This report is an interpretation of the data available at the time of preparation. Ev-ery reasonable effort has been made to ensure that this interpretation conforms tosound scientific principles; however, the report should not be used to guide site-specific decisions without verification. Proper use of this publication is the sole re-sponsibility of the user.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30,1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, University of Wis-

Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey3817 Mineral Point Road, Madison, Wisconsin 53705-5100☎ 608/263.7389 FAX 608/262.8086 www.uwex.edu/wgnhs/James M. Robertson, Director and State Geologist

ISSN: 0375-8265

consin–Extension, Cooperative Extension. University of Wisconsin–Extension pro-vides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IXand ADA requirements. If you need this information in an alternative format, con-tact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Programs or the WisconsinGeological and Natural History Survey (☎ 608/262.1705).

Mission of the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History SurveyThe Survey conducts earth-science surveys, field studies, and research.We provide objective scientific information about the geology, mineral re-sources, water resources, soil, and biology of Wisconsin. We collect, inter-pret, disseminate, and archive natural resource information. We communi-cate the results of our activities through publications, technical talks, andresponses to inquiries from the public. These activities support informeddecision-making by government, industry, business, and individual citi-zens of Wisconsin.

Figure 3. The center of this diagram shows onecomplete township (36 sections) and the adjacentthree sections in all directions (when townshipsalign with one another). Sections 1, 6, 31, and 36are numbered on many maps, such as 1:100,000scale topographic maps, but the other section num-bers may not be shown.

Many plat books providea page or more of infor-mation about land de-scriptions, but plat bookcompanies prepare theirpublications for manystates and may not indi-vidualize this informa-tion; therefore, what theyprovide may be incorrectfor Wisconsin (for ex-ample, usage of civil“townships” instead of“towns”) or may not ap-ply to Wisconsin (for ex-ample, townships south).However, in most casesplat books furnish a greatdeal of useful informationabout land descriptions.

How are sections numbered?

Understanding the numbering of sections in atownship is one of the most important aspects ofbeing able to read a plat book or a map correctly.Figure 3 shows the 36 sections of a township (in thecenter) and the next three sections in all adjacenttownships. (This is applicable only for areas inwhich townships line up; adjoining townships maybe displaced by as much as several miles.) Whenyou are attempting to determine locations, you mayfind it useful to note the sections that form the

outer edges of a town-ship so that you becomeaware of crossing fromone township into an-other. For example, anysection north of sections1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 is in anadjacent township thathas a township numberthat is one numbergreater than the town-ship to the south.

Some areas in Wisconsindo not use sections forlegal descriptions; othersystems of land descrip-tion are in use. Examplesof such areas are alongthe Fox River in Brownand Outagamie Coun-ties, in western Calumet

County, within the City of Portage, and in and northof the City of Prairie du Chien. (Further informationabout Brown County legal descriptions can befound in Wisconsin Geological and Natural HistorySurvey Miscellaneous Map 44, Green Bay Area Pri-vate Claims and Williams Grant Subdivision inBrown County, Wisconsin [1997; scale 1:36,000]). Inthese locations you must use the local system ofland description—it is not considered correct to at-tempt to create sections where they do not legallyexist. ■

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15 14 13 18 17 16 15 14 13 18 17 16

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EDUCATIONAL SERIES 444

•Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey Educational Series 44

Understanding Wisconsin Township, Range, and Section Land Descriptions

Irene D. Lippelt 2000 (revised 2002)

This document is intended as a simple guide to understanding the basics of township, range,

and section in Wisconsin, especially as they are de­picted in many Wisconsin plat books.

Locations of land in most of Wisconsin are de­scribed using the Public Land Survey System, re­ferred to as PLS or PLSS. This rectangular survey system was adopted by the Continental Congress in 1785. In Wisconsin, the PLS was conducted by land surveyors on the ground during the years 1833 to 1856 and represents the technology and surveying practices of that time. By legal definition, the PLS is the foundation for the description and conveyance of land ownership for most of Wiscon­sin.

Areas of Wisconsin that had already been surveyed using a different system prior to the PLS survey were not resurveyed, and the older system was left in place. In Wisconsin these older systems are known by a variety of different names: river front­age long lots, French land claims, Private Claims, Farm Lots, or French Long Lots—all of which were based on French land grants—and Indian reserva­tion lots.

