Guide meridians and standard parallels form quadrangles. The largest grid comprises of two types of lines, principal meridians, and baselines. We know that there are 640 acres in one section, and we are taking a 1/4 of a 1/2 section. Furthermore, how well individual surveying parties actually met the requirements or recommendations at the time, also varied. Actual Notice in Real Estate: Types & Examples | What is Actual Notice? Because the rectangular or government survey system was instituted when the United States was a new country, it was used to describe most of the land west of the original 13 colonies, so most of you are likely to see some questions about this system. He teaches pre-licensing and continuing education courses for salespeople, brokers, and appraisers. [/caption]\r\n\r\nEach section of 640 acres can be divided into halves and quarters called, get this, half sections and quarter sections. Government Survey System or Public Land Survey System functions just like a mailing label on an envelope. The range lines run north and south parallel to the principal meridians. All township locations are defined by referencing how from they are from the principal meridian and baseline. The federal government developed the rectangular survey system, or government survey method, to simplify and standardize property descriptions as a replacement for the cumbersome and often inaccurate metes and bounds method. Constructive Notice in Real Estate Overview & Law | What is Constructive Notice? All rights reserved. The grid is further divided by lines that run parallel to and between the principal meridian lines, called range lines, and lines that run parallel to and between the baselines, called township lines. You got it: Tic tac toe. As the United States grew from its original 13 colonies, a system was needed to identify who owned what land. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. The states that use the rectangular survey system are:Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Alabama, and Florida. Think about two more lines running up and down the page on top of the first two lines, also about an inch apart. Whenever properties have irregular boundaries, the land may be further described using one of the two other systems described in this section. The first sets of lines respectively are called principal meridians, which run north and south, and baselines, which run east and west. You have 80 acres in that plot of land, and that is your answer. Each township is further divided into 36 sections of one square mile each, or 640 acres, by horizontal and vertical section lines. The township is the basic unit of measurement in the rectangular survey system. The numbering continues directly beneath the sixth section, except that it progresses from left to right on the second tier. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Those quadrangles are divided into smaller squares called townships. The strips of land they form are known as township tiers. The numbering continues directly beneath the sixth section, except that it progresses from left to right on the second tier. Land is designated as either a base line (East-West) or principal meridian line (North-South). There may also be questions about how much land is in a specific plot or section. Water & Littoral Rights Concept & Purpose | What are Water Rights? That could be further divided into quarters, such as the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 18 of a township would be 40 acres. Principal meridians run perpendicular to the earths equator, north to south. The squares created by range and township lines are known as townships and are identified by their location from the baseline and principal meridian lines. This system, sometimes called the Public Land Survey System, was created in 1785 to plat or divide real property into squares and rectangles for sale and settling. ( the major vertical line) -37 in the U.S. Base Line The horizontal line ( the major one) Ranges The rectangular survey describes property location as fractions of sections, which are part of townships, and provide distance measurements from principal meridians, base lines and range lines. These range lines form ranges. The townships are consecutively numbered by their location within the intersection of multiple range lines and township lines. The system was further modified to facilitate the transfer of large quantities of government-owned western lands to . Dummies has always stood for taking on complex concepts and making them easy to understand. Sections can be divided in several ways, but basically for purposes of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), they are divided in quarter sections.\r\n \t
Each township is further divided into 36 sections of one square mile each, or 640 acres, by horizontal and vertical section lines. The rectangular survey system was developed in an effort to try and describe all of the land in our country. The rectangular survey system is the method of forming specific plots, used commonly in the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) in America. Running east to west every six miles between the baselines are the township lines. In reality, because of this earth curvature issue, many sections and townships vary from their exact area measurements. The guide meridians occur every 24 miles east and west of the principal meridian. Sections also are numbered consecutively. Since the earth is not flat like a checkerboard, there needed to be some adjustments made along the way to make sure everything worked out. There is more than one type of legal description you must know for your exam. In the entire nation, there are only 36 principal meridians. The area includes sections (1 mile on each side), townships (6 miles on each side), and quadrangles (24 miles on each side). The three legal real estate land descriptions are important information that all real estate agents and brokers must understand to pass their real estate exam and receive their license. For example, a piece of property that is located one township north of a baseline and two townships east of the fifth principal meridian in the state of Missouri would be identified as Missouri, Fifth Principal Meridian, Township 1 North, Range 2 East. Range lines run parallel to the principal meridian and determine how far east and west the township is of that meridian.