Cadastral and Public Land Survey System
What this domain tests
This domain tests the PLSS fabric and Indiana cadastral records: township, range, section, aliquot parts, government lots, and corner evidence.
Core rules
- A normal township is six miles square and contains 36 sections, each nominally one square mile, or 640 acres. Section 1 is at the northeast corner; numbering runs west to section 6, then east on the next row, and so on.
- Aliquot parts divide by halves and quarters: the NE¼ of the SW¼ of a section is one-sixteenth of 640 acres, or 40 acres.
- Fractional sections and government lots occur along rivers, the Ohio River, and other meander lines. Their record acreage is not a guarantee of the geometric area.
- Original GLO corners and accessories are the best evidence. Proportionate measurement is used only when a corner is lost, following the original survey pattern.
- Meander lines generally do not bound title; the water boundary is located under water-boundary law.
Worked example
A deed calls for the “NE¼ of the SW¼ of Section 14, T3N, R2E.” The SW¼ is 160 acres; the NE¼ of that quarter is 160 ÷ 4 = 40 acres. If the quarter is fractional because it touches a meandered river, the conveyed lot may contain less or more than 40 acres. Survey the actual boundaries and original evidence; do not force the parcel to 40.00 acres.
Traps
Treating 640 acres as exact for every section; assuming section lines are perfectly straight or cardinal; using record acreage to set a boundary; disturbing an original corner; and calling a meander line the boundary.