Think about two more lines running up and down the page on top of the first two lines, also about an inch apart. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Also Check: Government To Forgive Student Loan Debt. The boundary of each township is 6 miles long, so a township contains 36 square miles and is described as being 6 miles square. The system is based on the principle of surveying the land from a fixed point, called a baseline, and . Just imagine you are to layout an area of land based on the geography, the meets, and bound system will show you the visible marks of the land. You need to know what these lines are called and how they intersect for your real estate license exam. The Rectangular Survey System is used for surveying land for sale and settling, along with the Metes and Bounds survey method. The section in the uppermost northeast corner of a township is section 1. It isn't used by East Coast states except, Florida, and it also isn't used by Texas. Using principal meridians and baselines as points of reference, land areas are divided by two kinds of lines, township lines and range lines. He teaches pre-licensing and continuing education courses for salespeople, brokers, and appraisers.
","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. The following is a list of helpful terms:\r\n
- \r\n \t
- Quadrangles: The basic squares of land of the rectangular survey system, quadrangles (also government checks, or just checks) are 24 miles square (that means each side is 24 miles long) and are delineated by a principal meridian and a baseline. A system established in 1785 by the federal government, providing for surveying and describing land by reference to principal meridians. So, you can refer to the south (S) 1/2 of the northwest (NW) 1/4 of a section in a township, for example. The land is then further divided into quadrangles. The numbering changes directions in the third tier from right to left. 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. Imagine trying to draw straight lines on a rubber ball. Surveyed land was sold by the government, providing important revenue for the cash-starved nation. As the United States grew from its original 13 colonies, a system was needed to identify who owned what land. Dont Miss: American Government A Brief Introduction. The Rectangular Survey System is a means of dividing and measuring large areas of land. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9566"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33793,"title":"Real Estate Licensure Exam","slug":"real-estate-licensure-exam","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33793"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":274757,"title":"How to P-R-E-P-A-R-E for the Real Estate License Exam","slug":"how-to-p-r-e-p-a-r-e-for-the-real-estate-license-exam","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","study-skills-test-prep","real-estate-licensure-exam"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/274757"}},{"articleId":274752,"title":"Real Estate License Exam: 10 Things to Find Out About State Real Estate Law","slug":"real-estate-license-exam-10-things-to-find-out-about-state-real-estate-law","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","study-skills-test-prep","real-estate-licensure-exam"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/274752"}},{"articleId":274740,"title":"How to Make Mortgage Calculations without a Fancy Calculator","slug":"how-to-make-mortgage-calculations-without-a-fancy-calculator","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","study-skills-test-prep","real-estate-licensure-exam"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/274740"}},{"articleId":244375,"title":"Real Estate License Exam: Measuring Area and Volume","slug":"real-estate-license-exam-measuring-area-and-volume","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","study-skills-test-prep","real-estate-licensure-exam"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/244375"}},{"articleId":207902,"title":"Real Estate License Exams For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"real-estate-license-exams-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","study-skills-test-prep","real-estate-licensure-exam"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/207902"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":true,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282532,"slug":"real-estate-license-exams-for-dummies-with-online-practice-tests-4th-edition","isbn":"9781119724858","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","study-skills-test-prep","real-estate-licensure-exam"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119724856/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119724856/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119724856-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119724856/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119724856/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://catalogimages.wiley.com/images/db/jimages/9781119724858.jpg","width":250,"height":350},"title":"Real Estate License Exams For Dummies with Online Practice Tests","testBankPinActivationLink":"https://testbanks.wiley.com","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"\n
John A. Yoegel, PhD, is a certified real estate instructor and former board member of the Real Estate Educators Association. For the real estate exam, youll need to know the two primary survey methods. The first set of lines are called the principal meridians and run north and south. Explain. 1 Square mile is equal to 640 acres. We have Quarter sections, Half sections, township sections, townships, quadrangles, and principal meridians with baselines. As mentioned above, basically you can think of the US as a huge checkerboard, with vertical and horizontal lines splitting it up. Also Check: When Is Open Enrollment For Government Healthcare. These divisions mean just that. You got it: Tic tac toe. Following the passage of the Northwest Ordinance in 1787, the Surveyor General of the Northwest Territory platted lands in the Northwest Territory. are further subdivided into 36 one-mile-square, (each section is one square mile or 640 acres), then into quarter sections, quarter-quarter sections, or irregular, Beginning at an initial point, townships are surveyed in all directions. All rights reserved. These surveys, completed between 1848 and May 1857 were primarily on land located between the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers or in the southeastern corner of Minnesota. Read Also: Government Grants For Commercial Real Estate. ","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. The system was further modified to facilitate the transfer of large quantities of government-owned western lands to . Every fourth township line is called a correction line, and every fourth range line is called a guide meridian. 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. It is extended north from the Base Line and runs at 24 miles east and west from the principal meridian. In reality, because of this earth curvature issue, many sections and townships vary from their exact area measurements. The range lines run north and south parallel to the principal meridians. The squares created by range and township lines are known as townships and are identified by their location from the baseline and principal meridian lines. Since the earth is not flat like a checkerboard, there needed to be some adjustments made along the way to make sure everything worked out. These sections are referred to as fractional sections. The lines are spaced 24 miles apart, creating squares that are around 576 square miles. Quadrangles have an area of 576 square miles, more or less, and are divided into 16 townships.
\r\n \t - Townships: The divisions of a quadrangle, townships, are six miles square (six miles on each side) and are delineated by township lines. Since nothing is perfect, some sections of land ended up being larger or smaller than they should. Jeff Davis with American Realty Academy, covering the infamous Government Rectangular Survey. You may be asked to identify sections in the Rectangular Survey System, so remember the order from specific to general. Legal descriptions under the Rectangular Survey System include the state, the principal meridian, the township designated by number and direction, and the section number. For example, a piece of land could be identified as the southeast quarter of section 18 of a township, which would be 160 acres. \"https://sb\" : \"http://b\") + \".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\";el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el);})();
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Each township is further divided into 36 sections of one square mile each, or 640 acres, by horizontal and vertical section lines. Also Check: Government Regulations For Nonprofit Organizations. - The system, which was adopted in 1785, is also called the U.S. System of Rectangular Surveys or the rectangular method. 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. It was originally proposed by U.S. President Thomas Jefferson as a means of keeping track of the ever-expanding land area of the United States. The area includes sections (1 mile on each side), townships (6 miles on each side), and quadrangles (24 miles on each side). )
\r\nFiguring 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. 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.