RPLS Public Land Survey System (PLSS) 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the basic area unit of land division in the Public Land Survey System (PLSS)?
- Township (23,040 acres)
- Section (640 acres) (Correct answer)
- Quarter section (160 acres)
- Range (varies by latitude)
Correct answer: Section (640 acres)
The section, nominally 640 acres (one square mile), is the basic unit of land division in the PLSS.
Question 2: In a standard PLSS township, where is Section 1 located?
- Northwest corner
- Northeast corner (Correct answer)
- Southwest corner
- Southeast corner
Correct answer: Northeast corner
Section 1 is always located in the northeast corner of the township, with numbering proceeding westward and then snaking southward in a boustrophedon pattern.
Question 3: What is the standard area of a PLSS township?
- 360 square miles
- 36 square miles (Correct answer)
- 6 square miles
- 1 square mile
Correct answer: 36 square miles
A standard township measures 6 miles by 6 miles, giving it an area of 36 square miles.
Question 4: From which reference line are PLSS townships measured north and south?
- Principal meridian
- Standard parallel
- Baseline (Correct answer)
- Guide meridian
Correct answer: Baseline
Townships are measured north and south from the baseline, an east-west line that intersects the principal meridian.
Question 5: What is the primary purpose of standard parallels (correction lines) in the PLSS?
- To correct for magnetic declination errors
- To compensate for meridian convergence and Earth's curvature (Correct answer)
- To establish state boundary lines
- To mark boundaries between different principal meridians
Correct answer: To compensate for meridian convergence and Earth's curvature
Standard parallels are established at intervals (typically every 24 miles) to correct for the convergence of meridians caused by Earth's curvature, keeping township widths consistent.
Question 6: How many Gunter's chains are equal to one statute mile?
- 40
- 80 (Correct answer)
- 100
- 120
Correct answer: 80
One Gunter's chain equals 66 feet, so 80 chains × 66 feet = 5,280 feet, which equals one statute mile.
Question 7: In the PLSS, 'ranges' are numbered east and west from which reference line?
- The baseline
- The standard parallel
- The principal meridian (Correct answer)
- The guide meridian
Correct answer: The principal meridian
Ranges are numbered east and west from the principal meridian, a north-south line that defines the east-west origin of the PLSS grid.
RPLS Public Land Survey System (PLSS) 1
What is the basic area unit of land division in the Public Land Survey System (PLSS)?