Surveying in the Public Land Survey System

The Public Land Survey System, or PLSS, is a surveying method used in the United States. Its purpose is to identify separate parcels of land, especially rural or undeveloped land. The Public Land Survey System divides land into townships and sections, and is sometimes called the rectangular survey system because these areas of land are usually rectangular, although this is not always the case.

The PLSS has been described as both the first mathematically designed land survey system, and the first cadastral survey conducted nationwide in any modern country. The methods used for PLSS surveys are described by manuals produced by the General Land Office of the United States. Today, Public Land Survey System guidelines are still used to survey public lands across the nation. These principles are also being considered or adopted. by countless foreign nations.

The Public Land Survey System was created by the Land Ordinance of 1785, though it has been expanded and modified considerably over the last two centuries. The system was needed because the original colonies used the British surveying system of metes and bounds, describing boundaries based on local markers, often manmade. Points were described in terms of their location when compared to nearby creeks, trees, rocks, and other landmarks. The system was often supplemented with town plat maps. The issue with this system is that irregularly-shaped properties make extremely complex descriptions. As streams erode or dry up, trees die, boulders move, and homes are built, the landmarks used to conduct the survey may no longer be in the same place. Plus, it was not very useful to those who could not actually see the land in question, such as land in the west being sold to speculators.

The Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 controlled the survey and settling of new lands. According to these ordinances, the western land of the United States would be surveyed using a new, rectangular system, the Public Land Survey System. The first area surveyed using this system was in eastern Ohio; today, the area is a National Historic Landmark. These first lands were surveyed somewhat haphazardly, with an eye towards speed rather than accuracy. To the west, land surveys were typically more accurate. In each area, typically covering a state or even more, a major north-south line (meridian) and east-west line (base) provide the basis for land descriptions. In the west, many county lines follow these surveying lines, which is the reason why many counties are rectangular.

Under the Public Land Survey System, the meridian and base lines are used to divide the land into intervals of about 24 or 30 miles, forming a lattice pattern. Each township is a square of approximately 36 square miles. These townships are divided further into 36 sections, each 1 square mile. For the purpose of selling land, these sections can also be further divided into quarter-sections, each 0.25 square mile. If necessary, private surveyors can survey this land to further divide it, though most government surveys stop at quarter-sections. Each section is labeled using a system of numbers and letters, precisely pinpointing where this section of land lies in relation to other sections. Homesteading depended in the PLSS, which provided the basis for assigning land to settlers.

We at Point to Point Land Surveyors pride ourselves on accuracy, customer service and quality work delivered on time, guaranteed. Residential land surveys are a specialty.

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