Township, Section, Range – What Do They Mean?

What do the Township, Range and Section fields mean? Where did they come from and how are they determined?

A Bit of History

If we jump into a history lesson, the U.S. received new land in thanks to the Treaty of Paris toward the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1785. In order for the U.S. to properly assess the new land, the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) was developed to plot or divide real property for sale or settling. The PLSS is now the primary surveying method for the majority of America, excluding the original 13 colonies and Texas.

How the System Works

First, a baseline is established that runs east to west. In Arizona, it’s Baseline Road. Then, a principal meridian is defined, which runs north and south. Our principal meridian is the Gila River, or roughly 115^th Avenue. Next, lines parallel to the baseline are plotted along the map. These are called standard parallels. These three lines, the baseline, principal meridian and standard parallels form a foundation grid that allows for more detailed survey work.

Lines plotted parallel to the baseline are called township lines and are typically in intervals of six miles. Lines plotted parallel to the principal meridian are called range lines and are also typically in intervals of six miles.

What is a Section?

Once the township is established, it is then divided into 36 areas, measuring one square mile each, giving us the section we see in our tax records today.

Section/Township/Range Example

Here we can see where the ARMLS Support Center is located via Monsoon and on the PLSS map. It falls in the township one mile north of the established baseline, and four-miles east of the principle meridian. It then lies in section 17 of the 1N4E Township.

 

Need the township, range and section for your listing? Find it in Monsoon or auto-populating tax data from an address or parcel number.