Public Land Survey System

E43869
United States federal standard cadastral survey system land survey system

The Public Land Survey System is a standardized method used in the United States to divide and describe land into rectangular parcels for ownership and development.

Observed surface forms (5)

Surface form Occurrences
PLSS 1
Public Land Survey System rectangular survey 1
United States Public Land Survey System framework 1
United States public land survey 1
United States rectangular survey system 1

Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States federal standard ⓘ
cadastral survey system ⓘ
land survey system ⓘ
administeredBy U.S. Bureau of Land Management ⓘ
surface form: Bureau of Land Management
alsoKnownAs Public Land Survey System ⓘ
surface form: PLSS

rectangular survey system ⓘ
appliesTo public domain lands ⓘ
basedOn rectangular grid ⓘ
coordinateReference baseline ⓘ
principal meridian ⓘ
country United States of America ⓘ
surface form: United States
dataUsedBy geographic information systems ⓘ
land use planners ⓘ
surveyors ⓘ
title companies ⓘ
developedFor survey of western lands ⓘ
dividesLandBy townships and ranges ⓘ
excludes Hawaii ⓘ
Texas ⓘ
Thirteen Colonies ⓘ
surface form: original Thirteen Colonies

parts of Kentucky ⓘ
parts of Ohio ⓘ
parts of West Virginia ⓘ
governs description of many rural land parcels in the United States ⓘ
influencedBy Thomas Jefferson's land policies ⓘ
legalBasis Land Ordinance of 1785 ⓘ
Northwest Ordinance ⓘ
surface form: Northwest Ordinance of 1787
partOf Public Land Survey System self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: United States public land survey
purpose describe land for ownership ⓘ
divide land into rectangular parcels ⓘ
facilitate land development ⓘ
support land conveyance and title ⓘ
quarterSectionArea 160 acres ⓘ
relatedTo metes and bounds ⓘ
sectionsPerTownship 36 ⓘ
standardSectionArea 1 square mile ⓘ
640 acres ⓘ
standardTownshipArea 36 square miles ⓘ
standardTownshipSize 6 miles by 6 miles ⓘ
subdividesSectionsBy aliquot parts ⓘ
usedFor land management ⓘ
land patents ⓘ
legal land descriptions ⓘ
property deeds ⓘ
usesMeasurementSystem U.S. survey feet ⓘ
chains ⓘ
links ⓘ
usesUnit quarter section ⓘ
range ⓘ
section ⓘ
township ⓘ

Referenced by (10)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Public Land Survey System → alsoKnownAs → Public Land Survey System ⓘ
this entity surface form: PLSS
Nevada land survey system → basedOn → Public Land Survey System ⓘ
Mount Diablo meridian → coordinateSystem → Public Land Survey System ⓘ
this entity surface form: Public Land Survey System rectangular survey
Land Ordinance of 1785 → introducedConcept → Public Land Survey System ⓘ
Humboldt meridian → partOf → Public Land Survey System ⓘ
Mount Diablo meridian → partOf → Public Land Survey System ⓘ
Nevada land survey system → partOf → Public Land Survey System ⓘ
this entity surface form: United States Public Land Survey System framework
Public Land Survey System → partOf → Public Land Survey System self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: United States public land survey
San Bernardino meridian → referenceSystem → Public Land Survey System ⓘ
San Bernardino meridian → system → Public Land Survey System ⓘ
this entity surface form: United States rectangular survey system