Correction lines occur at every fourth township line or every 24 miles north and south of the baseline. So, you can refer to the south (S) 1/2 of the northwest (NW) 1/4 of a section in a township, for example. So, there can be the north, south, east, or west half section.\r\n\r\nBecause of the curvature of the earth, the lines in the government survey system are only theoretically straight. Rectangular Government Survey System The rectangular government survey system -also known as the Public Land Survey School University of Minnesota, Duluth; Course Title MARKETING MISC; Uploaded By MajorTarsierMaster692. The range lines run north and south parallel to the principal meridians. They are the starting points for describing a propertys boundaries. The range lines run north and south parallel to the principal meridians. Tenancy at Will Laws & Examples | What is an Estate at Will? Congress created it in 1785 as a more straightforward, faster and more accurate way to identify land. \"https://sb\" : \"http://b\") + \".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\";el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el);})();\r\n","enabled":true},{"pages":["all"],"location":"footer","script":"\r\n
\r\n","enabled":false},{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"\r\n","enabled":false},{"pages":["article"],"location":"header","script":" ","enabled":true},{"pages":["homepage"],"location":"header","script":"","enabled":true},{"pages":["homepage","article","category","search"],"location":"footer","script":"\r\n\r\n","enabled":true}]}},"pageScriptsLoadedStatus":"success"},"navigationState":{"navigationCollections":[{"collectionId":287568,"title":"BYOB (Be Your Own Boss)","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-entry-level-entrepreneur-287568"},{"collectionId":293237,"title":"Be a Rad Dad","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/be-the-best-dad-293237"},{"collectionId":295890,"title":"Career Shifting","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/career-shifting-295890"},{"collectionId":294090,"title":"Contemplating the Cosmos","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/theres-something-about-space-294090"},{"collectionId":287563,"title":"For Those Seeking Peace of Mind","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-those-seeking-peace-of-mind-287563"},{"collectionId":287570,"title":"For the Aspiring Aficionado","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-bougielicious-287570"},{"collectionId":291903,"title":"For the Budding Cannabis Enthusiast","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-budding-cannabis-enthusiast-291903"},{"collectionId":291934,"title":"For the Exam-Season Crammer","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-exam-season-crammer-291934"},{"collectionId":287569,"title":"For the Hopeless Romantic","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-hopeless-romantic-287569"},{"collectionId":296450,"title":"For the Spring Term Learner","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-spring-term-student-296450"}],"navigationCollectionsLoadedStatus":"success","navigationCategories":{"books":{"0":{"data":[{"categoryId":33512,"title":"Technology","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/technology-33512"},{"categoryId":33662,"title":"Academics & The Arts","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/academics-the-arts-33662"},{"categoryId":33809,"title":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/home-auto-hobbies-33809"},{"categoryId":34038,"title":"Body, Mind, & Spirit","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/body-mind-spirit-34038"},{"categoryId":34224,"title":"Business, Careers, & Money","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/business-careers-money-34224"}],"breadcrumbs":[],"categoryTitle":"Level 0 Category","mainCategoryUrl":"/category/books/level-0-category-0"}},"articles":{"0":{"data":[{"categoryId":33512,"title":"Technology","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/technology-33512"},{"categoryId":33662,"title":"Academics & The Arts","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/academics-the-arts-33662"},{"categoryId":33809,"title":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/home-auto-hobbies-33809"},{"categoryId":34038,"title":"Body, Mind, & Spirit","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/body-mind-spirit-34038"},{"categoryId":34224,"title":"Business, Careers, & Money","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/business-careers-money-34224"}],"breadcrumbs":[],"categoryTitle":"Level 0 Category","mainCategoryUrl":"/category/articles/level-0-category-0"}}},"navigationCategoriesLoadedStatus":"success"},"searchState":{"searchList":[],"searchStatus":"initial","relatedArticlesList":[],"relatedArticlesStatus":"initial"},"routeState":{"name":"Article3","path":"/article/academics-the-arts/study-skills-test-prep/real-estate-licensure-exam/real-estate-license-exam-the-rectangular-survey-system-274745/","hash":"","query":{},"params":{"category1":"academics-the-arts","category2":"study-skills-test-prep","category3":"real-estate-licensure-exam","article":"real-estate-license-exam-the-rectangular-survey-system-274745"},"fullPath":"/article/academics-the-arts/study-skills-test-prep/real-estate-licensure-exam/real-estate-license-exam-the-rectangular-survey-system-274745/","meta":{"routeType":"article","breadcrumbInfo":{"suffix":"Articles","baseRoute":"/category/articles"},"prerenderWithAsyncData":true},"from":{"name":null,"path":"/","hash":"","query":{},"params":{},"fullPath":"/","meta":{}}},"dropsState":{"submitEmailResponse":false,"status":"initial"},"sfmcState":{"status":"initial"},"profileState":{"auth":{},"userOptions":{},"status":"success"}}, How to P-R-E-P-A-R-E for the Real Estate License Exam, Real Estate License Exam: 10 Things to Find Out About State Real Estate Law, How to Make Mortgage Calculations without a Fancy Calculator, Real Estate License Exam: Measuring Area and Volume, Real Estate License Exams For Dummies Cheat Sheet. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Using the land noted on the image, a parcel could be defined as the West half of the Southeast quarter of Section 14 of Township 2 South, Range 3 West. 276 lessons government rectangular survey system - Barrons Dictionary - AllBusiness.com The townships are consecutively numbered by their location within the intersection of multiple range lines and township lines. He teaches pre-licensing and continuing education courses for salespeople, brokers, and appraisers. We know that there are 640 acres in one section, and we are taking a 1/4 of a 1/2 section. Specific directional references are needed in the actual description to locate a particular piece of property, but for finding out how large a particular piece of property is, only the fractions matter.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_274747\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]

