Soil Survey Reports and Legal Land Descriptions

Objectives Identify and define range and township lines, townships, and sections. Identify specific land locations from a legal land description. Determine acreages from legal land descriptions. Analyze a soil survey map for specific information.

Key Terms Range lines Township lines Section, half-section, quarter-section Soil survey map

Reading a Map

Numbering Sections Within Township Townships are divided into 36 one-mile-square sections.

36 Sections Make Up One Township

Dividing Sections into Smaller Tracts   10 a. SE 1/4 SW 1/4 40 a. 20 a. N 1/2 SW 1/4 80 a. E 1/2 320 a. NW 1/4 160 a. Dividing Sections into Smaller Tracts N 1/2 SW 1/4 SW 1/4 SW 1/4 SW 1/4 SW 1/4

Determining Acreages from Legal Land Descriptions B

Determining Acreages from Legal Land Descriptions S ½, SE ¼, Sec. 13 80 acres

Determining Acreages from Legal Land Descriptions SE ¼, NW ¼, Sec. 13 40 acres

Determining Acreages from Legal Land Descriptions S ½, N ½, SW ¼, Sec. 13 40 acres

Determining Acreages from Legal Land Descriptions N ½ and SW ¼, Sec. 13 480 acres

Town 3 South Range 23 West 3 2 1 10 11 12

Legal Land Descriptions A – N1/2, Sec 2, R23W, T3S B – SW1/4, NW1/4, Sec 12, R23W, T3S C – S1/2 Sec 3 and N1/2, N1/2, Sec 10, R23W, T3S D – N1/2, SE1/4, NE1/4 Sec 11, R23W, T3S

Town 3 South Range 23 West 3 2 1 A C 10 11 12 B D