John A. Yoegel, PhD, is a certified real estate instructor and former board member of the Real Estate Educators Association. Baselines run parallel to the earths equator, from east to west. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. 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). So, there can be the north, south, east, or west half section.
rectangular government survey
Were not done yet. The government survey system is known by a few different names. Real Estate License Exam: The Rectangular Survey System There is more than one type of legal description you must know for your exam. The grid is divided into smaller sections known as quadrangles, townships, sections, half-sections, and quarter-sections, used to describe property boundaries in most of the United States. When identifying property locations, you will always reference which principal meridian it is located near. Concepts will include principal meridians, the PLSS, and how sections of a township are. 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. Three Different Types of Legal Descriptions for a Property - ExamSmart This system divides the country using 37 principal meridians that run north and south and baselines that run east and west. The boundary of each township is 6 miles long, so a township contains 36 square miles and is described as being 6 miles square. 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. As we mentioned earlier, two primary survey methods are used in the United States, the Metes and Bounds System, and the Rectangular Survey System. Townships have an area of 36 square miles, more or less, and are each further divided into 36 sections.\r\n \tSections: The divisions of a township, sections, are one mile square and have an area of one square mile, or 640 acres. Continue with Recommended Cookies. It is a rectangular approach to surveying the land breaking the district down to quadrangles of 24 miles. Only about half of the states in the United States still use the Rectangular Survey System. The rectangular survey system is based on principal meridians and base lines determined by precise scientific measurements. Using principal meridians and baselines as points of reference, land areas are divided by two kinds of lines, township lines and range lines. Definition Of Rectangular Survey In Real Estate Baselines run parallel to the earths equator, from east to west. [/caption]\r\n\r\nEach section of 640 acres can be divided into halves and quarters called, get this, half sections and quarter sections. 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. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Water & Littoral Rights Concept & Purpose | What are Water Rights? The smallest division in this system is usually 10-acre quarters. Additionally, the terms used in the Rectangular Survey System can have different meanings under other systems of measurement and governmental designations. 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. A government check represents an area that measures 576 square miles. Police Power in Real Estate Significance & Examples | What is Police Power? 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. | 16 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. Township lines run east and west and are also found six miles apart. The system was further modified to facilitate the transfer of large quantities of government-owned western lands to . So, you can refer to the south (S) 1/2 of the northwest (NW) 1/4 of a section in a township, for example. 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. Halves are 320 acres, and quarters are each 160 acres. 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You may have math questions on your real estate licensing exam related to this concept. For example, a legal description of Missouri, Fifth Principal Meridian, T4S, R7E, sec 23 indicates a property that is 4 townships south and 7 townships east of the Fifth Principal Meridian in Missouri. The numbering continues directly beneath the sixth section, except that it progresses from left to right on the second tier. He decided to install sewer and underground electric for the entire subdivision, because he thinks that he will easily recoup his initial infrastructure investment. Congress created it in 1785 as a more straightforward, faster and more accurate way to identify land. Townships are further divided into 36 sections of one square mile each. That means it is 3 townships north of the baseline and 5 townships east of the principal meridian. So, in the example above, Township 4 South would be T4S. Those states are: An error occurred trying to load this video. 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. Think about two more lines running up and down the page on top of the first two lines, also about an inch apart. Manage Settings Metes & Bounds System in Real Estate | Metes & Bounds Survey Examples & Legal Description. 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. 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. 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. As mentioned above, basically you can think of the US as a huge checkerboard, with vertical and horizontal lines splitting it up. Sections also are numbered consecutively. 1 Square mile is equal to 640 acres. They are the starting points for describing a propertys boundaries. The description is abbreviated as T1N, R2E. Rectangular (Government) Survey System Flashcards | Quizlet 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. You can drill down by clicking on the land map, but you need to click the calc button to get the latitude and longitude. The lines are spaced 24 miles apart, creating squares that are around 576 square miles. 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? The system is based on the principle of surveying the land from a fixed point, called a baseline, and . It isn't used by East Coast states except, Florida, and it also isn't used by Texas. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Whenever properties have irregular boundaries, the land may be further described using one of the two other systems described in this section. This version has a more visual interface, which was optimized to explore the dataset. Jeff Davis with American Realty Academy, covering the infamous Government Rectangular Survey. Using principal meridians and baselines as points of reference, land areas are divided by two kinds of lines, township lines and range lines. Half sections have an area of 320 acres. Note that the more detailed legal descriptions usually begin with the smallest area and work to the largest. 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. They are the starting points for describing a propertys boundaries. 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.. As with most things, there are pros and cons of using the Rectangular Survey System. 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. RECTANGULAR GOVERNMENT SURVEY SYSTEM 1 Flashcards | Quizlet Base lines Each section is numbered, starting at the top right corner and going back and forth, left to right, in a serpentine pattern. as starting points. 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). ","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9566,"name":"John A. Yoegel","slug":"john-a-yoegel","description":" \r\n\r\nBecause of the curvature of the earth, the lines in the government survey system are only theoretically straight. Normally, a permanent monument, or marker, is placed at each section corner. Correction lines occur at every fourth township line or every 24 miles north and south of the baseline. 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. Townships are identified based on their location to the point of origin where the principal meridian line meets the baseline. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. The Rectangular Survey System is a method of surveying designed to divide the real property into specified plots. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. A system of fractional sections and government lots are parts of standard practice to account for these discrepancies. The first set of lines are called the principal meridians and run north and south. Also Check: Government To Forgive Student Loan Debt. 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? Areas smaller than full-size sections are known as government lots and are numbered and placed in fractional sections. The rectangular survey or government survey describes. Remember, a township is 6 miles by 6 miles. The system is also relatively easy to understand, as it is basically a single grid laid over the land. 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. Monuments are also placed at quarter-section corners and at other important points, such as the corners of government lots. These range lines form ranges. The townships are consecutively numbered by their location within the intersection of multiple range lines and township lines. Legal descriptions under the Rectangular Survey System include the state, the principal meridian, the township designated by number and direction, and the section number. This system was part of the Land Ordinance enacted in 1785 by President Thomas Jefferson. The township is the basic unit of measurement in the rectangular survey system. Townships are subdivided into 36 one-mile- square sections. 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