John A. Yoegel, PhD, is a certified real estate instructor and former board member of the Real Estate Educators Association. For the real estate exam, youll need to know the two primary survey methods. Metes and bounds were used as the primary survey method before 1785 and were fairly inaccurate, especially before GPS technology. The government survey system legal land description method is the subject of this article. Simply multiply 640 by or 0.25, which equals 160, then multiply 160 by 1/2 or 0.5, which equals 80. 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. Doing the math, its 1/2 1/4 640 = 80 acres. Dont Miss: Can The Government Help Me With Rent. Also Check: Government To Forgive Student Loan Debt. What is Rectangular Survey System Description? - Civil Stuff Additionally, the terms used in the Rectangular Survey System can have different meanings under other systems of measurement and governmental designations. These range lines form ranges. Government Rectangular Survey System (GRSS) And Torrens System Government Rectangular Survey System (GRSM) Land survey system primarily used throughout the US but not within the original 13 colonies which are based upon the Meters & Bounds Theory Based upon the longitude and latitude lines and then ultimately upon the meridian (vertical . Shawn Custer has taught college-level English, composition, and literature for over six years. These divisions mean just that. Tips to Understanding the Legal Description - PropLogix You have 80 acres in that plot of land, and that is your answer. The numbering continues in this manner like a snake, until ending in the far southeast corner with section 36. There are several advantages of the rectangular land survey system. The following is a list of the more commonly required landscape and surveying items that were either required or requested be noted, over much of the nineteenth century. You can drill down by clicking on the land map, but you need to click the calc button to get the latitude and longitude. The implementation of the system begins with the identification of the reference lines: the east-west line called the Base Line and the north-south line is also known for the name principal meridian. He decided to install sewer and underground electric for the entire subdivision, because he thinks that he will easily recoup his initial infrastructure investment. Create your account. Rectangular Government Survey. It is the lands boundary lines that also have terminal points and angles. Each piece of land is measured only from one meridian, and it may not be the one closest in proximity to the piece of land. The area created by the intersection of a township line and a range line is a township. However, rivers can be moved, and trees can die, so as you can see, this method is wildly inaccurate over time. Quadrangles have an area of 576 square miles, more or less, and are divided into 16 townships.\r\n \t

Each township is further divided into 36 sections of one square mile each, or 640 acres, by horizontal and vertical section lines. In other words, after section number 6, it drops down to 7 on the next tier then goes left to right to number 12. Township lines, which run east and west, parallel to baselines, are horizontal parallel lines that form township tiers.\r\n\r\nThink about two lines running from left to right across this page about an inch apart. 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. [/caption]\r\n\r\nA full rectangular survey system property description might read:\r\n

The SW 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of Section 6, Township 4 South, Range 5, East of the Third Principal Meridian. Surveyors also establish an east-west line from which all measurements originate. - 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. Annexation in Real Estate: Method & Laws | What is Annexation? Government Survey System (Rectangular Survey System) Public Land Survey System (PLSS) After the Revolutionary War ended, the United States Government needed a way to describe lands in the West to insure locating and selling. The states that use the rectangular survey system are:Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Alabama, and Florida. This version has a more visual interface, which was optimized to explore the dataset. The township is the basic unit of measurement in the rectangular survey system. Putting the above description into words is half of a quarter section. Remember 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 system became official with the Land Ordinance Act of 1785. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. The guide meridians occur every 24 miles east and west of the principal meridian. The first sets of lines respectively are called principal meridians, which run north and south, and baselines, which run east and west. Rectangular Government Survey System The rectangular government survey system -also known as the Public Land Survey However, in some areas of the country, a township refers to a legal municipality rather than a geographic area, which can lead to some confusion. The Rectangular Survey System, also known as the Government Survey System or Public Land Survey System, is a method of plotting land boundaries in the United States using a large grid made up of rectangles. Types of Tenancy in Real Estate | Overview, Leases & Examples, Lien Theory State vs. You may be asked to identify sections in the Rectangular Survey System, so remember the order from specific to general. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. So how does the system describe land? He teaches pre-licensing and continuing education courses for salespeople, brokers, and appraisers.

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John A. Yoegel, PhD, is a certified real estate instructor and former board member of the Real Estate Educators Association. The legal description can be further described by indicating which directional half or quadrants of the section, as well. In reality, because of this earth curvature issue, many sections and townships vary from their exact area measurements. 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. The numbering continues directly beneath the sixth section, except that it progresses from left to right on the second tier. Half sections have an area of 320 acres. Sections also are numbered consecutively. According to historian Matthew Dennis, this rectangular survey system allowed the leaders of the young government to apply their "nationalistic, scientific, and engineering mentality in transforming the continental landscape of North America, reconceptualizing its space, subduing and organizing it, and distributing it to white yeoman farmers in After the Revolutionary War ended, the United States Government needed a way to describe lands in the West to insure locating and selling. It is a rectangular approach to surveying the land breaking the district down to quadrangles of 24 miles. Rectangular Survey System Real Estate Definition Attachments & Severance in Real Estate: Definitions, Examples & Laws. 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. Metes and bounds were used as the primary survey method before 1785 and were fairly inaccurate, especially before GPS technology. For a government survey to be valid, the official plat must have been approved by the government . by six miles square (for a total area of 36 square miles or 23,040 acres). Township lines run east and west and are also found six miles apart. These divisions mean just that. This system created a checkerboard of identical squares using longitude lines and latitude lines . What Is Chattel in Real Estate and Property? A system of fractional sections and government lots are parts of standard practice to account for these discrepancies. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9566"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/282532"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"

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