In Wisconsin land descriptions are referenced from two lines that are perpendicular to each other: the principal meridian, which generally runs north and south, and a base line, which generally runs east and west. Wisconsin’s base line coincides with the southern boundary of the state. The 4th principal meridian is Wisconsin’s east–west divid­ing line; it starts at the junction of Grant and Lafay­ette Counties in the south and extends northward through Outer Island in the Apostle Islands in Ashland County (fig. 1).

What is a township?

The original government survey of Wisconsin es­tablished township boundaries at 6-mile intervals

north of the base line and range boundaries at 6­mile intervals east and west of the principal merid­ian. Each approximately 36-square-mile area (6 miles by 6 miles) in this grid is called a township (or congressional township) and is identified by a township (T) number that indicates the number of townships north of the base line and by a range (R) number that indicates the number of town-ships east (E) or west (W) of the principal merid­ian. For example, Township 8 North (T8N), Range 12 East (R12E) identifies a township that has a northern edge approximately 48 miles (8 miles x 6 miles) north of the Wisconsin–Illinois border and an eastern edge approximately 72 miles (12 miles x 6 miles) east of the principal meridian (fig. 1).

A township is divided into 36 sections. Any given section in the state has as part of its location one

township number and one range number. Each section would be 1 mile by 1 mile, or 640 acres—if the Earth were flat, and if the original survey had been perfect. Instead, mainly because of the curva­ture of the Earth, and also because of measure­ment error, corrections have been made to the size of the townships. All corrections are accumulated in the northernmost row and westernmost column of sections in each township (that is, sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 18, 19, 30, and 31), so few of these sections are exactly 640 acres in size. In addition to minor corrections, five major correction lines have been established across Wisconsin. As a result, township boundaries (and section boundaries) do not always line up from one township to the next. For example, any township in the T20N row will not line up exactly with any township in the T21N row. For all but the southernmost of these correc­tion lines, the farther east or west from the 4th principal meridian, the greater the east–west dis­placement. There is also a north–south displace­ment between R9E and R10E in all townships be­tween T1N and T11N (fig. 1).

EDUCATIONAL SERIES 442 UNDERSTANDING WISCONSIN LAND DESCRIPTIONS

fers to a politically defined area ofland, sometimes called a civil town.A congressional township’s bound-aries cannot be changed (except byan act of Congress). Town boundariesare frequently changed. Towns inWisconsin are unincorporated (usu-ally rural) areas outside villages andcities.

This terminology tends to cause agreat deal of confusion. Many incor-rectly refer to towns as “civil or politi-cal townships” because in many otherstates (such as Illinois) such politicalunits are also called townships. A(civil) town may be larger or smallerthan a township. As cities grow insize, land may be annexed from partof the surrounding town or towns.Boundaries of adjacent towns mayalso be changed over time.

Plat books—county atlases showinglandownership information—gener-ally contain maps that show eitherone township per page or one civiltown (or part of a town) per page. Insome counties (such as Dane), mosttowns are rectangular and coincidewith a township. For example, all ofthe Town of Vermont is in T7N, R6Eand all of T7N, R6E is in the Town ofVermont. As a result, T7N, R6E issometimes incorrectly referred to as“Vermont Township.”

However, locations in most othercounties may be more complicated,especially if a major river forms part of the countyboundary or part of the town boundaries. When aplat book displays a civil town (rather than a town-ship) on one page, it can be difficult to read loca-tions correctly. For example, some Iowa County platbooks display the eastern part of the Town of Wyo-

ming on one page (fig. 2). The location title maybe given as “Wyoming, T7-8N-R3-4E.” Such a pagedisplays parts of four adjacent townships—T7NR3E; T7N R4E; T8N R3E; and T8N R4E. The town-ship and range boundaries are marked on thesides of the plat book page.

Figure 1. Index map of Wisconsin showing township and range lines and latitude/longitude; inset mapis a slightly enlarged view of Dane County, emphasizing north–south offset of townships.

Figure 2. Hypothetical example of a typical plat book page.

Government lots are tracts of land adjoiningmeandered bodies of water or can describe prop-erty in some undersized or oversized sections. Forexample, a correct legal description is GovernmentLot 3, sec. 6, T21N, R9E.

In Wisconsin the term township can refer to eitheran approximately 36-square-mile piece of land suchas T8N, R5E or to the first half of the descriptionthat gives the location of a township, for example,Township 8 North. In Wisconsin the word town re-

3

EDUCATIONAL SERIES 442 UNDERSTANDING WISCONSIN LAND DESCRIPTIONS

fers to a politically defined area ofland, sometimes called a civil town.A congressional township’s bound-aries cannot be changed (except byan act of Congress). Town boundariesare frequently changed. Towns inWisconsin are unincorporated (usu-ally rural) areas outside villages andcities.

