At the recent Wisconsin Land Information Association Annual Conference in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, we presented an update to our PLSS Layer Pilot Project. Launched in 2011, this pilot project was designed to develop and test data integration methods for a comprehensive statewide digital network of more accurate survey data provided by individual counties.
A survey crew taking a break. The PLSS in Wisconsin was put in place essentially continuously beginning in 1832 and concluding in the north in the 1866. Township boundaries were surveyed first; sections were filled in later. A variety of contractors did the work for the General Land Office (GLO). Surveyors followed written "Instructions" from the Surveyor General (located in Cincinnati, OH through 1839, then relocated to Dubuque,...
Plat books make use of the Public Land Survey System to represent land ownership patterns on a county-by-county basis. They are a convenient reference for local governments, private realty, surveying companies, and the general public. Commercial plat books for Wisconsin are generally prepared by private map publishing companies in conjunction with county governments. However, many Wisconsin counties have begun to produce and update the...
Coordinates of PLSS corners Mapping coordinates can be determined for a PLSS corner. Since the range of accuracy in coordinate values can be large, users of the information need to understand clearly how the values were produced in order to avoid misuse. Search for metadata, and contact the producer if questions remain. The highest accuracy PLSS-corner coordinate values are typically a result of work using "survey-grade" GPS receivers. Contact the County Surveyor or County Land Information Office. (Prior to the 1990's much of this work would have been done through traditional traverse work). Less robust GPS...
Metes and Bounds Metes and Bounds survey method courtesy of the San Francisco Estuary Institute. This method of property description has a long history and is probably the most understandable to people unfamiliar with surveying methods and jargon. Essentially, the description follows a path around the perimeter of a piece of land, calling out a series of points (and the lines between them) that are related to each other by geometry. The...
The PLSS has a long history in the U.S. as the dominant system of describing and dividing land west of the Eastern seaboard. Only a few areas of Wisconsin were settled early enough to have legally recognized land boundary systems in place prior to the PLSS being developed here. Generally, these are land grants in the Green Bay area, early French (and then American) settlements in Green Bay and Prairie du Chien, and early Indian reservations. PLSS grid sample in...
Statistics: Northmost township: T53N, R3W (Apostle Islands, Ashland County) Eastmost township: T, R30E (Washington & Rock Islands, Door County) Westmost township: T36N, R20W (northwestern Polk County) Thomas Jefferson: The concept for the PLSS was championed by Thomas Jefferson as part of his goal to develop a nation of "yeoman farmers", each of whom would make a living on 160 acres they owned themselves. The Federal Government would subdivide its lands for this purpose. For a history, see the book "Measuring America: How an Untamed Wilderness Shaped the United States...
By state statute, the county is custodian of PLSS corners. A common activity by counties is the marking of corners with sturdy, modern monuments, a process called remonumentation. In a number of counties, this work has been completed. PLSS corner monuments and associated witness posts. In determining the correct location of a PLSS corner, a land surveyor considers a variety of records and field evidence. The goal is to identify an unambiguous location and...
As a primer, the Wisconsin Geological & Natural History Survey maintains an excellent document, Understanding Wisconsin Township, Range, and Section Land Descriptions. Rural land parcels today are usually no larger than about 40 acres. A legal description of such a parcel might be, for example, "The NW 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of Section 5, T3N, R11E, more or less 40 acres." However, a single land transfer may group together a number of parcels, such as "The north half of Section 26, Township 7 North, Range 3 West." Since a section, or its component quarters or...
The Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey created a useful and informative educational document that is a guide to understanding PLSS. "
A variety of map types include a representation of the PLSS. These maps cover a range of scales and accuracies. USGS topo maps (section lines) USGS Topographic Map The most common general base maps covering the entirety of Wisconsin, the U.S. Geological Survey's topographic map series, all depict the PLSS. The sources from which these compilations were constructed are varied both in spatial...
Wisconsin Dept. of Regulation & Licensing Information on laws, rules, policies, licensing, services, and resources Wisconsin Organizations: WSLS (Wisconsin Society of Land Surveyors) WCSA (Wisconsin County Surveyors Association): contact Kathy Swingle, WCSA Secretary MASC (Madison Area...
Quick Links SCO PLSS Finder WI DNR Landnet PLSS Explained This page contains an introduction and overview of the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) in Wisconsin. Championed by Thomas Jefferson and spurring onward the westward expansion of our young country in 1785, the PLSS is the primary land...
