The Section, Township, and Range system — formally known as the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) — is the legal framework used to describe land locations across roughly 30 US states. Whether you are researching a property deed, applying for a hunting permit, locating mineral rights, or working with BLM land data, this tool gives you the full PLSS legal land description for any point in the US instantly. Search by address, click the map, or use your device GPS.
PLSS Legal Land Description
Covers ~30 PLSS states. Excludes original 13 colonies, Texas, and Hawaii.
How to Find Your Section, Township, and Range
There are four ways to look up a PLSS legal land description using this tool:
- Address search – type any US street address, city, zip code, or place name into the search bar and press Search. The map will center on that location and query the BLM database automatically.
- GPS / Find My Location – tap Find My Location to use your device’s GPS. The tool identifies your current position and returns the Section, Township, and Range you are physically standing in. Useful for fieldwork, hunting, and recreation on public land.
- Map click – click or tap anywhere on the map. The tool fires an identify query against the BLM PLSS service and displays the result in the panel below the map. You can click multiple points without re-searching.
- Manual lookup – if you already have a Township and Range number (for example from a deed or permit), expand the lookup panel, enter the township number, direction, range number, direction, optional section, and state, then click Find on Map to jump directly to that location.
Once a result appears, use Copy Description to copy the full legal description to your clipboard, or Download KMZ to save the section boundary as a file you can open in Google Earth or any GIS application.
What Is the Public Land Survey System?
The Public Land Survey System (PLSS) is the federal land division framework established by the Land Ordinance of 1785. Congress created it to survey and sell land in the newly formed United States, providing a systematic, repeatable method for describing any parcel of land west of the original colonies. Today it covers more than 1.5 billion acres across 30 states and remains the legal basis for land ownership records, mineral leases, oil and gas permits, water rights, hunting regulations, and federal land management across the western and midwestern US.
The system works by dividing land into a hierarchy of increasingly smaller units, each identified by a number and direction relative to a fixed reference point called a principal meridian. Starting from that reference point, land is divided into townships, then into sections, then into quarter sections and smaller subdivisions, until a specific parcel can be precisely identified.
Townships: The Basic Grid Unit
A township is a square of land measuring 6 miles by 6 miles, covering 36 square miles in total. Townships are the primary unit of the PLSS grid. Each township is identified by two numbers:
- Township number and direction – how many townships north or south of the principal baseline the square sits. Township 3 North (T3N) is three township-widths north of the baseline; Township 2 South (T2S) is two township-widths south.
- Range number and direction – how many columns east or west of the principal meridian the square sits. Range 4 West (R4W) is four columns to the west of the meridian.
Together, these two numbers identify a specific 6×6 mile square anywhere in the survey region. For example, T12N R3W places a township 12 units north of the baseline and 3 units west of the meridian. Every township in a survey region has a unique T/R designation.
Ranges: Columns of Townships
A range is a column of townships running north to south, numbered from the principal meridian. Range 1 East and Range 1 West are the columns immediately adjacent to the meridian on either side. Range numbers increase as you move further from the meridian. Each range column is 6 miles wide. The combination of a township row and a range column pinpoints one specific 36-square-mile block within the survey region.
Sections: How Land Is Divided Within a Township
Each township is divided into 36 sections, each measuring 1 mile by 1 mile (640 acres). Sections are numbered 1 through 36 in a specific boustrophedon (back-and-forth) pattern:
- Section 1 is in the northeast corner of the township
- Numbering runs west across the top row: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
- Section 7 drops down to the row below and numbering runs east: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
- This alternating pattern continues down the township, ending with Section 36 in the southeast corner
This numbering pattern is the same in every township across the entire PLSS. Knowing that Section 16 always sits near the center of a township, or that Section 6 is always in the northwest corner, is useful when navigating land descriptions without a map.
Quarter Sections and Smaller Subdivisions
Each 640-acre section can be further divided into quarter sections of 160 acres each, designated by compass direction: NE quarter, NW quarter, SE quarter, SW quarter. Quarter sections can themselves be divided into quarter-quarter sections of 40 acres. This subdivision continues as needed:
- Section – 640 acres (1 square mile)
- Half section – 320 acres
- Quarter section – 160 acres
- Quarter-quarter section – 40 acres
- Quarter-quarter-quarter section – 10 acres
A complete legal description reading from smallest to largest looks like this: NE1/4 of the SW1/4 of Section 14, Township 3 North, Range 5 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Colorado. That description uniquely identifies a 40-acre parcel anywhere in the US without needing GPS coordinates.
