republic-of-Texas, State of Texas, or railroad-era — was indexed by the Texas General Land Office (GLO) and assigned an abstract number unique within its county. When you see a description like ",[18,650,651],{},"A-123 Reeves County",", that is an abstract reference.",[14,654,655],{},"This article covers what an abstract is, how the numbering works, and what makes it different from the PLSS section system that most other US states use.",[35,657,659],{"id":658},"what-an-abstract-is","What an Abstract Is",[14,661,662],{},"An abstract is GLO's indexing record for a single original land grant. The abstract entry contains:",[56,664,665,670,676,682,688,693,699],{},[59,666,644,667,669],{},[18,668,647],{}," — a unique numeric ID within the county",[59,671,644,672,675],{},[18,673,674],{},"original grantee"," — the person, family, or company the grant was issued to",[59,677,644,678,681],{},[18,679,680],{},"survey name"," — usually the grantee's name plus \"Survey\" (e.g., John Smith Survey)",[59,683,644,684,687],{},[18,685,686],{},"patent date"," — when the original grant was finalized",[59,689,644,690,692],{},[18,691,473],{}," — the size of the original grant",[59,694,644,695,698],{},[18,696,697],{},"survey type"," — Spanish league, labor, railroad block, etc.",[59,700,701,702,705,706,709],{},"A reference to the ",[18,703,704],{},"field notes"," and ",[18,707,708],{},"survey plat"," stored in the GLO archives",[14,711,712],{},"The polygon for an abstract is defined by the field notes — the original surveyor's description of the grant's metes and bounds. Modern TXSS conversion resolves an abstract reference against GLO's digitized polygons for that county.",[35,714,716],{"id":715},"how-abstracts-are-numbered","How Abstracts Are Numbered",[14,718,719],{},"Each county maintains its own abstract number sequence:",[56,721,722,725,732,739],{},[59,723,724],{},"Abstract numbers start at 1 and run up to several thousand depending on the county",[59,726,727,728,731],{},"The numbers were assigned ",[18,729,730],{},"roughly in order of grant date",", but the system was indexed alphabetically by grantee in many counties, so the order is not strictly chronological",[59,733,734,735,738],{},"The number itself has no geographic meaning — ",[93,736,737],{},"A-1"," is not in any particular corner of the county",[59,740,741,744,745,748,749,751,752,754],{},[18,742,743],{},"The same number exists in many counties."," ",[93,746,747],{},"A-123"," in Reeves County is a different parcel than ",[93,750,747],{}," in Bowie County or ",[93,753,747],{}," in Bexar County",[14,756,757,758,761],{},"This last point is critical: ",[18,759,760],{},"abstract references are always county-scoped",". Omitting the county makes the reference ambiguous.",[35,763,765],{"id":764},"how-an-abstract-reference-looks","How an Abstract Reference Looks",[14,767,768],{},"You will see abstracts written in several forms, all equivalent:",[120,770,771,781],{},[123,772,773],{},[126,774,775,778],{},[129,776,777],{},"Format",[129,779,780],{},"Example",[139,782,783,793,803,813,823,833],{},[126,784,785,788],{},[144,786,787],{},"A-prefix, hyphenated",[144,789,790],{},[93,791,792],{},"A-123 Reeves County, TX",[126,794,795,798],{},[144,796,797],{},"A-prefix, no hyphen",[144,799,800],{},[93,801,802],{},"A 123 Reeves County",[126,804,805,808],{},[144,806,807],{},"Abstract spelled out",[144,809,810],{},[93,811,812],{},"Abstract 250, Bowie County",[126,814,815,818],{},[144,816,817],{},"Abbreviated as \"Abs.\"",[144,819,820],{},[93,821,822],{},"Abs. 89 Upton County, TX",[126,824,825,828],{},[144,826,827],{},"Abbreviated as \"Abst.