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Public Land Survey System of the United States
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Public Land Survey System of the United States

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Frequently-anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title: Public Land Survey System of the United States
Abstract:
This map layer portrays the Public Land Surveys of the United States, including areas of private survey, Donation Land Claims, and Land Grants and Civil Colonies. This is a revised version of the May 2002 map layer.
Supplemental_Information:
All lands in the public domain are subject to subdivision by a rectangular system of surveys called the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), established and regulated by the Bureau of Land Management. The original public domain includes the land ceded to the Federal Government by the Thirteen Original States, supplemented with acquisitions from native Indians and foreign powers. It encompasses major portions of the land area of 30 western States.

Under Congressional mandate, cadastral surveys of public lands were undertaken to create parcels suitable for disposal by the Government. The PLSS was developed for this purpose. The PLSS is a rectangular survey system that typically divides the land into 6-mile square townships, which are further subdivided into 1-mile square sections (the data in the National Atlas do not include section-level information). The extension of the rectangular system of surveys over the public domain has been in progress since 1785. These surveys form the basis of patents issued when public lands pass out of Federal ownership.

Certain lands were excluded from the public domain and not subject to survey and disposal. These lands include the beds of navigable bodies of water, national installations such as military reservations and national parks, and areas such as land grants that had already passed to private ownership prior to subdivision by the Government.

Data describing the PLSS is required by Federal surface and mineral management agencies, as well as any organization concerned with land ownership in the 30 western States that were formed from the public domain. Additionally, many agencies have encoded natural resource or environmental inventory data based on the PLSS.

  1. How should this data set be cited?

    U.S. Geological Survey, 200301, Public Land Survey System of the United States: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: 170
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -64
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 72
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 17

  3. What does it look like?

  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

    Beginning_Date: 1972
    Ending_Date: 2002
    Currentness_Reference: Ground Condition

  5. What is the general form of this data set?

  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?

    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?

      Indirect_Spatial_Reference:
      U.S. Department of Commerce, 1987, Codes for the Identification of the States, the District of Columbia and the Outlying areas of the United States, and Associated Areas (FIPS 5-2): Washington, DC, National Institute of Standards and Technology.

      This is a Vector data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
      • GT-polygon composed of chains (90919)

    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?

      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.000278. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.000278. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees.

      The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
      The ellipsoid used is GRS1980.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222.

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

    Public Land Survey System area (described by plss00p020.dbf)
    A rectangular system of surveys devised to subdivide public domain lands. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

    Shape
    The representation of the entity in the data. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

    ValueDefinition
    Polygon2-dimensional element

    Area
    The size of the shape in coverage units. In the distributed file, coverage units represent square decimal degrees. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

    Range of values
    Minimum:0.000
    Maximum:123.791

    Perimeter
    The perimeter of the shape in coverage units. In the distributed file, coverage units represent decimal degrees. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

    Range of values
    Minimum:0.003
    Maximum:220.521

    plss00p020
    Internal feature number. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

    Range of values
    Minimum:2
    Maximum:90920

    Feature1
    The primary survey area type. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

    ValueDefinition
    Donation Land ClaimsAn area that was allocated to a settler under the Donation Act of September 27, 1850 to preserve the rights of pre-statehood settlers claimed prior to the regular division of townships and ranges.
    Indian LandsLand granted to native Americans and excluded from the public domain.
    Land Grants, Civil ColoniesAn area of land to which title was conferred by a predecessor government and confirmed by the U.S. Government after the territory in which it is situated was acquired by the United States.
    Military ReservationA military or lighthouse reservation that limits the public lands.
    Not Part of Public Land Surveys SystemAn area that is outside of the Public Land Survey System.
    Overlapping Land GrantsAn area of land to which more than one title was conferred by a predecessor government and confirmed by the U.S. Government after the territory in which it is situated was acquired by the United States. These areas are the result of survey error or disputed claims.
    Private SurveyAn area of private surveys of public domain lands.
    Public SurveyAn area of land subdivided by the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), which was originally created on public domain lands and the rules for its use were defined by the authority of the U.S. Government. The PLSS has since been extended, following similar rules, into non- public domain areas.
    Unsurveyed AreaAn area that is part of the public domain but which has not been subdivided.
    WaterAreas of navigable streams and meanderable lakes which are excluded from the Public Land Survey System.