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'realestatelicensewizard_com-banner-1','ezslot_5',689,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-realestatelicensewizard_com-banner-1-0'); All township locations are defined by referencing how from they are from the principal meridian and baseline. After six years of aircrew service in the Air Force, he earned his MBA from the University of Phoenix following a BS from the University of Maryland. There are two separate and distinct systems of land surveys in the United States: System of metes and bounds in which each parcel of land is . These range lines form ranges. Correction lines occur at every fourth township line or every 24 miles north and south of the baseline. Note that the more detailed legal descriptions usually begin with the smallest area and work to the largest. Metes and bounds were used as the primary survey method before 1785 and were fairly inaccurate, especially before GPS technology. It is also known as the rectangular survey system and geodetic survey system. Putting the above description into words is half of a quarter section. Also known as the Rectangular Survey System, it was created by the Land Ordinance of 1785 to survey land ceded to the United States by the Treaty of Paris in 1783, following the end of the American Revolution. It uses the 37 principal meridian lines that run north to south across the U.S. and baselines that run east to west. Of course. An area bounded on two sides by guide meridians and on the other two sides by correction lines is called a government check, check, or quadrangle, which is 24 miles square, meaning each of its boundaries is 24 miles long. Range lines are equally located six miles apart, and the columns of land they create are known as ranges. The Base Line in United States Rectangular Survey System meets its principal meridian at the point of origin, or initial point, for the survey of the land. Section 1 within any township is always located at the upper right or northeast corner of the township. Where the two range lines and two township lines intersect, they form a township. The survey system essentially functions the same way. -also known as the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), because it was originally, used to survey federally owned blocks of land-is regulated by the, The rectangular government survey system is used in 30 western and southern states. Before the Rectangular Survey System was established, the Metes and Bounds survey was the only way of identifying who owned what land. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); Sign up for the newsletter to get exclusive real estate exam tips that I don't share anywhere else. The lines are spaced 24 miles apart, creating squares that are around 576 square miles. A government check represents an area that measures 576 square miles. So how does the system describe land? A government check represents an area that measures 576 square miles.\r\n\r\nRemember that although these correction lines and guide meridians are the way the government deals with the issue of the earths curvature, it isnt the way the government survey system describes land. (The figure below shows a variety of divisions in a quarter section.). You may even see a question or two about the numbering system used for sections. As we mentioned earlier, two primary survey methods are used in the United States, the Metes and Bounds System, and the Rectangular Survey System. You may be asked to identify sections in the Rectangular Survey System, so remember the order from specific to general. After the Revolutionary War ended, the United States Government needed a way to describe lands in the West to insure locating and selling. You may be asked to identify sections in the Rectangular Survey System, so remember the order from specific to general. For example, you would say it is in township 3 north, range 5 east to identify a property. The grid creates six-mile square townships that can then be further divided into 36 sections of one square mile each. Doing the math, its 1/2 1/4 640 = 80 acres.
\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_274746\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"] A quarter section can be split into smaller parts. You can think of this system as a gigantic checkerboard, as it has a bunch of intersecting lines that form squares into a grid. The Rectangular Survey System was established in 1785 to identify, divide, and measure land, creating boundary lines for property owners. Remember, a township is 6 miles by 6 miles. He decided to install sewer and underground electric for the entire subdivision, because he thinks that he will easily recoup his initial infrastructure investment. The townships are consecutively numbered by their location within the intersection of multiple range lines and township lines. 276 lessons One section is 1 mile or 640 square acres, so it still covers a large piece of land and must be divided again.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'realestatelicensewizard_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_4',690,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-realestatelicensewizard_com-large-leaderboard-2-0'); Sections are further broken down into half and quarter sections repeatedly until you identify the exact location of a property. They are the starting points for describing a propertys boundaries. \"https://sb\" : \"http://b\") + \".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\";el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el);})();The SW 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of Section 6, Township 4 South, Range 5, East of the Third Principal Meridian. It is considered as one of the most significant subdividing of the United States mainland. The range and township lines create a 36-square-mile area called a township. )\r\nThe description probably would include the state and county in which the property is located and use abbreviations. [/caption]\r\n
Each half or quarter section can be further subdivided into halves and quarters. This system is also needed to divide all of the lands in the public domain which is possessed by the US federal government to benefit the American citizens. Specific directional references are needed in the actual description to locate a particular piece of property, but for finding out how large a particular piece of property is, only the fractions matter. The implementation of the system begins with the identification of the reference lines: the east-west line called the Base Line and the north-south line is also known for the name principal meridian. The Public Land Survey System (PLSS) is the surveying method developed and used in the United States to plat, or divide, real property for sale and settling.Also known as the Rectangular Survey System, it was created by the Land Ordinance of 1785.. This system created a checkerboard of identical squares using longitude lines and latitude lines . The following is a list of the more commonly required landscape and surveying items that were either required or requested be noted, over much of the nineteenth century. I feel like its a lifeline. Annexation in Real Estate: Method & Laws | What is Annexation? In other words, after section number 6, it drops down to 7 on the next tier then goes left to right to number 12. The township is the basic unit of measurement in the rectangular survey system. Principal meridians, baselines, and where they intersect (cross each other) are used as the basis for formulating property descriptions in this system.