- \r\n \t
- Quadrangles: The basic squares of land of the rectangular survey system, quadrangles (also government checks, or just checks) are 24 miles square (that means each side is 24 miles long) and are delineated by a principal meridian and a baseline. The second set of lines are called baselines and run east and west. Figuring out the size of a piece of property, which sometimes is called a parcel, is simple, if you keep in mind that youre always dealing with a section of 640 acres. Using those lines for references, quadrangles are formed, which are smaller squares identifiable by where they are located near the principal meridian and baseline. Sections are numbered from the northeast (top right) corner, running first horizontally to the west and then down and back to the east in a serpentine pattern. The Metes and bounds system dates back centuries to the original 13 colonies, while the rectangular survey method was established in 1785 and used in all 36 states formed after that point. Dummies has always stood for taking on complex concepts and making them easy to understand. 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. Section information is added to the property description as such: Missouri, Fifth Principal Meridian, T5S, R4W, sec 24. ","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9566,"name":"John A. Yoegel","slug":"john-a-yoegel","description":"
John A. Yoegel, PhD, is a certified real estate instructor and former board member of the Real Estate Educators Association. Also Check: Government Regulations For Nonprofit Organizations. The fifth township south of the baseline and fourth to the west of the principal meridian would be identified as Missouri, Fifth Principal Meridian, Township 5 South, Range 4 West, or Missouri, Fifth Principal Meridian, T5S, R4W. Join over 10,000 subscribers and pass your exam today! This is not merely the address of the property but is a legal description. It is primarily used throughout the United States with the exception of the thirteen colonies, which was surveyed by the metes and bound method . Sections also are numbered consecutively. Were not done yet. If you want to define smaller properties, we can take the southeast of section 3, which will only be 160 acres. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. Government Survey System or Public Land Survey System functions just like a mailing label on an envelope. 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 townships are consecutively numbered by their location within the intersection of multiple range lines and township lines. The first is the Metes and Bounds surveythe second is the Rectangular Survey System, also known as the Government Survey System or Public Lands Survey System. Also known as the Rectangular Survey System, it was created by the Land Ordinance of 1785 to survey land ceded to the United States by the Treaty of Paris in 1783, following the end of the American Revolution. You may be asked to identify sections in the Rectangular Survey System, so remember the order from specific to general. Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, Different Types of Estates in Real Estate, Legal Description of Property: Definition, Importance & Example, What is a Land Survey? Each section is numbered, starting at the top right corner and going back and forth, left to right, in a serpentine pattern. Whenever properties have irregular boundaries, the land may be further described using one of the two other systems described in this section. The section in the uppermost northeast corner of a township is section 1. [/caption]\r\n\r\nEach section of 640 acres can be divided into halves and quarters called, get this, half sections and quarter sections. 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. The first is the Metes and Bounds surveythe second is the Rectangular Survey System, also known as the Government Survey System or Public Lands Survey System. As mentioned above, basically you can think of the US as a huge checkerboard, with vertical and horizontal lines splitting it up. Townships have an area of 36 square miles, more or less, and are each further divided into 36 sections.
\r\n \t - Sections: The divisions of a township, sections, are one mile square and have an area of one square mile, or 640 acres. Quiz & Worksheet - Rectangular Survey System | Study.com Also Check: Government To Forgive Student Loan Debt. The legal description includes the state name, the meridian name, the township and range directions, and usually the section number. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. The lines are spaced 24 miles apart, creating squares that are around 576 square miles. Marketable Title Overview & Importance | What is a Marketable Title? Township lines, which run east and west, parallel to baselines, are horizontal parallel lines that form township tiers. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. by six miles square (for a total area of 36 square miles or 23,040 acres). Youre likely to see at least a few questions on the real estate license exams on calculating the area of part of a section, and youll also see questions about terminology and some of the measurements that the rectangular survey system uses. Baselines run parallel to the earths equator, from east to west. Annexation in Real Estate: Method & Laws | What is Annexation? The Metes and bounds system dates back centuries to the original 13 colonies, while the rectangular survey method was established in 1785 and used in all 36 states formed after that point. There is more than one type of legal description you must know for your exam. It was originally proposed by President Thomas Jefferson and is sometimes referred to as the Public Land Survey System (PLSS). It can be a quick and relatively straightforward way of dividing large areas of land into manageable, legally identifiable sections from the very large to the fairly small. - 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. Half sections have an area of 320 acres. (The figure below shows a variety of divisions in a quarter section. Yes, but first you need to know the dimensions and measurements of a township. distinguishing among the various surveys. 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 land.