- Definition & Types, Rectangular Survey System: Definition & Uses, Measuring the Area of a Rectangle: Formula & Examples, Fair Housing & Consumer Protection Laws in Real Estate, Property Condition Disclosure Statements in Real Estate, Real Estate Closing & Settlement Procedures, Real Estate Taxes, Warranties & Insurance, Real Estate Ethics & Professional Responsibility, DSST Business Ethics and Society: Study Guide & Test Prep, CLEP Principles of Marketing: Study Guide & Test Prep, NES Business Education (309): Practice & Study Guide, How to Positively Influence Others in the Workplace, OSAT Marketing Education (CEOE) (041): Practice & Study Guide, Maintaining Records in a Florida Real Estate Office, Seamless Application in a Wireless Network: Definition & Requirements, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. Those states are: An error occurred trying to load this video. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Take for example there is a shared baseline in both Nebraska and Kansas as both states border is at the 40th parallel north. The description is abbreviated as T1N, R2E. Each one is distinguished by a different name and number and has an intersecting baseline. Because the rectangular or government survey system was instituted when the United States was a brand-new country, it was used to describe most of the land west of the original 13 . 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. Areas smaller than full-size sections are known as government lots and are numbered and placed in fractional sections. He teaches pre-licensing and continuing education courses for salespeople, brokers, and appraisers.
","authors":[{"authorId":9566,"name":"John A. Yoegel","slug":"john-a-yoegel","description":"John A. Yoegel, PhD, is a certified real estate instructor and former board member of the Real Estate Educators Association. 6 b/c each township is divided in 36 sections, each section is 1 sq mile; 36/6 = 6 in each row. Surveyed land was sold by the government, providing important revenue for the cash-starved nation. 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. How Do You Use the Rectangular Survey System? In addition to the principal meridians and baselines, the land is further divided by range lines, which run north and south. These townships are not the same as political subdivisions.\r\n
Each township is further divided into 36 sections of one square mile each, or 640 acres, by horizontal and vertical section lines. The section in the bottom left corner, the southwest corner, is section 36. The system became official with the Land Ordinance Act of 1785. The Metes and bounds system dates back centuries to the original 13 colonies, while the rectangular survey method was established in 1785 and used in all 36 states formed after that point. The area created by the intersection of a township line and a range line is a township. 2021 KnowYourGovernment.netContact us: [emailprotected], Introduction to administration of Web Survey System Part 2, Estimating a weighted average CSR2 in Iowa using the USDA NRCS Web Soil Survey, How To Find Lost Money From The Government, What Is The Interest Rate On Government Student Loans, Local Government Federal Credit Union App, When Is Open Enrollment For Government Healthcare, Government Grants For Commercial Real Estate, Government Regulations For Nonprofit Organizations, Surveyor General of the Northwest Territory, Energy Efficient Windows Government Grants, Mortgage Loans For Federal Government Employees, Free Government Foreclosure Listings With Pictures. The numbering changes directions in the third tier from right to left. 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. Rectangular Survey System - Divides land into rectangles - The system is based on two sets of lines - Principal Meridians and Base Lines Principal Meridians - Vertical lines, crossing base line. The numbering changes directions in the third tier from right to left. 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. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Of course, this still makes up a lot of land, so townships are further divided into sections. The lines are spaced 24 miles apart, creating squares that are around 576 square miles. (The figure below shows a variety of divisions in a quarter section. Simply multiply 640 by or 0.25, which equals 160, then multiply 160 by 1/2 or 0.5, which equals 80. A system of fractional sections and government lots are parts of standard practice to account for these discrepancies.\r\n\r\nSo how does the system describe land? Whenever properties have irregular boundaries, the land may be further described using one of the two other systems described in this section. The land can be further divided into even smaller sections by dividing the halves or quarters into smaller halves or quarters. The coordinates are then used to create a legal description for the property. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. Beginning with the Seven Ranges in present-day Ohio, the PLSS has been used as the primary survey method in the United States. Each one square mile section is 640 acres. Today, the BLM controls the survey, sale, and settling of lands acquired by the United States. The guide meridians occur every 24 miles east and west of the principal meridian. Marketable Title Overview & Importance | What is a Marketable Title? Easement Appurtenant Features & Examples | What is an Easement in Real Estate? Police Power in Real Estate Significance & Examples | What is Police Power? Sections also are numbered consecutively. Only about half of the state in the U.S. use the rectangular survey system. Metes & Bounds System in Real Estate | Metes & Bounds Survey Examples & Legal Description. (The figure below shows a variety of divisions in a quarter section. Of course. | 16 These principal meridian lines are named or numbered to identify their location. The range lines run north and south parallel to the principal meridians. The rectangular survey system is comprised of principal meridian lines that cover most states in the US, running north to south and baselines running east to west. 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. In legal documents, such as a lien, deed, trust deed, mortgage, and sales contract, courts require an exact description of where a piece of land is located. 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.\r\n\r\nLongitude and latitude are imaginary lines that divide the earth through the north and south poles (longitude) and run parallel with the equator (latitude). Lines that are parallel to the Base Line are called the standard parallels which run at 24-mile intervals north and south of the Base Line. The range and township lines create a 36-square-mile area called a township. How Do Metes and Bounds Differ From the Rectangular Survey System? Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, Different Types of Estates in Real Estate, Legal Description of Property: Definition, Importance & Example, What is a Land Survey? Doing the math, its 1/2 1/4 640 = 80 acres. Simply multiply 640 by or 0.25, which equals 160, then multiply 160 by 1/2 or 0.5, which equals 80. TRID Guidelines & Compliance Checklist | What is TRID? The grid creates six-mile square townships that can then be further divided into 36 sections of one square mile each. The section in the uppermost northeast corner of a township is section 1. Just because they are referred to as government lots does not mean the government owns the land they contain. The image does not specifically designate which meridian or state, but as they are all divided and labeled the same, this could represent any section of land along any meridian that would be identified in the legal description. It will serve as the basis for surveys of government in a specified area under its jurisdiction. From this initial . 276 lessons [/caption]\r\n\r\nEach section of 640 acres can be divided into halves and quarters called, get this, half sections and quarter sections. So, there can be the north, south, east, or west half section.\r\n\r\nBecause of the curvature of the earth, the lines in the government survey system are only theoretically straight. Same as term government rectangular survey: Way in which the U.S. government uses to subdivide public land. You got it: Tic tac toe. 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\"]![\"quarter](\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/real-estate-exam-quarter-section.jpg\")
A quarter section can be split into smaller parts. What Is Chattel in Real Estate and Property? The system is also relatively easy to understand, as it is basically a single grid laid over the land. Putting the above description into words is half of a quarter section. It made sense since it was centrally located. There may also be questions about how much land is in a specific plot or section. 1. 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? The area is further divided into six-mile segments using range lines that run parallel to the principal meridian and township lines that run parallel to the baselines. The following is a list of helpful terms:\r\n- \r\n \t
- Quadrangles: The basic squares of land of the rectangular survey system, quadrangles (also government checks, or just checks) are 24 miles square (that means each side is 24 miles long) and are delineated by a principal meridian and a baseline. Half sections have an area of 320 acres. The land is then further divided into quadrangles. Also known as the rectangular survey system or public land survey system, the government survey system refers to a federal land survey system that uses (north and south lines) meridians and (east and west lines) base lines. You got it: Tic tac toe. Quarter sections have an area of 160 acres. \r\n \t
- Half sections: Half section is a description of any two abutting quarter sections within a section, usually accompanied by a directional notation indicating the half of the section in which the two quarter sections are located. 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.. The rectangular survey system is based on principal meridians and base lines determined by precise scientific measurements. Youre likely to see at least a few questions on the real estate license exams on calculating the area of part of a section, and youll also see questions about terminology and some of the measurements that the rectangular survey system uses. 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. However, in some areas of the country, a township refers to a legal municipality rather than a geographic area, which can lead to some confusion. How many rows in a survey of sections of a township? Using the Fifth Principal Meridian in Missouri, the description would look like this: The W 1/2 of the SE 1/4 of Section 14, Township 2 South, Range 3 West of the Fifth Principal Meridian, Missouri. It is extended north from the Base Line and runs at 24 miles east and west from the principal meridian. These townships are not the same as political subdivisions. Half sections have an area of 320 acres. 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 township is the basic unit of measurement in the rectangular survey system. 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. Think about two more lines running up and down the page on top of the first two lines, also about an inch apart. It was originally proposed by President Thomas Jefferson and is sometimes referred to as the Public Land Survey System (PLSS). 27 chapters | 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. 1 Square mile is equal to 640 acres. [/caption]\r\n\r\nA full rectangular survey system property description might read:\r\n
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. The first is the Metes and Bounds surveythe second is the Rectangular Survey System, also known as the Government Survey System or Public Lands Survey System. Metes and bounds were used as the primary survey method before 1785 and were fairly inaccurate, especially before GPS technology. The PLSS typically divides land into 6-mile-square townships. 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. True of False - When land is mapped on the rectangular survey system, you locate the parcel by reading the directions from left to right. are further subdivided into 36 one-mile-square, (each section is one square mile or 640 acres), then into quarter sections, quarter-quarter sections, or irregular, Beginning at an initial point, townships are surveyed in all directions. The strips of land they form are known as township tiers. These are known as correction lines and guide meridians. 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. You have 80 acres in that plot of land, and that is your answer. Many areas in the other states are also more accurate. The lines are spaced 24 miles apart, creating squares that are around 576 square miles. Guide meridians run north to south, parallel with principal meridians. The sections are number 1 through 36 starting in the NE corner of the section continuing west along the top row. 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. ","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":"","rightAd":""},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":null,"dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":274745},"articleLoadedStatus":"success"},"listState":{"list":{},"objectTitle":"","status":"initial","pageType":null,"objectId":null,"page":1,"sortField":"time","sortOrder":1,"categoriesIds":[],"articleTypes":[],"filterData":{},"filterDataLoadedStatus":"initial","pageSize":10},"adsState":{"pageScripts":{"headers":{"timestamp":"2023-02-01T15:50:01+00:00"},"adsId":0,"data":{"scripts":[{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"\r\n","enabled":false},{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"\r\n