Each half or quarter section can be further subdivided into halves and quarters. Township lines, which run east and west, parallel to baselines, are horizontal parallel lines that form township tiers.\r\n\r\nThink about two lines running from left to right across this page 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 guide meridians occur every 24 miles east and west of the principal meridian. These are known as correction lines and guide meridians. distinguishing among the various surveys. The system was created by Thomas Jefferson in 1785. Livable, Rentable & Usable Area: Definition & Examples. 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. Using principal meridians and baselines as points of reference, land areas are divided by two kinds of lines, township lines and range lines. (The figure below shows a variety of divisions in a quarter section.). However, the system calculations also have to be adjusted somewhat to account for the curvature of the earth, which required the addition of Guide Meridians and Standard Parallels. Create your account. True of False - When land is mapped on the rectangular survey system, you locate the parcel by reading the directions from left to right. A full rectangular survey system property description might read: By entering your email address and clicking the Submit button, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Dummies.com, which may include marketing promotions, news and updates. Range lines run north and south between the principal meridians and are spaced out every six miles. 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. . It uses imaginary lines to set land descriptions on thedistance: base lines run east-west and meridians run north-south. There may also be questions about how much land is in a specific plot or section. Take for example there is a shared baseline in both Nebraska and Kansas as both states border is at the 40th parallel north. It is considered as one of the most significant subdividing of the United States mainland. )

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. Real Estate License Wizard2009 MacKenzie WaySuite 100Cranberry Twp, PA 16066Phone: (412) 212-3240Email: info [at] realestatelicensewizard.com. The township is the basic unit of measurement in the rectangular survey system. 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). Previous to the Public Land Survey System, land was surveyed using a confusing landmark-based system called metes and bounds. Putting the above description into words is half of a quarter section. 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. 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. Where the two range lines and two township lines intersect, they form a township.\r\n\r\nNow, 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. 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. Principal meridians run perpendicular to the earths equator, north to south. The real estate exam probably wont ask you what states use the Metes and Bounds system or the Rectangular Survey System, but they may ask you which system your state uses. Whether it's to pass that big test, qualify for that big promotion or even master that cooking technique; people who rely on dummies, rely on it to learn the critical skills and relevant information necessary for success. Putting the above description into words is half of a quarter section. 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. The area created by the intersection of a township line and a range line is a township. It is a rectangular approach to surveying the land breaking the district down to quadrangles of 24 miles. 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. 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. ","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. Rectangular Government Survey System The rectangular government survey system -also known as the Public Land Survey 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. Sections can be further subdivided into quarter sections, quarter-quarter sections, or irregular government lots. A system established in 1785 by the federal government, providing for surveying and describing land by reference to principal meridians. Simply multiply 640 by or 0.25, which equals 160, then multiply 160 by 1/2 or 0.5, which equals 80. It is known that Jefferson proposed a rectangular survey system, although his system was based on the decimal system -- townships 10 miles by 10 miles. It isn't used by East Coast states except, Florida, and it also isn't used by Texas. Join over 10,000 subscribers and pass your exam today! TRID Guidelines & Compliance Checklist | What is TRID? 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. School University of Minnesota, Duluth; Course Title MARKETING MISC; Uploaded By MajorTarsierMaster692. The township is the basic unit of measurement in the rectangular survey system. 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 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. Each half or quarter section can be further subdivided into halves and quarters. For example, you would say it is in township 3 north, range 5 east to identify a property. Section 1 within any township is always located at the upper right or northeast corner of the township. Tenancy at Will Laws & Examples | What is an Estate at Will? 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? It can be a quick and relatively straightforward way of dividing large areas of land into manageable, legally identifiable sections from the very large to the fairly small. 6 b/c each township is divided in 36 sections, each section is 1 sq mile; 36/6 = 6 in each row. Note that the more detailed legal descriptions usually begin with the smallest area and work to the largest. 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 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. 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. Also, the meets and bounds system is used to describe land by listing the compass directions and distances of the boundaries. That means it is 3 townships north of the baseline and 5 townships east of the principal meridian. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. 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.