\"",[144,829,830],{},[93,831,832],{},"Abst. 47 Pecos County",[126,834,835,838],{},[144,836,837],{},"Inside a deed description",[144,839,840],{},[93,841,842],{},"200 acres out of A-475, Midland County",[14,844,845],{},"Township America's parser accepts all of these. It is case-insensitive and tolerates extra punctuation.",[35,847,849],{"id":848},"where-abstract-descriptions-dominate","Where Abstract Descriptions Dominate",[14,851,852],{},"The abstract-only convention is the dominant TXSS shape in three regions:",[274,854,856],{"id":855},"east-texas-piney-woods","East Texas (Piney Woods)",[14,858,859],{},"Counties along the Louisiana and Arkansas borders — Bowie, Cass, Marion, Harrison, Panola, Shelby, San Augustine, Sabine — were settled early under Spanish, Mexican, and Republic-of-Texas grants. The grants were often small (a few hundred acres) and irregular, fitting the river-and-bayou terrain rather than a rectangular grid. Abstract-only is the natural reference because there are no railroad blocks or named regional surveys to anchor a Block & Section convention.",[274,861,863],{"id":862},"the-coastal-bend","The Coastal Bend",[14,865,866],{},"Counties like Aransas, Refugio, San Patricio, and Calhoun were settled under empresario contracts in the Mexican era — large grants made to colonizers who in turn subdivided and reassigned them. The resulting parcels are referenced by their GLO abstract numbers.",[274,868,870],{"id":869},"small-grant-counties-in-central-texas","Small-grant counties in Central Texas",[14,872,873],{},"Throughout Central Texas, you will find counties where the abstract-only convention predominates simply because the original grants were small and named for individual settlers, not railroads.",[35,875,877],{"id":876},"abstracts-in-title-work","Abstracts in Title Work",[14,879,880],{},"In a Texas county courthouse, real-property records are indexed by abstract number. A typical deed reads:",[86,882,885],{"className":883,"code":884,"language":91},[89],"All of that certain tract or parcel of land out of the W.B. Rogers Survey,\nAbstract No. 475, in Midland County, Texas, being more particularly\ndescribed as follows: [metes and bounds calls]\n",[93,886,884],{"__ignoreMap":95},[14,888,889],{},"The abstract reference identifies the broader survey polygon; the metes-and-bounds calls describe the specific parcel within it. Modern title work begins with the abstract reference (to find the GLO survey), then traces the conveyance chain through county deed records to identify the specific parcel.",[35,891,893],{"id":892},"abstracts-in-oil-and-gas","Abstracts in Oil and Gas",[14,895,896],{},"In Texas oil and gas work, abstract references appear in three places:",[274,898,900],{"id":899},"mineral-deeds-and-oil-and-gas-leases","Mineral deeds and oil and gas leases",[86,902,905],{"className":903,"code":904,"language":91},[89],"An undivided 1\u002F32 mineral interest in and under the SE\u002F4 of the\nSam Houston Survey, Abs. 321, Karnes County, Texas\n",[93,906,904],{"__ignoreMap":95},[14,908,909,910,913],{},"The abstract identifies the survey polygon; the SE\u002F4 is a ",[536,911,912],{},"colloquial"," quarter reference (south-east quarter of the named survey, not a PLSS quarter section). This is one of the few places quarter references appear in TXSS.",[274,915,917],{"id":916},"texas-railroad-commission-rrc-filings","Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) filings",[14,919,920],{},"RRC drilling permits and well headers use the abstract as the survey reference, with footage calls from survey