This terminology tends to cause agreat deal of confusion. Many incor-rectly refer to towns as “civil or politi-cal townships” because in many otherstates (such as Illinois) such politicalunits are also called townships. A(civil) town may be larger or smallerthan a township. As cities grow insize, land may be annexed from partof the surrounding town or towns.Boundaries of adjacent towns mayalso be changed over time.

Plat books—county atlases showinglandownership information—gener-ally contain maps that show eitherone township per page or one civiltown (or part of a town) per page. Insome counties (such as Dane), mosttowns are rectangular and coincidewith a township. For example, all ofthe Town of Vermont is in T7N, R6Eand all of T7N, R6E is in the Town ofVermont. As a result, T7N, R6E issometimes incorrectly referred to as“Vermont Township.”

However, locations in most othercounties may be more complicated,especially if a major river forms part of the countyboundary or part of the town boundaries. When aplat book displays a civil town (rather than a town-ship) on one page, it can be difficult to read loca-tions correctly. For example, some Iowa County platbooks display the eastern part of the Town of Wyo-

ming on one page (fig. 2). The location title maybe given as “Wyoming, T7-8N-R3-4E.” Such a pagedisplays parts of four adjacent townships—T7NR3E; T7N R4E; T8N R3E; and T8N R4E. The town-ship and range boundaries are marked on thesides of the plat book page.

Figure 1. Index map of Wisconsin showing township and range lines and latitude/longitude; inset mapis a slightly enlarged view of Dane County, emphasizing north–south offset of townships.

Figure 2. Hypothetical example of a typical plat book page.

Government lots are tracts of land adjoiningmeandered bodies of water or can describe prop-erty in some undersized or oversized sections. Forexample, a correct legal description is GovernmentLot 3, sec. 6, T21N, R9E.

In Wisconsin the term township can refer to eitheran approximately 36-square-mile piece of land suchas T8N, R5E or to the first half of the descriptionthat gives the location of a township, for example,Township 8 North. In Wisconsin the word town re-

3

This document is intended as a simple guide tounderstanding the basics of township, range,

and section in Wisconsin, especially as they are de-picted in many Wisconsin plat books.

Locations of land in most of Wisconsin are de-scribed using the Public Land Survey System, re-ferred to as PLS or PLSS. This rectangular surveysystem was adopted by the Continental Congressin 1785. In Wisconsin, the PLS was conducted byland surveyors on the ground during the years1833 to 1856 and represents the technology andsurveying practices of that time. By legal definition,the PLS is the foundation for the description andconveyance of land ownership for most of Wiscon-sin.

Areas of Wisconsin that had already been surveyedusing a different system prior to the PLS surveywere not resurveyed, and the older system was leftin place. In Wisconsin these older systems areknown by a variety of different names: river front-age long lots, French land claims, Private Claims,Farm Lots, or French Long Lots—all of which werebased on French land grants—and Indian reserva-tion lots.

In Wisconsin land descriptions are referencedfrom two lines that are perpendicular to eachother: the principal meridian, which generally runsnorth and south, and a base line, which generallyruns east and west. Wisconsin’s base line coincideswith the southern boundary of the state. The 4thprincipal meridian is Wisconsin’s east–west divid-ing line; it starts at the junction of Grant and Lafay-ette Counties in the south and extends northwardthrough Outer Island in the Apostle Islands inAshland County (fig. 1).

What is a township?

The original government survey of Wisconsin es-tablished township boundaries at 6-mile intervals

north of the base line and range boundaries at 6-mile intervals east and west of the principal merid-ian. Each approximately 36-square-mile area (6miles by 6 miles) in this grid is called a township(or congressional township) and is identified by atownship (T) number that indicates the number oftownships north of the base line and by a range(R) number that indicates the number of town-ships east (E) or west (W) of the principal merid-ian. For example, Township 8 North (T8N), Range12 East (R12E) identifies a township that has anorthern edge approximately 48 miles (8 miles x 6miles) north of the Wisconsin–Illinois border andan eastern edge approximately 72 miles (12 milesx 6 miles) east of the principal meridian (fig. 1).

