Correction lines occur at every fourth township line or every 24 miles north and south of the baseline. The second row down continues being numbered west to east or left to right. The Rectangular Survey System is a means of dividing and measuring large areas of land. Police Power in Real Estate Significance & Examples | What is Police Power? You may even see a question or two about the numbering system used for sections. Which States Use the Rectangular Survey System. These divisions mean just that. is a way of subdividing and describing land in the United States. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. Think about two lines running from left to right across this page about an inch apart. Each section is numbered, starting at the top right corner and going back and forth, left to right, in a serpentine pattern. Also Check: Government Help With Home Down Payment. Remember, a township is 6 miles by 6 miles. Standard Parallels are also called as correction lines for the meridians to compensate for the curvature of the earth. The first sets of lines respectively are called principal meridians, which run north and south, and baselines, which run east and west. It uses the 37 principal meridian lines that run north to south across the U.S. and baselines that run east to west. Additionally, the terms used in the Rectangular Survey System can have different meanings under other systems of measurement and governmental designations. 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). In reality, because of this earth curvature issue, many sections and townships vary from their exact area measurements. Only about half of the state in the U.S. use the rectangular survey system. You have 80 acres in that plot of land, and that is your answer. First, the system makes it easier to divide large areas of land into like-sized parcels, as large as 640 square miles to as small as 2.5 acres. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. (This description refers to a 10-acre parcel of land. - Definition & Types, Rectangular Survey System: Definition & Uses, Measuring the Area of a Rectangle: Formula & Examples, Fair Housing & Consumer Protection Laws in Real Estate, Property Condition Disclosure Statements in Real Estate, Real Estate Closing & Settlement Procedures, Real Estate Taxes, Warranties & Insurance, Real Estate Ethics & Professional Responsibility, DSST Business Ethics and Society: Study Guide & Test Prep, CLEP Principles of Marketing: Study Guide & Test Prep, NES Business Education (309): Practice & Study Guide, How to Positively Influence Others in the Workplace, OSAT Marketing Education (CEOE) (041): Practice & Study Guide, Maintaining Records in a Florida Real Estate Office, Seamless Application in a Wireless Network: Definition & Requirements, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. The township and range definition of a parcel of land, then, is its location in relation to the township and range lines. For example, a piece of property that is located one township north of a baseline and two townships east of the fifth principal meridian in the state of Missouri would be identified as Missouri, Fifth Principal Meridian, Township 1 North, Range 2 East. Remember, there are 36 square miles in a township, and each section is 1 square mile. You may have math questions on your real estate licensing exam related to this concept. Dont Miss: Can The Government Help Me With Rent. The numbering changes directions in the third tier from right to left. 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. These townships are not the same as political subdivisions.\r\n
Each township is further divided into 36 sections of one square mile each, or 640 acres, by horizontal and vertical section lines. The first sets of lines respectively are called principal meridians, which run north and south, and baselines, which run east and west. As each territory or state opened new public lands, the government identified a meridian (running north and south) and a base line (running east and west) to guide all future land surveys in that area. A rectangular survey is read based on the state and meridian line and the property's location, directionally, to that line. You need to know what these lines are called and how they intersect for your real estate license exam. 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. It is a rectangular approach to surveying the land breaking the district down to quadrangles of 24 miles. The sections are number 1 through 36 starting in the NE corner of the section continuing west along the top row. Metes and bounds were used as the primary survey method before 1785 and were fairly inaccurate, especially before GPS technology. In the survey method, there has to be the creation of an initial point. These range lines form ranges. A system established in 1785 by the federal government, providing for surveying and describing land by reference to principal meridians. As we mentioned earlier, two primary survey methods are used in the United States, the Metes and Bounds System, and the Rectangular Survey System. The Public Land Survey System is the surveying method developed and used in the United States to plat, or divide, real property for sale and settling. Although the lines start out the same distance apart, they get closer together as you get near one or the other end of the ball.\r\n\r\nCorrection lines and guide meridians were established to correct this problem in the government survey system. It isn't used by East Coast states except, Florida, and it also isn't used by Texas. Constructive Notice in Real Estate Overview & Law | What is Constructive Notice? That means it is 3 townships north of the baseline and 5 townships east of the principal meridian. You may be asked to identify sections in the Rectangular Survey System, so remember the order from specific to general. The rectangular survey system devised for the PLSS is often credited to Thomas Jefferson. The system uses Metes, which are straight lines connecting two points, and Bounds, which are identifiable aspects of a property. 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? 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. That could be further divided into quarters, such as the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 18 of a township would be 40 acres. Townships are subdivided into 36 one-mile- square sections. A government check represents an area that measures 576 square miles.\r\n\r\nRemember that although these correction lines and guide meridians are the way the government deals with the issue of the earths curvature, it isnt the way the government survey system describes land. The guide meridians occur every 24 miles east and west of the principal meridian. So how does the system describe land? The Rectangular Survey System, also known as the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) or the Government Survey System, is a way of measuring and establishing boundary lines for large areas of. The government survey system divides the country into a huge grid using principal meridians that run north to south and baselines that run east to west. You may even see a question or two about the numbering system used for sections. 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. It is primarily used throughout the United States with the exception of the thirteen colonies, which was surveyed by the metes and bound method . The rectangular survey system may just be a giant grid covering the United States, but understanding how it is used can seem a little complex, so stick with us while we cover the basic definitions. These principal meridian lines are named or numbered to identify their location. The lines are spaced 24 miles apart, creating squares that are around 576 square miles. Because of the curvature of the earth, correction lines and guide meridians are used to compensate. There may also be questions about how much land is in a specific plot or section. Think about two more lines running up and down the page on top of the first two lines, also about an inch apart. 1 Square mile is equal to 640 acres. Many areas in the other states are also more accurate. 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? 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John A. Yoegel, PhD, is a certified real estate instructor and former board member of the Real Estate Educators Association. They are the starting points for describing a propertys boundaries. Range lines run north and south between the principal meridians and are spaced out every six miles. Create your account. The principal meridians are not located in equal distances from one another. There are various issues with the names on the very small land parcels in several states. The Rectangular Survey System was established in 1785 to identify, divide, and measure land, creating boundary lines for property owners. distinguishing among the various surveys. It uses imaginary lines to set land descriptions on thedistance: base lines run east-west and meridians run north-south. The legal description can be further described by indicating which directional half or quadrants of the section, as well. Each township is further divided into 36 sections of one square mile each, or 640 acres, by horizontal and vertical section lines. Easement Appurtenant Features & Examples | What is an Easement in Real Estate? The rectangular survey or government survey describes. The section in the bottom left corner, the southwest corner, is section 36. The first set of lines are called the principal meridians and run north and south.
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