    Feature2
    The township and range designation for the area. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

    ValueDefinition
    <blank>There is no township and range designation for the area because it is not a Public Survey or Private Survey area.

    There is no predefined set of valid township and range designations. Designations are in the format "Township xx aaaaa Range yy bbbb", where xx and yy are numbers, aaaaa is either North or South, and bbbb is either East or West.

    Feature3
    The secondary survey area type. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

    ValueDefinition
    <blank>The area does not have a secondary survey type.
    Land Grants, Civil ColoniesAn area of land to which title was conferred by a predecessor government and confirmed by the U.S. Government after the territory in which it is situated was acquired by the United States.
    Overlapping Land GrantsAn area of land to which more than one title was conferred by a predecessor government and confirmed by the U.S. Government after the territory in which it is situated was acquired by the United States. These areas are the result of survey error or disputed claims.

    Name1
    The primary name of the survey area. This is the principal meridian, Ohio base, or land grant name. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

    ValueDefinition
    <blank>The area is not a land grant or part of the Public Land Survey System.

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:GeoData Data Users Guide 1, Appendix K: Origins of the U.S. Rectangular Surveys
    Codeset Source:U.S. Geological Survey

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:GeoData Data Users Guide 1, Appendix L: Named Land Grant Codes
    Codeset Source:U.S. Geological Survey

    Name2
    The secondary name of the survey area. This is an additional land grant name. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

    ValueDefinition
    <blank>The area does not have a secondary survey name.

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:GeoData Data Users Guide 1, Appendix L: Named Land Grant Codes
    Codeset Source:U.S. Geological Survey

    Name3
    The tertiary name of the survey area. This is an additional land grant name. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

    ValueDefinition
    <blank>The area does not have a tertiary survey name.

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:GeoData Data Users Guide 1, Appendix L: Named Land Grant Codes
    Codeset Source:U.S. Geological Survey

    State
    The 2-character code of the State where the survey area is located. If the area falls in more than one State, the codes for each State are included and are separated with dashes, for example: IN-KY-OH. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

    ValueDefinition
    <blank>The area is not part of the Public Land Survey System.

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:Codes for the Identification of the States, the District of Columbia and the Outlying Areas of the United States, and Associated Areas, (Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 5-2).
    Codeset Source:U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology

    State_fips
    The 2-digit code of the State where the survey area is located. If the area falls in more than one State, the codes for each State are included and are separated with dashes, for example: 27-38-46. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

    ValueDefinition
    <blank>The area is not part of the Public Land Survey System.

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:Codes for the Identification of the States, the District of Columbia and the Outlying Areas of the United States, and Associated Areas, (Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 5-2).
    Codeset Source:U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)

    • U.S. Geological Survey

  2. Who also contributed to the data set?

  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?

    Peg Rawson
    National Atlas of the United States
    12201 Sunrise Valley Dr
    Reston, VA 20192

    703-648-4183 (voice)
    atlasmail@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

These data are intended for geographic display and analysis at the national level, and for large regional areas. The data should be displayed and analyzed at scales appropriate for 1:2,000,000-scale data. No responsibility is assumed by the National Atlas of the United States in the use of these data.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

    2MILBD (source 1 of 7)
    U.S. Geological Survey, 1995, 1:2,000,000-scale Digital Line Graph Data - Boundaries: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Type_of_Source_Media: CD-ROM
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 2000000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial information

