John A. Yoegel, PhD, is a certified real estate instructor and former board member of the Real Estate Educators Association. This system was part of the Land Ordinance enacted in 1785 by President Thomas Jefferson. So how does the system describe land? [/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. Since nothing is perfect, some sections of land ended up being larger or smaller than they should. This system divides the country using 37 principal meridians that run north and south and baselines that run east and west. 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.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_274747\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"] Sections can be divided in a variety of ways, including quarters and smaller sections. Also Check: Government Help With Home Down Payment. The numbering continues directly beneath the sixth section, except that it progresses from left to right on the second tier. Halves are 320 acres, and quarters are each 160 acres. Take for example there is a shared baseline in both Nebraska and Kansas as both states border is at the 40th parallel north. They are often combined to create a more accurate map of property boundaries. Section 16 is located directly in the center of the section and historically was always designated as the school section. Land is designated as either a base line (East-West) or principal meridian line (North-South). It is considered as one of the most significant subdividing of the United States mainland. Principal meridians, baselines, and where they intersect (cross each other) are used as the basis for formulating property descriptions in this system. So, there can be the north, south, east, or west half section.

\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. The government survey system legal land description method is the subject of this article. What Is the Rectangular Survey System Used For? All rights reserved. A Metes and Bounds survey may read something like commencing from the large apple tree 1 mile to the north, west along the river bed. However, rivers can be moved, and trees can die, so as you can see, this method is wildly inaccurate over time. 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. The townships are consecutively numbered by their location within the intersection of multiple range lines and township lines. 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 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. Read Also: Government Grants For Commercial Real Estate. 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. Concepts will include principal meridians, the PLSS, and how sections of a township are. Adding that to the description results in a more specific parcel of land: The NW 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of Section 18, Township 5 South, Range 4 West of the Fifth Principal Meridian, Missouri. Principal meridians run perpendicular to the earths equator, north to south. This system has also become known as the rectangular survey system and geodetic survey system.. After the Revolutionary War ended, the United States Government needed a way to describe lands in the West to insure locating and selling. As we mentioned earlier, two primary survey methods are used in the United States, the Metes and Bounds System, and the Rectangular Survey System. Moreover, the astronomical observations will then determine the areas latitude and longitude. Range lines are equally located six miles apart, and the columns of land they create are known as ranges. For example, you would say it is in township 3 north, range 5 east to identify a property. The system is used to divide public lands into townships, sections, halves, and quarters. 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. )\r\nThe description probably would include the state and county in which the property is located and use abbreviations. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. The numbering continues directly beneath the sixth section, except that it progresses from left to right on the second tier. Half sections have an area of 320 acres. The coordinates are then used to create a legal description for the property. 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. Using principal meridians and baselines as points of reference, land areas are divided by two kinds of lines, township lines and range lines. 1 Square mile is equal to 640 acres. For example, you would say, it is in township 3 north, range 5 east, to identify a property. Dont Miss: Can The Government Help Me With Rent. The rectangular survey system devised for the PLSS is often credited to Thomas Jefferson. (This description refers to a 10-acre parcel of land. There are 36 sections in a township, and each section contains one square mile, which is 640 acres. You need to know what these lines are called and how they intersect for your real estate license exam. | 16 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. For example, a piece of land could be identified as the southeast quarter of section 18 of a township, which would be 160 acres. )
  \r\n

  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. Sections also are numbered consecutively. This indicates that the property is between the baseline and the first township line to the north and between the first and second range lines to the east of the fifth principal meridian. Marketable Title Overview & Importance | What is a Marketable Title? Each one square mile section is 640 acres. For example, you can say the east of section 3. That means the property is 320 acres and located on the east half of that section. The township is the basic unit of measurement in the rectangular survey system. Learn the basic methodology, and real-world adjustments. A mailing label lists your name, street address, city, state, and country. Standard Parallels are also called as correction lines for the meridians to compensate for the curvature of the earth. The roads in a lot of communities in the U.S. run along survey Base Lines as well just like in Arkansas, especially in Little Rock, the baseline road follows the baseline used by the Louisiana Purchase surveyors. The township is the basic unit of measurement in the rectangular survey system. by six miles square (for a total area of 36 square miles or 23,040 acres). For the real estate exam, youll need to know the two primary survey methods. First, the system makes it easier to divide large areas of land into like-sized parcels, as large as 640 square miles to as small as 2.5 acres. We have Quarter sections, Half sections, township sections, townships, quadrangles, and principal meridians with baselines. 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. Section information is added to the property description as such: Missouri, Fifth Principal Meridian, T5S, R4W, sec 24. The legal description includes the state name, the meridian name, the township and range directions, and usually the section number. The fifth township south of the baseline and fourth to the west of the principal meridian would be identified as Missouri, Fifth Principal Meridian, Township 5 South, Range 4 West, or Missouri, Fifth Principal Meridian, T5S, R4W. It will serve as the basis for surveys of government in a specified area under its jurisdiction. Running east to west every six miles between the baselines are the township lines. The second set of lines are called baselines and run east and west. The range and township lines create a 36-square-mile area called a township. Now, the way it really works is for this page to be filled with the lines going up and down and right to left so that you have many townships. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 Also Check: When Is Open Enrollment For Government Healthcare. They are the starting points for describing a propertys boundaries. The area created by the intersection of a township line and a range line is a township. Tenancy at Will Laws & Examples | What is an Estate at Will? . How Do Metes and Bounds Differ From the Rectangular Survey System? a rectangular system of land survey that divides a district into 24-square mile quadrangles from the meridian (north-south line) and the baseline (east-west line); the tracts are divided into 6-mile-square parts called townships, which are in turn divided into 36 tracts, each 1 mile square, called sections. We know that there are 640 acres in one section, and we are taking a 1/4 of a 1/2 section. Using principal meridians and baselines as points of reference, land areas are divided by two kinds of lines, township lines and range lines. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Whenever properties have irregular boundaries, the land may be further described using one of the two other systems described in this section. Section 1 within any township is always located at the upper right or northeast corner of the township. The Surveyor General was later merged with the General Land Office, which later became a part of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management . 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 Rectangular Survey System is a grid system of townships and sections that is used to divide the land into manageable units. 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. The numbering then moves from right to left across that first upper tier. ( the major vertical line) -37 in the U.S. Base Line The horizontal line ( the major one) Ranges
  Optometry Internships Summer 2022, Quality Management Techniques To Manage Team Performance, Elizabeth Shamblin Hannah Net Worth, Articles R