What is PLSS data?
Public Land Survey System or PLSS This rectangular survey system is now know as the Public Land Survey System. Under the cadastral system the public domain is plotted from a principal meridian (running north and south) and base line (running east and west) into a grid of squares approximately 6 miles to the side, called “townships.” The township is further divided into sections of one-mile squares containing 640 acres. Sections are numbered 1-36 from the upper right hand corner. The sections can be further subdivided into quarter sections of 160 acres. The quarters can be divided into half-quarters of 80 acres or into quarter-quarter sections of 40 acres, etc. The land description for the following parcel would be written as “NE1/4NW1/4, Sec. 14, T. 2 S., R. 3 W.