How to Read a PLSS Legal Land Description
Legal land descriptions in PLSS format follow a consistent structure, always reading from the smallest unit to the largest. Breaking down SE1/4 NE1/4 Sec. 22, T7N R2E, 5th PM, Nebraska:
- SE1/4 NE1/4 – the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter (a 40-acre parcel)
- Sec. 22 – Section 22 within the township
- T7N – Township 7 North of the baseline
- R2E – Range 2 East of the principal meridian
- 5th PM – Fifth Principal Meridian (the reference meridian for this survey region)
- Nebraska – the state
This format appears on property deeds, oil and gas leases, mineral rights documents, hunting licenses, grazing permits, and federal land records throughout PLSS states. Being able to read and look up these descriptions is essential for anyone working with western US land data.
What States Use Section, Township, and Range?
The PLSS covers 30 US states. These are all states where this tool returns results:
- Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming
The system does not cover the original 13 colonies (Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia), plus Texas, Hawaii, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vermont, and West Virginia. These states used earlier metes-and-bounds surveying methods before the PLSS was established. If you click a location in one of these states, the tool will return no result.
Principal Meridians: The Reference Points
There are 37 principal meridians across the US, each serving as the east-west zero point for its survey region. Every PLSS description includes the principal meridian to identify which survey system applies. The most commonly encountered meridians are:
- Sixth Principal Meridian – Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota (partial)
- Fifth Principal Meridian – Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota (partial)
- Willamette Meridian – Oregon and Washington
- Gila and Salt River Meridian – Arizona
- San Bernardino Meridian – Southern California
- Humboldt Meridian – Northwestern California
- Mount Diablo Meridian – Central and Northern California, Nevada
- Boise Meridian – Idaho
- Black Hills Meridian – Western South Dakota
- Seward Meridian – Alaska
The principal meridian appears in the results panel when you identify a location, so you always know which survey region you are working in.
Downloading PLSS Data as KMZ
This tool offers two download options for taking PLSS boundaries into other applications:
- Download KMZ (results panel) – exports the single section boundary returned by your last identify query. Use this when you want one specific section in Google Earth, Google Maps, or a GIS application. The KMZ includes the section polygon styled with the correct boundary color.
- Download visible grid KMZ (layer bar) – exports all PLSS boundaries currently visible on screen as a single KMZ file. You must be zoomed to level 11 or closer before this button activates. The button shows a live count of features in view so you can gauge the file size before downloading. This is useful for capturing a local area grid for offline reference or field use.
KMZ files open directly in Google Earth, Google Maps (import), ArcGIS, QGIS, and most other GIS platforms. If you also work with GPS track data alongside PLSS boundaries, our free GPX to KML converter can prepare those tracks for the same workflow.
Who Uses Section, Township, and Range Data?
PLSS lookups are used across a wide range of industries and activities:
- Real estate and title – deeds and title reports in PLSS states use legal land descriptions rather than street addresses. Title companies and buyers use PLSS lookups to verify parcel boundaries.
- Oil, gas, and minerals – mineral rights, drilling permits, and royalty agreements are all described using PLSS notation. Landmen, attorneys, and geologists use section/township/range daily.
- Hunting and fishing – state wildlife agencies issue licenses and permits tied to specific sections. Hunters use PLSS data to confirm they are on the correct public land unit.
- Agriculture – farm programs, crop insurance, and water rights in the western US are administered using PLSS descriptions.
- BLM and federal land management – federal grazing permits, right-of-way agreements, and land use plans reference PLSS sections.
- Surveying and engineering – licensed surveyors use PLSS as the starting point for property boundary work throughout PLSS states.
- Outdoor recreation – hikers, off-road drivers, and overlanders use section data to navigate public land boundaries on maps and GPS devices.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Section, Township, and Range?
Section, Township, and Range is the notation used by the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) to identify specific parcels of land across roughly 30 US states. A township is a 6-mile by 6-mile square; a range is a column of townships numbered east or west of a principal meridian; a section is a 1-square-mile unit (640 acres) within a township, numbered 1 through 36. Together, a section number, township designation, range designation, and principal meridian uniquely identify any square mile of land in the PLSS survey area.