A township is divided into 36 sections. Any givensection in the state has as part of its location one

township number and one range number. Eachsection would be 1 mile by 1 mile, or 640 acres—ifthe Earth were flat, and if the original survey hadbeen perfect. Instead, mainly because of the curva-ture of the Earth, and also because of measure-ment error, corrections have been made to the sizeof the townships. All corrections are accumulatedin the northernmost row and westernmost columnof sections in each township (that is, sections 1, 2,3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 18, 19, 30, and 31), so few of thesesections are exactly 640 acres in size. In addition tominor corrections, five major correction lines havebeen established across Wisconsin. As a result,township boundaries (and section boundaries) donot always line up from one township to the next.For example, any township in the T20N row willnot line up exactly with any township in the T21Nrow. For all but the southernmost of these correc-tion lines, the farther east or west from the 4thprincipal meridian, the greater the east–west dis-placement. There is also a north–south displace-ment between R9E and R10E in all townships be-tween T1N and T11N (fig. 1).

Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey • Educational Series 44

Understanding Wisconsin Township, Range, and Section Land Descriptions

Irene D. Lippelt2000 (revised 2002)

Many plat books provide a page or more of infor­mation about land de­scriptions, but plat book companies prepare their publications for many states and may not indi­vidualize this informa­tion; therefore, what they provide may be incorrect for Wisconsin (for ex­ample, usage of civil “townships” instead of “towns”) or may not ap­ply to Wisconsin (for ex- Figure 3. The center of this diagram shows one

ample, townships south). complete township (36 sections) and the adjacent three sections in all directions (when townships

However, in most cases align with one another). Sections 1, 6, 31, and 36plat books furnish a great are numbered on many maps, such as 1:100,000 deal of useful information scale topographic maps, but the other section num­

about land descriptions. bers may not be shown.

How are sections numbered?

Understanding the numbering of sections in a township is one of the most important aspects of being able to read a plat book or a map correctly. Figure 3 shows the 36 sections of a township (in the center) and the next three sections in all adjacent townships. (This is applicable only for areas in which townships line up; adjoining townships may be displaced by as much as several miles.) When you are attempting to determine locations, you may find it useful to note the sections that form the exist. ■

22 23 24 19 20 21 22 23 24 19 20 21

27 26 25 30 29 28 27 26 25 30 29 28

34 35 36 31 32 33 34 35 36 31 32 33

3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4

10 11 12 7 8 9 10 11 12 7 8 9

15 14 13 18 17 16 15 14 13 18 17 16

22 23 24 19 20 21 22 23 24 19 20 21

27 26 25 30 29 28 27 26 25 30 29 28

34 35 36 31 32 33 34 35 36 31 32 33

3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4

10 11 12 7 8 9 10 11 12 7 8 9

15 14 13 18 17 16 15 14 13 18 17 16

Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey 3817 Mineral Point Road, Madison, Wisconsin 53705-5100 ☎ 608/263.7389 FAX 608/262.8086 www.uwex.edu/wgnhs/ James M. Robertson, Director and State Geologist Geological and Natural History Survey (☎ 608/262.1705).

ISSN: 0375-8265

This report is an interpretation of the data available at the time of preparation. Ev­ery reasonable effort has been made to ensure that this interpretation conforms tosound scientific principles; however, the report should not be used to guide site-specific decisions without verification. Proper use of this publication is the sole re­sponsibility of the user.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30,1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, University of Wis- zens of Wisconsin.

SCALE 0 1 2 3 4

MILES 0 1 2 3 4 5

KILOMETERS

outer edges of a town­ship so that you become aware of crossing from one township into an­other. For example, any section north of sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 is in an adjacent township that has a township number that is one number greater than the town­ship to the south.

Some areas in Wisconsin do not use sections for legal descriptions; other systems of land descrip­tion are in use. Examples of such areas are along the Fox River in Brown and Outagamie Coun­ties, in western Calumet

County, within the City of Portage, and in and north of the City of Prairie du Chien. (Further information about Brown County legal descriptions can be found in Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey Miscellaneous Map 44, Green Bay Area Pri­vate Claims and Williams Grant Subdivision in Brown County, Wisconsin [1997; scale 1:36,000]). In these locations you must use the local system of land description—it is not considered correct to at­tempt to create sections where they do not legally

consin–Extension, Cooperative Extension. University of Wisconsin–Extension pro­vides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX and ADA requirements. If you need this information in an alternative format, con­tact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Programs or the Wisconsin

Mission of the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey The Survey conducts earth-science surveys, field studies, and research. We provide objective scientific information about the geology, mineral re­sources, water resources, soil, and biology of Wisconsin. We collect, inter­pret, disseminate, and archive natural resource information. We communi­cate the results of our activities through publications, technical talks, and responses to inquiries from the public. These activities support informed decision-making by government, industry, business, and individual citi­

4 EDUCATIONAL SERIES 44