SYSTEMATIC PUBLIC LAND SURVEY SYSTEM

The Public Land Survey System (PLSS) is used to divide public domain lands, which are lands owned by the Federal government for the benefit of the citizens of the United States. The PLSS typically divides land into 6-mile-square townships, which is the level of information included in the National Atlas. Townships are subdivided into 36 one-mile- square sections. Sections can be further subdivided into quarter sections, quarter-quarter sections, or irregular government lots. Normally, a permanent monument, or marker, is placed at each section corner. The PLSS is a good example of a systematic land partitioning (cadastral) system. The reason this map is considered “systematic” is because the sections are divided using a systematic methodology.

This data for this systematic public land survey system shows the township, range, and sections for the majority of the state of Indiana, with a small gap in northeast Indiana.