Which system uses ranges, townships, and sections to describe land?

• A. Geodetic Survey System
• B. Lot and Block
• C. Metes and Bounds
• D. Rectangular Survey System

Answer: (D)

This is about the Rectangular Survey System, also called the Public Land Survey System. It uses a grid laid out from a baseline and a principal meridian, creating ranges (east–west columns) and townships (north–south rows). Each township measures 6 miles by 6 miles and is subdivided into 36 sections, with each section being 1 square mile (640 acres). This grid provides a precise, standardized way to describe land over large areas. Other methods describe land in different ways—metes and bounds uses distances and natural features from a starting point, Lot and Block describes parcels within a subdivision, and geodetic references rely on latitude/longitude and datums rather than the township–section grid. So the system that uses ranges, townships, and sections is the Rectangular Survey System.