John A. Yoegel, PhD, is a certified real estate instructor and former board member of the Real Estate Educators Association. Principal meridians, baselines, and where they intersect (cross each other) are used as the basis for formulating property descriptions in this system. Because the rectangular or government survey system was instituted when the United States was a brand-new country, it was used to describe most of the land west of the original 13 . Way in which the U.S. government uses to subdivide public land. 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. Water & Littoral Rights Concept & Purpose | What are Water Rights? For example, a legal description of Missouri, Fifth Principal Meridian, T4S, R7E, sec 23 indicates a property that is 4 townships south and 7 townships east of the Fifth Principal Meridian in Missouri. 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. The strips of land they form are known as township tiers. For instance, a quarter section always contains 160 acres, or a fourth of the total 640 acres in a section. What Is Chattel in Real Estate and Property? 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. Section 1 within any township is always located at the upper right or northeast corner of the township. What Is the Rectangular Survey System Used For? The earths curvature led to the creation of additional lines called Guide Meridians that is perpendicular to the baseline. You may even see a question or two about the numbering system used for sections. 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. Each one is distinguished by a different name and number and has an intersecting baseline. Moreover, the astronomical observations will then determine the areas latitude and longitude. The legal description includes the state name, the meridian name, the township and range directions, and usually the section number. Metes & Bounds System in Real Estate | Metes & Bounds Survey Examples & Legal Description. You may have math questions on your real estate licensing exam related to this concept. These divisions mean just that. However, rivers can be moved, and trees can die, so as you can see, this method is wildly inaccurate over time. 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\"]![\"real](\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/real-estate-exam-sections.jpg\")
Sections can be divided in a variety of ways, including quarters and smaller sections. This system divides the country using 37 principal meridians that run north and south and baselines that run east and west. Although the lines start out the same distance apart, they get closer together as you get near one or the other end of the ball.\r\n\r\nCorrection lines and guide meridians were established to correct this problem in the government survey system. These sections are referred to as fractional sections. It references principal meridians and baselines designated throughout the For example, a piece of land could be identified as the southeast quarter of section 18 of a township, which would be 160 acres. (The figure below shows a variety of divisions in a quarter section. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. ( the major vertical line) -37 in the U.S. Base Line The horizontal line ( the major one) Ranges Think about two more lines running up and down the page on top of the first two lines, also about an inch apart. This system has also become known as the rectangular survey system and geodetic survey system.. The numbering continues directly beneath the sixth section, except that it progresses from left to right on the second tier. You may even see a question or two about the numbering system used for sections. Each one square mile section is 640 acres. It will serve as the basis for surveys of government in a specified area under its jurisdiction. 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. Simply multiply 640 by or 0.25, which equals 160, then multiply 160 by 1/2 or 0.5, which equals 80. These townships are not the same as political subdivisions.\r\n
Each township is further divided into 36 sections of one square mile each, or 640 acres, by horizontal and vertical section lines. Because the rectangular or government survey system was instituted when the United States was a new country, it was used to describe most of the land west of the original 13 colonies, so most of you are likely to see some questions about this system.\r\n\r\nLongitude and latitude are imaginary lines that divide the earth through the north and south poles (longitude) and run parallel with the equator (latitude). Previous to the Public Land Survey System, land was surveyed using a confusing landmark-based system called metes and bounds. The first sets of lines respectively are called principal meridians, which run north and south, and baselines, which run east and west. The principal meridians are not located in equal distances from one another. succeed. The system uses Metes, which are straight lines connecting two points, and Bounds, which are identifiable aspects of a property. There may also be questions about how much land is in a specific plot or section. Using principal meridians and baselines as points of reference, land areas are divided by two kinds of lines, township lines and range lines. Then the numbering drops down to 13 and goes right to left again and so forth: Each section of 640 acres can be divided into halves and quarters called, get this, half sections and quarter sections. 1. 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 . 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 a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 Each half or quarter section can be further subdivided into halves and quarters. If you want to define smaller properties, we can take the southeast of section 3, which will only be 160 acres. A Metes and Bounds survey may read something like commencing from the large apple tree 1 mile to the north, west along the river bed. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. The second set of lines are called baselines and run east and west. Dont Miss: American Government A Brief Introduction. 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.