--- title: "PLSS States, Which States Use the Township and Range System? | Township America" description: "The Public Land Survey System covers 30 US states. Find your state, learn which principal meridian applies, and convert PLSS land descriptions to GPS coordinates." url: https://townshipamerica.com/states --- 30 States 37 Principal Meridians # PLSS States, Which States Use the Township and Range System? The Public Land Survey System covers 30 US states, stretching from Ohio in the east to Alaska in the far west. Each state uses one or more principal meridians as the anchor for its grid of townships, ranges, and sections. Select any state below to open its PLSS converter, or read on to understand why some states use township and range while others rely on [ metes and bounds ](/glossary/metes-and-bounds). ## Why 30 States and Not All 50? Congress passed the Land Ordinance of 1785 to create a systematic method for surveying and selling the vast western territories the young nation had acquired. The result was the [ Public Land Survey System ](/glossary/plss) , a rectangular grid anchored by [ principal meridians ](/glossary/principal-meridian) and baselines, dividing the land into 6-mile townships, 1-mile sections, and 160-acre quarter sections. The original 13 colonies, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia, already had decades of established land records written in metes and bounds. Switching systems was neither practical nor necessary; those states simply kept what they had. Two other notable exceptions: Texas entered the Union having already surveyed its own land under its own system during its years as an independent republic, so it never ceded its public lands to the federal government. Hawaii, admitted in 1959, was never part of the federal public domain and retains its own land description conventions rooted in its pre-statehood history. ## All 30 PLSS States ### Western States [AKAlaskaCopper River / Fairbanks / Seward / Umiat / Kateel River Open converter ](/alaska-plss-converter)[AZArizonaGila and Salt River Open converter ](/arizona-plss-converter)[CACaliforniaHumboldt / Mount Diablo / San Bernardino Open converter ](/california-plss-converter)[COColoradoSixth Principal / New Mexico / Ute Open converter ](/colorado-plss-converter)[IDIdahoBoise Open converter ](/idaho-plss-converter)[MTMontanaMontana (Principal Meridian) Open converter ](/montana-plss-converter)[NVNevadaMount Diablo Open converter ](/nevada-plss-converter)[NMNew MexicoNew Mexico Open converter ](/new-mexico-plss-converter)[OROregonWillamette Open converter ](/oregon-plss-converter)[UTUtahSalt Lake / Uintah Open converter ](/utah-plss-converter)[WAWashingtonWillamette Open converter ](/washington-plss-converter)[WYWyomingSixth Principal / Wind River Open converter ](/wyoming-plss-converter) ### Midwestern States [ILIllinoisSecond / Third / Fourth Principal Open converter ](/illinois-plss-converter)[INIndianaFirst / Second Principal Open converter ](/indiana-plss-converter)[IAIowaFifth Principal Open converter ](/iowa-plss-converter)[MIMichiganMichigan Open converter ](/michigan-plss-converter)[MNMinnesotaFourth / Fifth Principal Open converter ](/minnesota-plss-converter)[MOMissouriFifth Principal Open converter ](/missouri-plss-converter)[OHOhioFirst Principal Open converter ](/ohio-plss-converter)[WIWisconsinFourth Principal Open converter ](/wisconsin-plss-converter) ### Plains States [KSKansasSixth Principal Open converter ](/kansas-plss-converter)[NENebraskaSixth Principal Open converter ](/nebraska-plss-converter)[NDNorth DakotaFifth Principal Open converter ](/north-dakota-plss-converter)[OKOklahomaCimarron / Indian Open converter ](/oklahoma-plss-converter)[SDSouth DakotaFifth Principal / Sixth Principal / Black Hills Open converter ](/south-dakota-plss-converter) ### Southern States [ALAlabamaHuntsville / St. Stephens Open converter ](/alabama-plss-converter)[ARArkansasFifth Principal Open converter ](/arkansas-plss-converter)[FLFloridaTallahassee Open converter ](/florida-plss-converter)[LALouisianaLouisiana / St. Helena Open converter ](/louisiana-plss-converter)[MSMississippiChoctaw / Huntsville / St. Stephens / Washington / Chickasaw Open converter ](/mississippi-plss-converter) ## The 20 Non-PLSS States The following 20 states describe land using [ metes and bounds ](/glossary/metes-and-bounds) rather than township and range. Boundaries in these states are defined by physical features (trees, streams, stone walls), compass bearings, and measured distances, a system inherited from English common law that predates American independence. Metes and bounds descriptions can be verbose and ambiguous compared to the precision of a PLSS legal description, but they remain the legal standard in these states and are still written into deeds and recorded with county clerks today. ConnecticutDelawareGeorgiaHawaiiKentuckyMaineMarylandMassachusettsNew HampshireNew JerseyNew YorkNorth CarolinaPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaTennesseeTexasVermontVirginiaWest Virginia Township America supports metes and bounds conversion as well as PLSS township and range. Paste any US land description, regardless of state, into the [ converter ](/plss-converter) and receive GPS coordinates in return. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Which states use the Public Land Survey System (PLSS)? 30 states use the PLSS: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. ### Why don't all states use the PLSS? The PLSS was created by the Land Ordinance of 1785 to survey western territories acquired after independence. The original 13 colonies already had established land descriptions using the older metes and bounds system. Texas retained its own survey system from its days as an independent republic. Hawaii was never part of the federal public domain and uses its own land description conventions. ### What system do non-PLSS states use? Non-PLSS states primarily use metes and bounds, an older system that describes land boundaries using physical features, compass directions, and distances. This system was inherited from English common law and remains in use across the original 13 colonies and a handful of other states. ### Can Township America convert non-PLSS land descriptions? Yes. Township America supports metes and bounds descriptions in addition to PLSS township and range. You can paste descriptions from any US state and receive GPS coordinates in return. ## Convert any PLSS description to GPS coordinates Township, range, and section, paste any legal description and get coordinates instantly. [ Open Converter ](/plss-converter)