A section could be further divided into halves, quarters and similar fractional parts.Base and meridian lines are similar to latitude and longitude lines. Every section was then given a number from 1 to 36 depending upon its position within the township. In addition, each township was partitioned into 36 square-mile parcels of 640 acres, called Sections. Range lines were then surveyed parallel to the baseline (north to south) at six mile intervals and township lines are surveyed parallel to meridian (east to west) at six-mile intervals, dividing the land into 6 x 6 mile squares called survey or congressional townships.

The PLSS System then partitions the land into rectangles from an initial point (intersection of principal meridian and baseline). Some states, such as Colorado and Nebraska, share meridians and baselines. There are 35 principal meridians and 32 base lines in the US. The intersection point of these lines is used as an initial point for the survey. The USPLS begins with principal meridians and base lines. The system was initially implemented in the Northwest Territories and subsequently in the remaining central and western states. The United States Public Land Survey (USPLS) or Rectangular System of survey or simply Public Land Survey System (PLSS) is the most widely used surveying method in the United States used to describe parcel boundaries. The application is located at the following URL: or simply navigate to to find it. The application also allows you to search by USGS Quad Name. It lets you enter the Township and Section number and then identifies your area of interest. Have you had problems locating a particular section or quarter section? Do you want to know the Township, Range and Section number for your house? If so, the New Mexico PLSS finder application will help you.

Township-and-range survey system