Government Survey

The government survey is the second major type of land description found in the United States and is more formally known as the “Public Land Survey System,” or PLSS, or the rectangular survey system. This was set up, essentially, to provide a more uniform method of survey than a state-by-state hodgepodge, or a state-wide metes and bounds system.

This system is set up based upon boundaries running vertically and horizontally through states, called meridians (running north-south) and “base lines” (running east-west). The map located at the end of this chapter under Exhibit A will give you some idea of how these lines are set up within states in which they are used.

Naturally, we are focusing on Indiana, and the map from in the "About" PDF gives you a close-up of the meridian and base line found within Indiana.

As you may note, Indiana has two meridians running through it – a sliver of the 1^st Principal Meridian, and the entirely of the 2^nd Principal Meridian. From these baselines and meridians, we can locate property within the state based on legal descriptions which indicate how far north or south of the baseline, and how far east or west of the meridian, the property is located.  Lines running north and south are called “township lines” and east or west are called “range lines.”

So, in the map, T2N, R1E is a “township that is two north of the base line, and one east of the meridian. Township lines are six miles long, as are range lines. Therefore, each township is 36 square miles. It is important to note that these are NOT the same as political townships. Therefore, a unit like “T1E, R1E” is often referred to as a “survey township,” and is usually (though not always), comprised of 36 square miles. In 6.2.2.1, the PDF shows how Indiana is divided according to township and range blocks, statewide.

Each 1x1 mile block, each section, is composed of 640 acres, with ½ a section being (therefore) 320 acres, ¼ section 160 acres, and so forth. It is for this reason that one will often see farms and other properties divided into perfect squares. So, when you encounter legal descriptions locating some tract of land, they will often be written as follows: “The northeast quarter of the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 22.”

While a more in-depth discussion of the government survey is beyond the scope of this textbook, there are many resources online which may be located through search engines, to assist you with learning more.