Sections can be divided in several ways, but basically for purposes of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), they are divided in quarter sections.\r\n \t
Quarter sections: The divisions of a section, quarter sections, are formed by dividing a section into fourths that are delineated by their direction from the center of the section (northwestNW, northeastNE, southeastSE, and southwestSW). The numbering changes directions in the third tier from right to left. For example,Lot _ Block _ of Subdivision __ in the County of ______, State of ______________. 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. Also Check: Government Regulations For Nonprofit Organizations. The Rectangular Survey System was established in 1785 to identify, divide, and measure land, creating boundary lines for property owners. The Rectangular Survey System is used for surveying land for sale and settling, along with the Metes and Bounds survey method. 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). Metes and Bounds surveys are still used in many states; however, they differ from the Public Land Survey System as they are not based on any grid but instead identify objects on the land, measurements, and compass directions. 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 boundary of each township is 6 miles long, so a township contains 36 square miles and is described as being 6 miles square. 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. Course Hero is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university. The legal description can be further described by indicating which directional half or quadrants of the section, as well. The townships are consecutively numbered by their location within the intersection of multiple range lines and township lines. You may have math questions on your real estate licensing exam related to this concept. Those quadrangles are divided into smaller squares called townships. This process continues, creating a smaller and smaller grid that can be used to identify the specific location of any property. This version has a more visual interface, which was optimized to explore the dataset. 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 rectangular survey or government survey describes land by reference to a. That means it is 3 townships north of the baseline and 5 townships east of the principal meridian. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. Shawn Custer has taught college-level English, composition, and literature for over six years. The township is the basic unit of measurement in the rectangular survey system. But the final plan included subdivision of the lands into townships, then into sections and further into aliquot parts. Graphic depiction of the Rectangular Survey System. 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. So, in the example above, Township 4 South would be T4S. The legal description of the property's location usually begins with the state and the principal meridian number followed by the township information. Imagine trying to draw straight lines on a rubber ball. The lines are spaced 24 miles apart, creating squares that are around 576 square miles. 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. These are known as correction lines and guide meridians. To learn more about these land descriptions, view our Real Estate Principles course, which provides information on ethics of practice, titles to and conveyance of real estate, deeds encumbrances and liens, distinctions between personal and real property, appraisal, finance and regulations, and more. These divisions mean just that. The government survey system is known by a few different names. Other survey systems include the metes and bounds system and the lot and block system. 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. A system of fractional sections and government lots are parts of standard practice to account for these discrepancies. He decided to install sewer and underground electric for the entire subdivision, because he thinks that he will easily recoup his initial infrastructure investment. ( the major vertical line) -37 in the U.S. Base Line The horizontal line ( the major one) Ranges They are the starting points for describing a propertys boundaries. Normally, a permanent monument, or marker, is placed at each section corner. Simply multiply 640 by or 0.25, which equals 160, then multiply 160 by 1/2 or 0.5, which equals 80. The following is a list of helpful terms: Correction lines and guide meridians were established to correct this problem in the government survey system. So, in the example above, Township 4 South would be T4S. Each section is numbered, starting at the top right corner and going back and forth, left to right, in a serpentine pattern. \"https://sb\" : \"http://b\") + \".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\";el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el);})();\r\n","enabled":true},{"pages":["all"],"location":"footer","script":"\r\n\r\n","enabled":false},{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"\r\n","enabled":false},{"pages":["article"],"location":"header","script":" ","enabled":true},{"pages":["homepage"],"location":"header","script":"","enabled":true},{"pages":["homepage","article","category","search"],"location":"footer","script":"\r\n\r\n","enabled":true}]}},"pageScriptsLoadedStatus":"success"},"navigationState":{"navigationCollections":[{"collectionId":287568,"title":"BYOB (Be Your Own Boss)","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-entry-level-entrepreneur-287568"},{"collectionId":293237,"title":"Be a Rad 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How to P-R-E-P-A-R-E for the Real Estate License Exam, Real Estate License Exam: 10 Things to Find Out About State Real Estate Law, How to Make Mortgage Calculations without a Fancy Calculator, Real Estate License Exam: Measuring Area and Volume, Real Estate License Exams For Dummies Cheat Sheet. Principal meridians, baselines, and where they intersect (cross each other) are used as the basis for formulating property descriptions in this system. The largest grid comprises of two types of lines, principal meridians, and baselines. TRID Guidelines & Compliance Checklist | What is TRID? 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. Correction lines occur at every fourth township line or every 24 miles north and south of the baseline. A simple approach to a complex concept, Jeff gives students practical guidance that can be used on any Government Rectangular Survey question. The second set of lines are called baselines and run east and west. 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. 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. by six miles square (for a total area of 36 square miles or 23,040 acres). Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. 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. 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. )\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. Whenever properties have irregular boundaries, the land may be further described using one of the two other systems described in this section. The lot and block survey system is a method used in the United States and Canada to locate and identify land, particularly for lots in densely populated metropolitan areas, suburban areas, and exurbs. He is also a real estate investor, board gamer and homebrewer. Metes and bounds were used as the primary survey method before 1785 and were fairly inaccurate, especially before GPS technology. The sections are number 1 through 36 starting in the NE corner of the section continuing west along the top row. The system uses Metes, which are straight lines connecting two points, and Bounds, which are identifiable aspects of a property. 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. Standard parallels run east to west along with the baseline. Concepts will include principal meridians, the PLSS, and how sections of a township are. The lines are spaced 24 miles apart, creating squares that are around 576 square miles. 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. You have 80 acres in that plot of land, and that is your answer. The numbering then moves from right to left across that first upper tier. Create your account. The legal description includes the state name, the meridian name, the township and range directions, and usually the section number. In addition to the principal meridians and baselines, the land is further divided by range lines, which run north and south. For example, a Bound could be a road, tree, river, or large rock. To find the area of something we take the length times the width. (This description refers to a 10-acre parcel of land. Land is designated as either a base line (East-West) or principal meridian line (North-South). In the entire nation, there are only 36 principal meridians. There are 16 townships in each quadrangle. 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? They are often combined to create a more accurate map of property boundaries. For the real estate exam, youll need to know the two primary survey methods. True of False - When land is mapped on the rectangular survey system, you locate the parcel by reading the directions from left to right. 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. So how does the system describe land? After six years of aircrew service in the Air Force, he earned his MBA from the University of Phoenix following a BS from the University of Maryland. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Townships are subdivided into 36 one-mile- square sections. Principal meridians run perpendicular to the earths equator, north to south. Prior to the land ordinance of 1785 and the Rectangular Survey System, the state lands state which would be the 13 colonies, surveyed their land with meets and bound system. 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.
