Easement Appurtenant Features & Examples | What is an Easement in Real Estate? The Public Land Survey System is the surveying method developed and used in the United States to plat, or divide, real property for sale and settling. The Surveyor General was later merged with the General Land Office, which later became a part of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management . These smaller parcels are identified by their directional location within the section. Because of the curvature of the earth, correction lines and guide meridians are used to compensate. That means it is 3 townships north of the baseline and 5 townships east of the principal meridian. 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. The Rectangular Survey System, also known as the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) or the Government Survey System, is a way of measuring and establishing boundary lines for large areas of land. PDF Government Rectangular Survey System (GRSM) The first sets of lines respectively are called principal meridians, which run north and south, and baselines, which run east and west. Longitude and latitude are imaginary lines that divide the earth through the north and south poles (longitude) and run parallel with the equator (latitude). For example, how many acres are there if you take the North East of the South 1/2 of section 3 in township 8 North and range 5 west? Figuring out the size of a piece of property, which sometimes is called a parcel, is simple, if you keep in mind that youre always dealing with a section of 640 acres. Metes and bounds were used as the primary survey method before 1785 and were fairly inaccurate, especially before GPS technology. Townships have an area of 36 square miles, more or less, and are each further divided into 36 sections.\r\n \t
  • Sections: The divisions of a township, sections, are one mile square and have an area of one square mile, or 640 acres. School University of Minnesota, Duluth; Course Title MARKETING MISC; Uploaded By MajorTarsierMaster692. The area includes sections (1 mile on each side), townships (6 miles on each side), and quadrangles (24 miles on each side). It is extended north from the Base Line and runs at 24 miles east and west from the principal meridian. Were not done yet. The government survey system is known by a few different names. Township locations are identified by tier or township lines and ranges. The largest grid comprises of two types of lines, principal meridians, and baselines. But the final plan included subdivision of the lands into townships, then into sections and further into aliquot parts. Townships are subdivided into 36 one-mile- square sections. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. A system of fractional sections and government lots are parts of standard practice to account for these discrepancies. 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 section in the uppermost northeast corner of a township is section 1. (This description refers to a 10-acre parcel of land. The range lines run north and south parallel to the principal meridians. 6 b/c each township is divided in 36 sections, each section is 1 sq mile; 36/6 = 6 in each row. It was originally proposed by President Thomas Jefferson and is sometimes referred to as the Public Land Survey System (PLSS). Guide meridians run north to south, parallel with principal meridians. Each one square mile section is 640 acres. The numbering continues in this manner like a snake, until ending in the far southeast corner with section 36. | 16 We know that there are 640 acres in one section, and we are taking a 1/4 of a 1/2 section. The Rectangular Survey System is a means of dividing and measuring large areas of land. As mentioned above, basically you can think of the US as a huge checkerboard, with vertical and horizontal lines splitting it up. Townships are then broken down into sections, which are 36 blocks, each being 1 square mile. Then the numbering drops down to 13 and goes right to left again and so forth:

    \r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_274749\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"532\"]\"townships\" Townships are divided into 36 sections numbered consecutively. It was originally proposed by U.S. President Thomas Jefferson as a means of keeping track of the ever-expanding land area of the United States. Graphic depiction of the Rectangular Survey System. The numbering continues directly beneath the sixth section, except that it progresses from left to right on the second tier. These divisions mean just that. ","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"The rectangular survey system, often referred to as the government survey system, is based on a system of lines that form rectangles and squares throughout the United States. Principal meridians run perpendicular to the earths equator, north to south. The rectangular survey system may just be a giant grid covering the United States, but understanding how it is used can seem a little complex, so stick with us while we cover the basic definitions.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'realestatelicensewizard_com-box-4','ezslot_11',688,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-realestatelicensewizard_com-box-4-0'); The largest grid comprises of two types of lines, principal meridians, and baselines. Then the numbering drops down to 13 and goes right to left again and so forth: Each section of 640 acres can be divided into halves and quarters called, get this, half sections and quarter sections. Of course. Using principal meridians and baselines as points of reference, land areas are divided by two kinds of lines, township lines and range lines. The system was further modified to facilitate the transfer of large quantities of government-owned western lands to . The area created by the intersection of a township line and a range line is a township. Real Estate License Wizard2009 MacKenzie WaySuite 100Cranberry Twp, PA 16066Phone: (412) 212-3240Email: info [at] realestatelicensewizard.com. Although the lines start out the same distance apart, they get closer together as you get near one or the other end of the ball.\r\n\r\nCorrection lines and guide meridians were established to correct this problem in the government survey system. Tips to Understanding the Legal Description - PropLogix Rectangular Survey System - Real Estate Exam Ninja The range lines run north and south parallel to the principal meridians. (The figure below shows a variety of divisions in a quarter section. Other survey systems include the metes and bounds system and the lot and block system. Half sections have an area of 320 acres. This point will be the basis for all government surveys in the area it controls, and its latitude and longitude are fixed by astronomical observations. 1. Ian is a 3D printing and digital design entrepreneur with over five years of professional experience. The Rectangular Survey System, also known as the Government Survey System or Public Land Survey System, is a method of plotting land boundaries in the United States using a large grid made up of rectangles. Using those lines for references, quadrangles are formed, which are smaller squares identifiable by where they are located near the principal meridian and baseline. They are the starting points for describing a propertys boundaries. Many areas in the other states are also more accurate. Livable, Rentable & Usable Area: Definition & Examples. [/caption]\r\n

    Each half or quarter section can be further subdivided into halves and quarters. Standard Parallels are also called as correction lines for the meridians to compensate for the curvature of the earth. Congress created it in 1785 as a more straightforward, faster and more accurate way to identify land. Those states are: An error occurred trying to load this video. He teaches pre-licensing and continuing education courses for salespeople, brokers, and appraisers. Since townships are six miles north to south and six miles east to west, each township is 36 square miles. A system established in 1785 by the federal government, providing for surveying and describing land by reference to principal meridians. The Rectangular Survey System is used for surveying land for sale and settling, along with the Metes and Bounds survey method. Definition Of Rectangular Survey In Real Estate The numbering changes directions in the third tier from right to left. 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 . The following table indicates some distance and area conversions in the PLSS: 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. Each half or quarter section can be further subdivided into halves and quarters. Section 1 within any township is always located at the upper right or northeast corner of the township. The range lines run north and south parallel to the principal meridians. PDF Legal Descriptions - McKissock Learning The Rectangular Survey System, also known as the Government Survey System or Public Land Survey System, is a method of plotting land boundaries in the United States using a large grid made up of rectangles. We have Quarter sections, Half sections, township sections, townships, quadrangles, and principal meridians with baselines. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9566"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/282532"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"

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