lines:",[86,922,925],{"className":923,"code":924,"language":91},[89],"660 FNL, 660 FEL, T.J. Borden Survey, Abs. 89, Upton County, Texas\n",[93,926,924],{"__ignoreMap":95},[14,928,929],{},"\"660 feet from the north line, 660 feet from the east line\" of the abstract polygon — the Texas equivalent of a footage call on a PLSS section, but referenced from survey lines rather than section lines.",[274,931,933],{"id":932},"lease-databases","Lease databases",[14,935,936],{},"Most Texas operators key their lease and well data on (county_fips, abstract_no) tuples. The pair is the primary key for Texas land work the same way (section, township, range, meridian) is for PLSS.",[35,938,940],{"id":939},"how-to-resolve-an-abstract","How to Resolve an Abstract",[14,942,943],{},"If you have an abstract reference and need to find the polygon on the ground, you have three options:",[375,945,946,959,965],{},[59,947,948,951,952,958],{},[18,949,950],{},"GLO directly"," — The ",[571,953,957],{"href":954,"rel":955},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.glo.texas.gov",[956],"nofollow","Texas General Land Office"," maintains digital abstract maps for every county. You can look up an abstract by county and number.",[59,960,961,964],{},[18,962,963],{},"County appraisal district"," — Each county appraisal district publishes the abstracts within its jurisdiction. Some have interactive maps; others only PDFs.",[59,966,967,970,971,974],{},[18,968,969],{},"Township America"," — Paste the abstract reference into the ",[571,972,973],{"href":580},"converter"," and get the polygon, centroid, and acreage back. The resolver uses GLO data normalized across all 254 counties.",[35,976,978],{"id":977},"comparing-abstracts-to-plss-sections","Comparing Abstracts to PLSS Sections",[14,980,981,982,984],{},"For PLSS readers, the closest analog to an abstract is the ",[18,983,70],{}," — but the comparison is rough:",[120,986,987,1000],{},[123,988,989],{},[126,990,991,994,997],{},[129,992,993],{},"Property",[129,995,996],{},"PLSS Section",[129,998,999],{},"Texas Abstract",[139,1001,1002,1013,1024,1035,1046,1057],{},[126,1003,1004,1007,1010],{},[144,1005,1006],{},"Standard size",[144,1008,1009],{},"640 acres",[144,1011,1012],{},"Anywhere from a few acres to 50,000+",[126,1014,1015,1018,1021],{},[144,1016,1017],{},"Boundary shape",[144,1019,1020],{},"Square",[144,1022,1023],{},"Irregular polygon",[126,1025,1026,1029,1032],{},[144,1027,1028],{},"Boundary defined by",[144,1030,1031],{},"Grid measurements",[144,1033,1034],{},"Original surveyor's metes-and-bounds field notes",[126,1036,1037,1040,1043],{},[144,1038,1039],{},"Numbering",[144,1041,1042],{},"1–36 within each township",[144,1044,1045],{},"1–several thousand within each county",[126,1047,1048,1051,1054],{},[144,1049,1050],{},"Unique identifier",[144,1052,1053],{},"(Section, Township, Range, Meridian)",[144,1055,1056],{},"(Abstract, County)",[126,1058,1059,1062,1065],{},[144,1060,1061],{},"Subdivisions",[144,1063,1064],{},"Quarter, quarter-quarter",[144,1066,1067],{},"Generally irregular; colloquial halves and quarters appear in deeds",[14,1069,1070],{},"The biggest practical difference: a PLSS reader can sketch the layout of a township on a napkin (the serpentine 1–36 numbering is universal). Texas abstracts have no such universal layout — each county is its own diagram, and the abstracts inside it have no consistent geographic pattern.",[35,1072,1074],{"id":1073},"converting-an-abstract-to-gps","Converting an Abstract to GPS",[14,1076,1077],{},"Township America's converter accepts abstract references in any format:",[86,1079,1082],{"className":1080,"code":1081,"language":91},[89],"A-123 Reeves County, TX\nAbstract 250, Bowie County\nAbs 47 Pecos Co.