It is a rectangular approach to surveying the land breaking the district down to quadrangles of 24 miles. For the real estate exam, youll need to know the two primary survey methods. Three Different Types of Legal Descriptions for a Property - ExamSmart The Base Line in United States Rectangular Survey System meets its principal meridian at the point of origin, or initial point, for the survey of the land. The system uses Metes, which are straight lines connecting two points, and Bounds, which are identifiable aspects of a property. The lines are spaced 24 miles apart, creating squares that are around 576 square miles. 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 Doing the math, its 1/2 1/4 640 = 80 acres. For example, a piece of property that is located one township north of a baseline and two townships east of the fifth principal meridian in the state of Missouri would be identified as Missouri, Fifth Principal Meridian, Township 1 North, Range 2 East. is a way of subdividing and describing land in the United States. Novation in Real Estate | Novation of Contract. It references principal meridians and baselines designated throughout the There are two separate and distinct systems of land surveys in the United States: System of metes and bounds in which each parcel of land is . Guide meridians run north to south, parallel with principal meridians. 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. Legal Descriptions Using The Government Survey System 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 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. The government survey system is known by a few different names. Half sections have an area of 320 acres. Metes and Bounds surveys are still used in many states; however, they differ from the Public Land Survey System as they are not based on any grid but instead identify objects on the land, measurements, and compass directions. These are known as correction lines and guide meridians. These divisions mean just that. Shawn Custer has taught college-level English, composition, and literature for over six years. It is known that Jefferson proposed a rectangular survey system, although his system was based on the decimal system -- townships 10 miles by 10 miles. by six miles square (for a total area of 36 square miles or 23,040 acres). He teaches pre-licensing and continuing education courses for salespeople, brokers, and appraisers. Principal meridians, quadrangles, townships, then sections its that easy, dont overthink it.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'realestatelicensewizard_com-leader-1','ezslot_6',691,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-realestatelicensewizard_com-leader-1-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'realestatelicensewizard_com-leader-1','ezslot_7',691,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-realestatelicensewizard_com-leader-1-0_1');.leader-1-multi-691{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:15px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:15px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:250px;min-width:250px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}. 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. This system is also needed to divide all of the lands in the public domain which is possessed by the US federal government to benefit the American citizens. After six years of aircrew service in the Air Force, he earned his MBA from the University of Phoenix following a BS from the University of Maryland. The Surveyor General was later merged with the General Land Office, which later became a part of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management . Since nothing is perfect, some sections of land ended up being larger or smaller than they should. Where the two range lines and two township lines intersect, they form a township. However, the system calculations also have to be adjusted somewhat to account for the curvature of the earth, which required the addition of Guide Meridians and Standard Parallels. Rectangular Survey System Uses & Examples - Study.com The numbering changes directions in the third tier from right to left. The legal description includes the state name, the meridian name, the township and range directions, and usually the section number. 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. The Rectangular Survey System is a grid system of townships and sections that is used to divide the land into manageable units. [/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 Rectangular Survey System is a means of dividing and measuring large areas of land. Also, the meets and bounds system is used to describe land by listing the compass directions and distances of the boundaries. The creation of the legal description for the Governmental Survey System is based on special longitude and latitude lines called principal meridians and base lines. Sections also are numbered consecutively. Attachments & Severance in Real Estate: Definitions, Examples & Laws. First, the system makes it easier to divide large areas of land into like-sized parcels, as large as 640 square miles to as small as 2.5 acres. Finally, sections can be further divided into halves or quarters that are named for their direction within the section: the east half, the west half, the north half, the south half, the northwest quarter, the northeast quarter, the southwest quarter, and the southeast quarter. Dont Miss: Can The Government Help Me With Rent. The townships are consecutively numbered by their location within the intersection of multiple range lines and township lines. Rectangular (Government) Survey System Definition - Boston Pads The system was created by Thomas Jefferson in 1785. PDF Legal Descriptions - McKissock Learning These range lines form ranges. It is the lands boundary lines that also have terminal points and angles. Prior to the land ordinance of 1785 and the Rectangular Survey System, the state lands state which would be the 13 colonies, surveyed their land with meets and bound system. The principal meridians and baselines are based respectively on lines of longitude and latitude.\r\n\r\nYoure 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. Sections also are numbered consecutively. Read Also: Government Grants For Commercial Real Estate. Rectangular Surveys FamilySearch ","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. Dummies helps everyone be more knowledgeable and confident in applying what they know. Each township is further divided into 36 sections of one square mile each, or 640 acres, by horizontal and vertical section lines. Furthermore, how well individual surveying parties actually met the requirements or recommendations at the time, also varied. Police Power in Real Estate Significance & Examples | What is Police Power? The rectangular survey system may just be a giant grid covering the United States, but understanding how it is used can seem a little complex, so stick with us while we cover the basic definitions. 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. Understand its process through the given examples. 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. 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. The north-south line that runs through the initial point is a, ). These smaller parcels are identified by their directional location within the section. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. The first sets of lines respectively are called principal meridians, which run north and south, and baselines, which run east and west. Doing the math, its 1/2 1/4 640 = 80 acres.

    \r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_274746\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]\"quarter A quarter section can be split into smaller parts. Correction lines occur at every fourth township line or every 24 miles north and south of the baseline. This system has also become known as the rectangular survey system and geodetic survey system.. 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. Using the Fifth Principal Meridian in Missouri, the description would look like this: The W 1/2 of the SE 1/4 of Section 14, Township 2 South, Range 3 West of the Fifth Principal Meridian, Missouri. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Water & Littoral Rights Concept & Purpose | What are Water Rights? ","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"The rectangular survey system, often referred to as the government survey system, is based on a system of lines that form rectangles and squares throughout the United States. 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. )\r\nThe description probably would include the state and county in which the property is located and use abbreviations. Tips to Understanding the Legal Description - PropLogix The grid is divided into smaller sections known as quadrangles, townships, sections, half-sections, and quarter-sections, used to describe property boundaries in most of the United States. We have Quarter sections, Half sections, township sections, townships, quadrangles, and principal meridians with baselines. You have 80 acres in that plot of land, and that is your answer. There is more than one type of legal description you must know for your exam. They are the starting points for describing a propertys boundaries. Imagine trying to draw straight lines on a rubber ball. The boundary of each township is 6 miles long, so a township contains 36 square miles and is described as being 6 miles square. Jeff Davis with American Realty Academy, covering the infamous Government Rectangular Survey. Rectangular Government Survey. 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    John A. Yoegel, PhD, is a certified real estate instructor and former board member of the Real Estate Educators Association. This indicates that the property is between the baseline and the first township line to the north and between the first and second range lines to the east of the fifth principal meridian. Real Property Ownership Flashcards | Quizlet Principal meridians run perpendicular to the earths equator, north to south. The first set of lines are called the principal meridians and run north and south. )

    \r\n

    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. Baselines run parallel to the earths equator, from east to west. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. ","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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