Legal descriptions
Rectangular survey system
The government grid of townships, ranges and sections used across most of the country
Also called the government survey or the Public Land Survey System. Land is located from principal meridians and base lines into six-mile-square townships, each divided into 36 sections of one square mile — 640 acres each.
How the exam asks about it
Two numbers carry most items: a section is 640 acres, and a township contains 36 sections. Read a quarter description from right to left, dividing by four at each step.
Related terms
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