\n",[93,1083,1081],{"__ignoreMap":95},[14,1085,1086,1087,1089],{},"The response includes centroid, polygon, acreage, county FIPS, and the canonical survey name. For batch workflows and API access, see ",[571,1088,574],{"href":573},".",[14,1091,1092],{},[571,1093,581],{"href":580},{"title":95,"searchDepth":583,"depth":583,"links":1095},[1096,1097,1098,1099,1104,1105,1110,1111,1112],{"id":658,"depth":583,"text":659},{"id":715,"depth":583,"text":716},{"id":764,"depth":583,"text":765},{"id":848,"depth":583,"text":849,"children":1100},[1101,1102,1103],{"id":855,"depth":591,"text":856},{"id":862,"depth":591,"text":863},{"id":869,"depth":591,"text":870},{"id":876,"depth":583,"text":877},{"id":892,"depth":583,"text":893,"children":1106},[1107,1108,1109],{"id":899,"depth":591,"text":900},{"id":916,"depth":591,"text":917},{"id":932,"depth":591,"text":933},{"id":939,"depth":583,"text":940},{"id":977,"depth":583,"text":978},{"id":1073,"depth":583,"text":1074},{"label":604,"href":580},"How abstract numbers work in the Texas Survey System — what an abstract is, where they came from, how they are numbered, and how they differ from PLSS section references.","i-lucide-list",[1117,647,1118,747,1119,1120,1121,957],"Texas abstract","GLO abstract","Texas land patent","county abstract","abstract index",{},[625,623,627,628],{"title":636,"description":1114},"learn\u002Ftxss\u002Fabstracts","jZX2bOud0d9JEJlOEUlu006rcMykH4_4ibQNIk7qKq8",{"id":1128,"title":1129,"body":1130,"converterLink":580,"createdAt":602,"cta":1625,"description":1627,"draft":606,"extension":607,"icon":1628,"industry":609,"keywords":1629,"meridian":609,"meta":1637,"navigation":622,"path":625,"relatedPages":1638,"section":629,"seo":1639,"state":609,"stem":1640,"updatedAt":602,"__hash__":1641},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Ftxss\u002Fhow-txss-works.md","How the Texas Survey System Works",{"type":7,"value":1131,"toc":1610},[1132,1135,1150,1163,1166,1170,1173,1210,1213,1217,1220,1224,1230,1240,1246,1250,1256,1271,1277,1281,1287,1299,1305,1309,1312,1318,1324,1328,1335,1402,1405,1409,1412,1480,1483,1487,1493,1519,1525,1529,1537,1542,1549,1553,1560,1583,1590,1594,1597,1605],[10,1133,1129],{"id":1134},"how-the-texas-survey-system-works",[14,1136,644,1137,1140,1141,1145,1146,1149],{},[18,1138,1139],{},"Texas Survey System (TXSS)"," is the framework used to describe and identify land in the state of Texas. Unlike the 30 states that fall under the federal ",[571,1142,1144],{"href":1143},"\u002Flearn\u002Fplss\u002Fhow-plss-works","Public Land Survey System (PLSS)",", Texas runs its own land system — administered by the ",[18,1147,1148],{},"Texas General Land Office (GLO)"," in Austin, on a foundation of Spanish, Mexican, Republic-of-Texas, and railroad-era surveys that predate US statehood.",[14,1151,1152,1153,1155,1156,1159,1160,1089],{},"If you work with land in Texas — landmen in the Permian Basin, title agents in East Texas, surveyors and GIS analysts anywhere from the Panhandle to the Rio Grande Valley — you encounter TXSS descriptions daily. They look nothing like PLSS notation. There is no Township 4 North, no Range 5 East, no Section 12. Instead you see references like ",[18,1154,651],{},", ",[18,1157,1158],{},"Block 5, Sec 14, T&P Survey",", or ",[18,1161,1162],{},"John Smith Survey, Bexar County",[14,1164,1165],{},"This guide explains the history that produced TXSS, how the three description shapes work, and where the system