Government Survey System, Sections and Township Flashcards
What is the government survey system?
Federal land survey system implemented in the US less than a decade after the founding of the county. It gave people a way to find specific plots of land before we had Google Map, Waze, ect.
How are government surveys created?
Two reference lines. East to West line = baseline. and North to South line called the principal meridian.
What is the Point of Beginning?
When the baseline and the principal meridian intersect
How many lines are drawn from the point of the beginning?
Every 6 miles on both sides of the baseline and every six miles on both sides of the meridian line.
What is the lining from eat to west called?
Tiers
What is the lining from north to south called?
Range lines
How many miles apart are tiers and range lines?
6 miles in every direction
What are the 6 mile squares called?
Townships
How many square miles do townships cover?
36 square miles (6 times 6)
How many sections is a township divided into?
36 sections with there being one square mile
How does this read? SW1/2 NW 1/2 S9, T4N, R5W
The southwest half of the northwest quarter of section nine, township four north range five west.
How to remember the order in which legal descriptions are written remember….
Same as home address. Specific information first, then the information becomes more and more general