What is the Public Land Survey System (PLSS)?
The Public Land Survey System is the federal land surveying method established by the Land Ordinance of 1785. It was created to divide and sell public land in the United States in a systematic, repeatable way. The system divides land into townships, ranges, and sections using a grid of principal meridians and baselines as reference points. It covers over 1.5 billion acres across 30 states and remains the legal basis for property descriptions, mineral rights, and land management records throughout the western and midwestern US.
How do I find the Section, Township, and Range for my property?
Use the map above. Type your property address into the search bar and press Search, or click your property directly on the map. The tool queries the official BLM National PLSS Cadastral database and returns the township number, range number, section number, principal meridian, and full legal description for that point. You can also tap Find My Location to identify the PLSS description for your current GPS position.
How do I find Section, Township, and Range by address?
Enter any US address into the search bar at the top of the map and press Search. The tool geocodes the address using the Nominatim geocoding service and centers the map on that location, then automatically queries the BLM PLSS service to return the section, township, and range for that address. The result appears in the green panel below the map and can be copied to your clipboard with one click.
How do I find my section number?
Your section number is determined by which 1-mile by 1-mile square within a township your location falls in. Use the map above to click your location or search your address — the tool returns your section number (1 through 36), township, range, and principal meridian automatically from official BLM data. If you are in the field, tap Find My Location to get your section number from your device’s GPS.
How many acres is a section?
One section is exactly 640 acres, equal to 1 square mile. A half section is 320 acres. A quarter section is 160 acres. A quarter-quarter section (also called a forty) is 40 acres. These standard sizes are why farmland is frequently described in multiples of 40, 80, 160, or 320 acres — all of those fit neatly into the PLSS section grid.
How many sections are in a township?
Every township contains exactly 36 sections. Sections are arranged in a 6 by 6 grid within each 36-square-mile township. The 36 sections together cover the full 36 square miles of the township (with minor variations at water boundaries and irregular survey areas).
How are sections numbered in a township?
Sections are numbered 1 through 36 in a back-and-forth (boustrophedon) pattern. Section 1 is always in the northeast corner of the township. Numbering runs west across the top row (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), then drops down and runs east across the next row (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12), and so on, alternating direction in each row until reaching Section 36 in the southeast corner. This pattern is consistent across all townships in the PLSS.
What does T2N R3W mean?
T2N R3W means Township 2 North, Range 3 West. T2N means the township is 2 rows north of the principal baseline for that survey region. R3W means it is 3 columns west of the principal meridian. Together these two designations identify a specific 36-square-mile block. Add a section number and state — for example, Section 14, T2N R3W, Montana — and you have a legal description for a specific square mile of land.
What is a principal meridian in land surveying?
A principal meridian is a precisely surveyed north-south line that serves as the east-west reference point (zero) for range measurements in a PLSS survey region. All range numbers are counted from the principal meridian — Range 1 East and Range 1 West are the columns immediately on either side. There are 37 principal meridians across the US. Each is paired with a baseline (an east-west line) that serves as the north-south reference for township measurements. Together the meridian and baseline form the origin for the entire survey grid in that region.
What is a quarter section?
A quarter section is one quarter of a section, covering 160 acres (half a mile by half a mile). Quarter sections are designated by compass direction: NE1/4, NW1/4, SE1/4, and SW1/4. Quarter sections can be further divided into quarter-quarter sections of 40 acres each, and those can be halved again. The 160-acre quarter section was the standard homestead unit under the Homestead Act of 1862, which is why so many rural land parcels in PLSS states are multiples of 160 acres.
What states use Section, Township, and Range?
The PLSS covers 30 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These are the states where this tool returns results.
Does Texas use Section, Township, and Range?
No. Texas was an independent republic before joining the United States and retained control of its public lands. Texas conducted its own land surveys using a variety of systems — Spanish land grants, headright certificates, and other methods — rather than the federal PLSS. Texas has no BLM PLSS data and this tool will not return results for Texas locations.
Do the original 13 colonies use Section, Township, and Range?
No. The original 13 colonies (Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia) were already surveyed under the older English metes-and-bounds system before the PLSS was created in 1785. Property descriptions in these states use bearings, distances, and natural landmarks rather than sections, townships, and ranges.
What is the difference between PLSS and metes and bounds?
