Existing maps take precedence over modern technological methods, so many of the plots are uneven or larger or smaller than the designated size.

The numbering starts in the most northeastern block and continues west, then south and east again, in a pattern known as “as the cow plows.” Each of these square-mile blocks is further divided into smaller sections.īecause the surveying methods at the time the system was developed were not precise, and possibly because the surveys were knowingly falsified, the PLSS maps are not exact. For example, a surveyor might write Township 1 South, Range 2 East.Įach township is 36 square miles, and each square mile is given a number. These parcels are called townships and are often designated by numbers based on how many points north, south, east, or west they from the principal meridian and baseline. From this axis, rectangular parcels have been measured out and divided. There are 37 principal meridians, each with a name and a perpendicular baseline. The PLSS is based on the establishment of a principal meridian, a north-south line dividing land to the east and west. citizens to buy farmland from the government, and thus a system was set up to divide the land. The Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 allowed U.S. Geological Survey, the PLSS was developed by Thomas Jefferson.Ī system was needed to measure and divide the large expanses of land to the west, which were to be given to Revolutionary War soldiers and sold to others. Often abbreviated PLSS, this system was first used in the 1700s when the United States first began expanding west of the 13 colonies. The Public Land Survey System is a method surveyors use to describe land parcels. Developers and city and town officials rely on accurate survey maps for sales and construction.

Township-and-range survey system