applies.",[35,1167,1169],{"id":1168},"a-brief-history-why-texas-is-different","A Brief History: Why Texas Is Different",[14,1171,1172],{},"Every other US state west of the Appalachians uses PLSS. The reason Texas does not is historical:",[56,1174,1175,1188,1194,1204],{},[59,1176,1177,1180,1181,705,1184,1187],{},[18,1178,1179],{},"Before 1836"," — Texas was part of New Spain (until 1821), then Mexico. Spanish and Mexican authorities granted land in ",[18,1182,1183],{},"leagues",[18,1185,1186],{},"labors",", named after the original grantee.",[59,1189,1190,1193],{},[18,1191,1192],{},"1836–1845"," — The Republic of Texas was an independent country. It surveyed and granted its own public land through its own General Land Office.",[59,1195,1196,1199,1200,1203],{},[18,1197,1198],{},"December 29, 1845"," — Texas joined the United States — but under unique terms. ",[18,1201,1202],{},"Texas kept ownership of its remaining public lands"," instead of ceding them to the federal government.",[59,1205,1206,1209],{},[18,1207,1208],{},"Result"," — When the rest of the US was being surveyed under PLSS during the 19th century, Texas was issuing its own land patents through its own GLO using surveys done by Spanish, Mexican, Republic, State, and railroad surveyors.",[14,1211,1212],{},"Modern Texas land descriptions still trace back to those original surveys. The system is interpretive rather than uniform: each grant defines its own polygon, with boundaries set by the original surveyor's field notes, not by a regular grid.",[35,1214,1216],{"id":1215},"the-three-shapes-of-a-txss-description","The Three Shapes of a TXSS Description",[14,1218,1219],{},"A Texas legal description shows up in one of three shapes depending on the region and the era of the original grant.",[274,1221,1223],{"id":1222},"_1-abstract-only","1. Abstract-only",[86,1225,1228],{"className":1226,"code":1227,"language":91},[89],"A-123 Reeves County, TX\nAbstract 250, Bowie County\n",[93,1229,1227],{"__ignoreMap":95},[14,1231,644,1232,1234,1235,748,1237,1239],{},[18,1233,647],{}," is a unique identifier the Texas GLO assigned to each original land grant within a county. Counties number their abstracts independently, so ",[93,1236,747],{},[93,1238,747],{}," in Bowie County.",[14,1241,1242,1243,1089],{},"Where it's used: East Texas (Piney Woods), the Coastal Bend, and counties where original grants were small and irregular. For a deep dive, see ",[571,1244,1245],{"href":626},"Texas Abstracts",[274,1247,1249],{"id":1248},"_2-block-section","2. Block & Section",[86,1251,1254],{"className":1252,"code":1253,"language":91},[89],"Block 5, Sec 14, T&P Survey, Reeves County\nBlk 13 Sec 9 H&TC Survey, Loving County\n",[93,1255,1253],{"__ignoreMap":95},[14,1257,1258,1259,1262,1263,1266,1267,1270],{},"In ",[18,1260,1261],{},"West Texas"," — the Permian Basin, the Trans-Pecos, and the Panhandle — railroads received massive land grants in the late 1800s and surveyed them into ",[18,1264,1265],{},"blocks"," containing numbered ",[18,1268,1269],{},"sections",". The block-and-section grid resembles PLSS visually, but each block belongs to a specific railroad survey (T&P, H&TC, GC&SF, etc.) rather than a principal meridian.",[14,1272,1273,1274,1089],{},"Where it's used: Permian Basin oil and gas country, the Trans-Pecos, the Panhandle, and North Texas railroad-grant counties. For the railroad survey reference, see ",[571,1275,1276],{"href":623},"Blocks and Sections",[274,1278,1280],{"id":1279},"_3-survey-name","3. Survey-name",[86,1282,1285],{"className":1283,"code":1284,"language":91},[89],"John Smith Survey, Bexar