PLSS (Section, Township, and Range) is a systematic grid-based survey method where parcels are identified by their position on a regular grid of townships and sections. Metes and bounds is an older method where parcels are described by walking their perimeter — starting at a defined point, measuring a bearing and distance to the next corner, and so on around the boundary. Metes and bounds is used in the eastern US and is less standardized than PLSS. PLSS descriptions are generally more portable and unambiguous because they reference a fixed national grid rather than physical features that can change over time.
How accurate is the Section, Township, and Range data?
The data comes from the BLM National PLSS Cadastral Dataset (CadNSDI), which is the authoritative federal source for PLSS boundaries. Accuracy varies by state and reflects the accuracy of the original surveys plus any subsequent resurveys. Original 19th-century surveys were accurate to within a few chains (66 feet). Modern GPS-controlled resurveys are accurate to within a few feet. The data is suitable for land research, planning, and navigation but should not substitute for a licensed surveyor’s boundary determination for legal purposes such as property transactions or fence placement.
Where does the PLSS data come from?
All boundaries in this tool come from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) National PLSS Cadastral National Spatial Data Infrastructure (CadNSDI) dataset, served via the BLM ArcGIS REST API. This is the same authoritative dataset used by federal and state agencies, title companies, surveyors, and GIS professionals across the US. The data is maintained by BLM and updated continuously as surveys are completed or corrected.
Can I download Section, Township, and Range boundaries?
Yes. This tool offers two download options. After identifying a specific location, click Download KMZ in the results panel to export that single section boundary as a KMZ file. To export a larger area, zoom the map to level 11 or closer and click Download visible grid KMZ to export all PLSS boundaries currently on screen. Both options produce KMZ files compatible with Google Earth, Google Maps, ArcGIS, QGIS, and most other mapping applications.
Can I use Section, Township, and Range data in Google Earth?
Yes. Download the KMZ file using the Download KMZ button in the results panel, then open it in Google Earth. The section boundary will appear as a polygon overlay on the Google Earth terrain. You can also use the Download visible grid KMZ option to get a multi-section grid for a local area. Google Earth reads KMZ files natively with no conversion required.
What is a legal land description?
A legal land description is a standardized written description of a land parcel that uniquely identifies it for legal purposes. In PLSS states, legal descriptions use section, township, and range notation. A complete legal description looks like: The Northeast Quarter of Section 22, Township 5 North, Range 8 West, Willamette Meridian, Oregon. This description appears on deeds, titles, mortgages, mineral leases, and government permits. It identifies a specific 160-acre parcel without needing an address or GPS coordinates.
How do hunters use Section, Township, and Range?
Hunting regulations in many western states specify legal hunting areas, wildlife management units, and access restrictions by section, township, and range. Hunters use PLSS data to confirm they are on public land (rather than private), identify which management unit they are in, and navigate to specific sections where game has been spotted. Many state hunting licenses and tag applications ask for the section, township, and range where an animal was harvested. This tool lets hunters identify that information from a GPS location in seconds.
How is Section, Township, and Range used in oil and gas?
The oil and gas industry relies heavily on PLSS notation. Drilling permits, well records, lease agreements, royalty calculations, and production reports all identify well locations by section, township, and range (typically to the quarter-quarter section level). Landmen use PLSS data to research mineral ownership, run title chains, and negotiate leases. Geologists use it to map formations and correlate well logs. A well described as the NW1/4 SW1/4 of Section 9, T3N R5W can be precisely located on a map and compared with surrounding wells using only that description.
What is a section corner?
A section corner is a physical monument — historically a wooden post, iron pin, or stone — placed by surveyors at the corners of sections. There are four corners per section (shared with adjacent sections), plus midpoint monuments on each boundary called quarter-section corners. Section corners form the legal basis for property boundaries. When a corner monument cannot be found, surveyors use mathematical calculations based on the original field notes to re-establish (restore) the corner position. Section corners are maintained in the BLM Geographic Coordinate Data Base (GCDB).
Why does Section 16 appear near the center of every township?
Section 16 is always the fourth section in the fourth row of the township grid, placing it near the center of the township. Under the Land Ordinance of 1785 and later legislation, Section 16 in every township was reserved for the support of public schools — these were called school sections. Many western states still hold Section 16 (and sometimes Section 36) as state trust land, with revenue from leases and sales going to public education funding. You will often see Section 16 labeled as state land on public land maps.
