Township and Range Survey Method

Definition

The Township and Range Survey Method is a system used to divide land in the United States. It was established by the Land Ordinance of 1785, dividing land into square townships, six miles on each side, further divided into 36 one-mile square sections.

Analogy

Think of this method like a giant checkerboard spread across the U.S., with each square representing a township. Inside each of these squares (townships), there are smaller squares (sections) that make up the larger one.

Related terms

Land Ordinance of 1785: This is an act passed by Congress to establish a standardized system for surveying and selling western lands. It's like the rulebook for our checkerboard analogy.

Section: A section is a unit of land in U.S. public land survey system equal to one square mile, or 640 acres. These are the small squares inside our larger checkerboard squares (townships).

Public Land Survey System (PLSS): This is the surveying method developed and used in the United States to plat or divide real property for sale and settling. It's essentially the name given to our entire "checkerboard" layout.