County\nW. H. Jenkins Survey, Karnes County\n",[93,1286,1284],{"__ignoreMap":95},[14,1288,1258,1289,1292,1293,1295,1296,1298],{},[18,1290,1291],{},"South Texas"," and parts of Central Texas, many descriptions reference the survey by the name of the person it was originally granted to. These are often ",[18,1294,1183],{}," (~4,428.4 acres) or ",[18,1297,1186],{}," (~177.1 acres) — units inherited from the Spanish colonial era.",[14,1300,1301,1302,1089],{},"Where it's used: South Texas, the Rio Grande Valley, the Coastal Bend, and counties along the historic Camino Real. For the colonial-era context, see ",[571,1303,1304],{"href":627},"Surveys, Leagues, and Labors",[35,1306,1308],{"id":1307},"the-txss-hierarchy","The TXSS Hierarchy",[14,1310,1311],{},"Unlike the PLSS hierarchy (meridian → township → section → quarter → quarter-quarter), TXSS is flatter and varies by region:",[86,1313,1316],{"className":1314,"code":1315,"language":91},[89],"TEXAS GENERAL LAND OFFICE\n         │\n         ▼\n┌─────────────────────────┐\n│         COUNTY          │  (Texas has 254 — more than any other state)\n│                         │\n│  ┌────────────────────┐ │\n│  │   ABSTRACT  or     │ │\n│  │   SURVEY  or       │ │  (Whichever applies to that region)\n│  │   BLOCK + SECTION  │ │\n│  │                    │ │\n│  │  ┌──────────────┐  │ │\n│  │  │  (irregular  │  │ │\n│  │  │   parcels —  │  │ │  (Lots, tracts, easements live below\n│  │  │   not        │  │ │   the survey level; not in TXSS itself)\n│  │  │   standard)  │  │ │\n│  │  └──────────────┘  │ │\n│  └────────────────────┘ │\n└─────────────────────────┘\n",[93,1317,1315],{"__ignoreMap":95},[14,1319,80,1320,1323],{},[18,1321,1322],{},"acreage is not standardized",". A PLSS section is always 640 acres. A Texas parcel can be anywhere from a few acres (small East Texas grant) to tens of thousands (Panhandle ranch grant). Each abstract has its own polygon, and acreage is computed from that polygon — not inferred from the description shape.",[35,1325,1327],{"id":1326},"the-four-rrc-regions","The Four RRC Regions",[14,1329,1330,1331,1334],{},"Texas is divided into four regions by the ",[18,1332,1333],{},"Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC)",", which regulates oil and gas in the state. Each region tends to favor a different TXSS convention, which helps when you are trying to parse an unfamiliar description:",[120,1336,1337,1350],{},[123,1338,1339],{},[126,1340,1341,1344,1347],{},[129,1342,1343],{},"Region",[129,1345,1346],{},"Common Convention",[129,1348,1349],{},"Example Description",[139,1351,1352,1364,1377,1389],{},[126,1353,1354,1357,1359],{},[144,1355,1356],{},"West (Permian, Trans-Pecos)",[144,1358,29],{},[144,1360,1361],{},[93,1362,1363],{},"Block 5, T&P RR Co. Survey, Sec 14, Reeves County",[126,1365,1366,1369,1372],{},[144,1367,1368],{},"North (Panhandle, Red River)",[144,1370,1371],{},"Mixed Block \u002F Abstract",[144,1373,1374],{},[93,1375,1376],{},"A-101 Dallam County, TX",[126,1378,1379,1382,1385],{},[144,1380,1381],{},"South (Coastal Bend, RGV)",[144,1383,1384],{},"Survey-name (leagues \u002F labors)",[144,1386,1387],{},[93,1388,1162],{},[126,1390,1391,1394,1397],{},[144,1392,1393],{},"East (Piney Woods)",[144,1395,1396],{},"Abstract-only",[144,1398,1399],{},[93,1400,1401],{},"Abstract 250, Bowie County, TX",[14,1403,1404],{},"These are tendencies, not rules. A single county can use multiple conventions — Reeves County, for example, uses Block & Section for the T&P railroad lands and Abstract-only for smaller grants.",[35,1406,1408],{"id":1407},"how-txss-differs-from-plss","How