How do I look up Section, Township, and Range for mineral rights?
Mineral rights documents describe the subsurface estate using the same PLSS notation as surface descriptions. To locate a mineral rights parcel, enter the section, township, range, and state into the manual lookup panel (expand it at the bottom of the tool above), then click Find on Map. The map will center on that township and highlight the relevant section. You can then verify the surface ownership context and download the boundary as a KMZ for further research.
Can I find Section, Township, and Range from GPS coordinates?
Yes. If you have a latitude and longitude, you can click that location on the map to get the PLSS description. Zoom the map to roughly where your coordinates are, then click the point. Alternatively, use the Find My Location button if your GPS coordinates are your current position. For converting coordinates to PLSS descriptions in bulk or with quarter-section precision, see our Latitude Longitude Finder for coordinate lookups, or our UTM Coordinates Converter if you are working in projected coordinates.
What is a government lot in PLSS?
Government lots are irregularly sized parcels within a township that could not be divided into standard quarter sections — typically because they border a water body, state line, or the edge of the survey area. Rather than a fractional description (NE1/4 of SW1/4), these parcels are assigned lot numbers (Lot 1, Lot 2, etc.) within the section. Government lots are common along rivers, lakes, and coastlines where the standard grid cannot be maintained. Their acreage varies and is recorded in the original BLM survey field notes.
How is Section, Township, and Range different from latitude and longitude?
Latitude and longitude are geographic coordinates measured in degrees from the equator and prime meridian — a continuous global system useful for navigation and GPS. Section, Township, and Range is a discrete grid system that divides land into named rectangular units used for legal land descriptions in the US. Latitude and longitude tell you where a point is on the earth’s surface; PLSS tells you which legal land unit that point falls within. Both systems are useful, and this tool bridges them — click any point on the map (which uses lat/long internally) and get the PLSS description for that location.
When was the Public Land Survey System created?
The PLSS was established by the Land Ordinance of 1785, passed by the Continental Congress on May 20, 1785. The first surveys began in eastern Ohio (then the Northwest Territory) in 1786. Thomas Jefferson was a key advocate for the systematic grid approach. The system has been in continuous use for nearly 240 years and covers more land than any other single survey system in the world.
Related Coordinate and Location Tools
For straightforward latitude and longitude lookups alongside PLSS data, the Latitude Longitude Finder lets you click any map point and instantly copy the decimal degree coordinates. If your workflow uses projected coordinate systems, the UTM Coordinates Converter handles conversions between UTM easting/northing and geographic coordinates. For military grid reference work, the MGRS Coordinate Converter converts between MGRS and lat/long. To bring GPS track data into the same GIS workflow as your PLSS boundaries, our free GPX to KML converter prepares GPX files for use alongside KMZ exports.
Data Source
All PLSS boundaries displayed in this tool and exported via KMZ download come from the BLM National PLSS Cadastral National Spatial Data Infrastructure (CadNSDI), served in real time via the BLM ArcGIS REST API at gis.blm.gov. This is the authoritative federal dataset maintained by the Bureau of Land Management and used by federal and state agencies, title companies, surveyors, and GIS professionals across the country. Data coverage and boundary accuracy reflect the status of cadastral surveys completed in each state. For the most current survey information or to report a data discrepancy, contact the BLM State Office responsible for your area.
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“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “Government lots are irregularly sized parcels within a township that could not be divided into standard quarter sections, typically because they border a water body, state line, or the edge of the survey area. Rather than a fractional description, these parcels are assigned lot numbers (Lot 1, Lot 2, etc.) within the section. Their acreage varies and is recorded in the original BLM survey field notes.”
}
},
{
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “Why does Section 16 appear near the center of every township?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “Section 16 is always the fourth section in the fourth row of the township grid, placing it near the center. Under the Land Ordinance of 1785, Section 16 in every township was reserved for the support of public schools. Many western states still hold Section 16 and Section 36 as state trust land, with revenue from leases and sales going to public education funding.”
}
},
{
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “How is Section, Township, and Range different from latitude and longitude?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “Latitude and longitude are geographic coordinates measured in degrees from the equator and prime meridian, used for navigation and GPS. Section, Township, and Range is a discrete grid system that divides land into named rectangular units used for legal land descriptions in the US. Latitude and longitude tell you where a point is on earth; PLSS tells you which legal land unit that point falls within.”
}
}
]
}