    ATLAS-CNTY (source 2 of 7)
    National Atlas of the United States, 1998, County Boundaries of the United States: National Atlas of the United States, Reston, VA.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Online
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 2000000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial information

    ATLAS-HY (source 3 of 7)
    National Atlas of the United States, 1998, Hydrography Features of the United States: National Atlas of the United States, Reston, VA.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Online
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 2000000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial information

    1:100,000-scale base maps (source 4 of 7)
    U.S. Geological Survey, Unknown, 1:100,000-scale USGS topographic sheets: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Paper
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 100000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    500K State base maps (source 5 of 7)
    U.S. Geological Survey, Unknown, State base maps: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Paper
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 500000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    1Mil State base maps (source 6 of 7)
    U.S. Geological Survey, Unknown, State base maps: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Paper
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 1000000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    ATLAS-PLSS200205 (source 7 of 7)
    National Atlas of the United States, 200205, Public Land Survey System of the United States: National Atlas of the United States, Reston, VA.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Online
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 2000000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?

    Date: 1999 (process 1 of 3)
    Public Land Survey System data were collected from 1:500,000 and 1:1,000,000 State base maps for the western United States. The eastern States were collected from existing 1:100,000-scale base maps. Data from both sources were integrated into 1:2,000,000 State-level DLG files, then generalized and vertically integrated with 2MILBD, ATLAS- CNTY, and ATLAS-HY. The resulting Public Land Survey System DLG files were published on CD-ROM in 1995. The DLG optional-format files were then converted to Arc/INFO coverages, and the individual State files were paneled together into a national coverage. Numeric DLG codes were translated into English, non-polygon features were deleted, and the data set was converted to shapefile format.

    Data sources used in this process:

    • 2MILBD
    • ATLAS-CNTY
    • ATLAS-HY
    • 1:100,000-scale base maps
    • 500K State base maps
    • 1Mil State base maps

    Date: Apr-2002 (process 2 of 3)
    Township and Range values were corrected in the Boise, Copper River, Fifth Principal, Fourth Principal, Sixth Principal, Indian, Louisiana, Salt Lake, St. Stephens, Third Principal, Umiat, and Willamette surveys. In all, 250 corrections were made using 1:100,000-scale base maps. Some polygons in coastal areas were added or deleted to accurately portray the extent of a Township or unsurveyed area.

    Data sources used in this process:

    • 1:100,000-scale base maps

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • ATLAS-PLSS200205

    Date: Dec-2002 (process 3 of 3)
    Range values were corrected in the New Mexico Principal survey for Townships 15-20 South. In all, 85 corrections were made using 1:100,000-scale base maps.

    Data sources used in this process:

    • ATLAS-PLSS200205
    • 1:100,000-scale base maps

  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?

  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?

    This map layer includes the Public Land Survey System for the United States, to the Township and Range level. It also includes Land Grants.

  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?

    The map layer was checked for topological consistency using the Arc/INFO command BUILD. No other checks for logical consistency were performed on this map layer.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?

Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
None. Acknowledgment of the National Atlas of the United States of America and (or) the U.S. Geological Survey would be appreciated in products derived from these data.

  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)

    Earth Science Information Center, U.S. Geological Survey
    507 National Center
    Reston, VA 20192

    1-888-ASK-USGS (1-888-275-8747) (voice)

    Contact_Instructions:
    In addition to the address above there are other ESIC offices throughout the country. A full list of these offices is at <http://ask.usgs.gov/esic_index.html>.

  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Geological Survey, no warranty expressed or implied is made by the U.S. Geological Survey regarding the utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. No responsibility is assumed by the U.S. Geological Survey in the use of these data.

  4. How can I download or order the data?

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 06-Jun-2006
Metadata author:
Peg Rawson
National Atlas of the United States
12201 Sunrise Valley Dr
Reston, VA 20192

703-648-4183 (voice)
atlasmail@usgs.gov

Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)


 
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