TXSS Differs from PLSS",[14,1410,1411],{},"For PLSS users coming over to Texas, the conceptual map looks like this:",[120,1413,1414,1424],{},[123,1415,1416],{},[126,1417,1418,1421],{},[129,1419,1420],{},"PLSS Concept",[129,1422,1423],{},"TXSS Equivalent",[139,1425,1426,1434,1442,1457,1465,1472],{},[126,1427,1428,1431],{},[144,1429,1430],{},"Principal Meridian",[144,1432,1433],{},"(none) — Texas doesn't use meridians",[126,1435,1436,1439],{},[144,1437,1438],{},"Township (6×6 miles)",[144,1440,1441],{},"(none) — Texas doesn't use townships",[126,1443,1444,1447],{},[144,1445,1446],{},"Section (1 sq mi)",[144,1448,1449,1450,1453,1454,1456],{},"Block + Section number, ",[18,1451,1452],{},"or"," Abstract, ",[18,1455,1452],{}," Survey name",[126,1458,1459,1462],{},[144,1460,1461],{},"Quarter Section",[144,1463,1464],{},"(not standard) — Texas parcels are often irregular",[126,1466,1467,1469],{},[144,1468,381],{},[144,1470,1471],{},"County (Texas has 254 counties — more than any other state)",[126,1473,1474,1477],{},[144,1475,1476],{},"Acreage",[144,1478,1479],{},"Varies — TXSS parcels are not standardized",[14,1481,1482],{},"A PLSS section is always 640 acres (give or take correction). A Texas abstract or survey can be anywhere from a few acres to tens of thousands, depending on the original grant.",[35,1484,1486],{"id":1485},"the-texas-general-land-office-glo","The Texas General Land Office (GLO)",[14,1488,644,1489,1492],{},[571,1490,957],{"href":954,"rel":1491},[956]," is the official custodian of Texas land records. It is the oldest state agency in Texas, predating statehood, and maintains:",[56,1494,1495,1501,1507,1513],{},[59,1496,1497,1500],{},[18,1498,1499],{},"Original survey plats"," — Hand-drawn maps from the 1830s through today",[59,1502,1503,1506],{},[18,1504,1505],{},"Field notes"," — The surveyors' notes describing terrain, boundaries, and grant details",[59,1508,1509,1512],{},[18,1510,1511],{},"Patent files"," — Original land grant documents (Spanish, Mexican, Republic, State)",[59,1514,1515,1518],{},[18,1516,1517],{},"County abstract maps"," — Modern compilations of all abstracts in each Texas county",[14,1520,1521,1522,1524],{},"Every TXSS legal description ultimately traces back to a GLO record. When Township America's resolver answers a query like ",[93,1523,651],{},", it is matching that abstract number against the GLO polygon for Reeves County.",[35,1526,1528],{"id":1527},"the-texas-railroad-commission-rrc","The Texas Railroad Commission (RRC)",[14,1530,644,1531,1536],{},[571,1532,1535],{"href":1533,"rel":1534},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.rrc.texas.gov",[956],"Texas Railroad Commission"," regulates oil and gas drilling, production, and surface operations in Texas. Although the agency's name suggests railroads, today its primary job is oil and gas. RRC filings — drilling permits, well headers, production reports — reference TXSS descriptions to locate the operations:",[86,1538,1540],{"className":1539,"code":924,"language":91},[89],[93,1541,924],{"__ignoreMap":95},[14,1543,1544,1545,1548],{},"This means ",[18,1546,1547],{},"660 feet from the north line, 660 feet from the east line"," of the named survey — Texas's equivalent of a footage call on a PLSS section, but referenced from survey lines rather than section lines.",[35,1550,1552],{"id":1551},"where-plss-appears-in-texas-work","Where PLSS Appears in Texas Work",[14,1554,1555,1556,1559],{},"Even though TXSS governs most Texas land, ",[18,1557,1558],{},"PLSS descriptions appear in three specific contexts"," that professionals encounter regularly:",[375,1561,1562,1571,1577],{},[59,1563,1564,1567,1568,1089],{},[18,1565,1566],{},"Federal land in West Texas"," — Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and US Forest Service parcels in the Trans-Pecos and Davis Mountains region carry PLSS descriptions under the ",[18,1569,1570],{},"New Mexico Principal Meridian",[59,1572,1573,1576],{},[18,1574,1575],{},"Cross-state Permian Basin operations"," — The New Mexico side of the Delaware Basin uses PLSS; the Texas side uses TXSS. Operators work both systems simultaneously.",[59,1578,1579,1582],{},[18,1580,1581],{},"Panhandle border references"," — The Oklahoma Panhandle, immediately north of the Texas Panhandle, uses the Cimarron Meridian. Royalty interests and surface agreements that span the state line carry both descriptions.",[14,1584,1585,1586,1589],{},"For PLSS work in any of those contexts, see the ",[571,1587,1588],{"href":1143},"PLSS System"," explainer.",[35,1591,1593],{"id":1592},"converting-txss-descriptions","Converting TXSS Descriptions",[14,1595,1596],{},"Township America's converter accepts every TXSS shape transparently — no Texas mode, no separate workflow. You can paste an Abstract, a Block & Section, or a Survey-name description into the same search box as a PLSS description and get a centroid, polygon, and acreage back.",[14,1598,644,1599,1602,1603,1089],{},[571,1600,1601],{"href":580},"Texas converter hub"," provides a county-by-county directory of all 254 Texas counties. For practical conversion examples, see ",[571,1604,574],{"href":573},[14,1606,1607],{},[571,1608,1609],{"href":580},"Open the Texas converter hub →",{"title":95,"searchDepth":583,"depth":583,"links":1611},[1612,1613,1618,1619,1620,1621,1622,1623,1624],{"id":1168,"depth":583,"text":1169},{"id":1215,"depth":583,"text":1216,"children":1614},[1615,1616,1617],{"id":1222,"depth":591,"text":1223},{"id":1248,"depth":591,"text":1249},{"id":1279,"depth":591,"text":1280},{"id":1307,"depth":583,"text":1308},{"id":1326,"depth":583,"text":1327},{"id":1407,"depth":583,"text":1408},{"id":1485,"depth":583,"text":1486},{"id":1527,"depth":583,"text":1528},{"id":1551,"depth":583,"text":1552},{"id":1592,"depth":583,"text":1593},{"label":1626,"href":580},"Open the Texas converter hub","A complete guide to the Texas Survey System (TXSS) — how Texas describes land using Abstract numbers, Block & Section grids, and Survey-name descriptions instead of the federal PLSS, and why.","i-lucide-hash",[1630,1631,1117,1632,1633,957,1634,1635,1636,680],"Texas Survey System","TXSS","Original Texas Land Survey","OTLS","GLO","Texas land description","block and section",{},[626,623,627,628],{"title":1129,"description":1627},"learn\u002Ftxss\u002Fhow-txss-works","xCs2yuT4XBlblWHfcPoFNym4i1n44BqHnJIVt-c-efc",{"id":1643,"title":1644,"body":1645,"converterLink":609,"createdAt":602,"cta":609,"description":1649,"draft":606,"extension":607,"icon":609,"industry":609,"keywords":609,"meridian":609,"meta":1650,"navigation":622,"path":1651,"relatedPages":609,"section":629,"seo":1652,"state":609,"stem":1653,"updatedAt":602,"__hash__":1654},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Ftxss\u002Findex.md","The Texas Survey System",{"type":7,"value":1646,"toc":1647},[],{"title":95,"searchDepth":583,"depth":583,"links":1648},[],"Deep-dive explainers on how the Texas Survey System (TXSS) works: abstracts, blocks, sections, railroad surveys, and Spanish\u002FMexican leagues across all 254 Texas counties.",{},"\u002Flearn\u002Ftxss",{"title":1644,"description":1649},"learn\u002Ftxss\u002Findex","escX8NRaMbLbt5RzRLvpaa3Bwmbl99ixzZMlHGt0OfE"]