REAL ESTATE TOPICS:  LAND MEASUREMENT IN ARIZONA

For all of those wonderful “Easterners” moving to Tucson (as this writer did in 1999 from Maryland), please be advised that we have a very different system of defining parcels of land in Arizona – as much of the Midwest and Western United States does.  By virtue of the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, the so-called “Government Survey” system was imposed by the Continental Congress.  Other names for this system include the “Public Land Survey System” and the “Rectangular Survey System”.  Originated by Thomas Jefferson, this “immaculate grid” system was designed and intended to be far easier to work with than the British “metes and bounds” system used until this change.  However, the metes and bounds system is still in use today all over most of the Eastern United States and in Texas and Hawaii.

Depending on which historian you look to for the story, the motives behind this effort were many and varied.  Certainly the circumstances immediately following the American Revolutionary War would have been challenging on many counts.  The issues included consideration for compensating Revolutionary War veterans, Indian resistance to further encroachment, squatters, claims of ownership by existing states, slavery, civil rights, taxation – or lack thereof, public education, political organization of the territory, and many other sensitive and emotional factors along with just a general need for land management and policy.

Jefferson and the other founding fathers surely would have approved of what currently appears in the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice of the National Association of REALTORS^® as the lead statement in its Preamble:

“Under all is the land.  Upon its wise utilization and widely allocated ownership depend the survival and growth of free institutions and of our civilization.  REALTORS^® should recognize that the interests of the nation and its citizens require the highest and best use of the land and the widest distribution of land ownership.”

It is as if Thomas Jefferson himself might have had a hand in writing that excellent mandate.  He did play a part in the creation and writing of the Land Ordinance of 1785 - the full text of which is available at:  http://www.tngenweb.org/tnland/seven-ranges/.  A few key excerpts are presented here:

“Be it ordained by the United States in Congress assembled, that the territory ceded by individual States to the United States, which has been purchased of the Indian inhabitants, shall be disposed of in the following manner…”

“The Surveyors, as they are respectively qualified, shall proceed to divide the said territory into townships of six miles square, by lines running due north and south, and others crossing these at right angles, as near as may be…”

“The lines shall be measured with a chain; shall be plainly marked by chaps on the trees and exactly described on a plat; whereon shall be noted by the surveyor, at their proper distances, all mines, salt springs, salt licks and mill seats, that shall come to his knowledge, and all water courses, mountains and other remarkable and permanent things, over and near which such lines shall pass, and also the quality of the lands…”

“The board of treasury shall transmit a copy of the original plats, previously noting thereon, the townships, and fractional parts of townships, which shall have fallen to the several states, by the distribution aforesaid, to the Commissioners of the loan office of the several states, who, after giving notice of not less than two nor more than six months by causing advertisements to be posted up at the court houses, or other noted places in every county, and to be inserted in one newspaper, published in the states of their residence respectively, shall proceed to sell the townships, or fractional parts of townships, at public venue…”

“Done by the United States in Congress assembled, the 20^th day of May, in the year of our Lord 1785, and of our sovereignty and independence the ninth.”

The actual work of laying out this grid system for the balance of the new country was begun by Thomas Hutchins along the Ohio River, south of Pittsburgh at East Liverpool, Ohio.  That is where the original Point of Beginning (POB) is located.  From that point then began what is a beautifully simple method of land description based on survey lines running north & south, and east & west – relative to a POB – a uniform grid system.

The first surveys completed in Ohio were called the Seven Ranges.  Do the lyrics, “home, home on the range” take on a different meaning now?  These ranges are what is being referred to in the song – not some nondescript open prairie land most of thought it was.

Actually, there are numerous independent grid systems across the country, with some states having more than one POB.  When flying across the United States, evidence of this grid system is often quite apparent from the patchwork of agriculture and the straight line road ways.  The circular features in the photo below are of course the result of irrigation systems employed on this Kansas farmland.  Also note the roadway running diagonally through the photograph.

So, the land was systematically surveyed into square townships, six miles on a side.  Each of these townships was then sub-divided into thirty-six sections of one square mile or 640 acres.  These sections could then be further subdivided for sale to settlers and land speculators.

Readers wishing more history and detail on this topic may access a very thorough treatment in the 776 page book, A History of the Rectangular Survey System, published by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, which is available in pdf format at:  http://www.blm.gov/cadastral/Manual/pdffiles/histrect.pdf

In Arizona, our sole POB is very near the intersection of the Gila and Salt Rivers – just southwest of downtown Phoenix – overlooking the Phoenix International Raceway.  The east to west line that intersects that point is known as the Baseline.  Interestingly, in Phoenix, this line is what Baseline Road is laid upon. 

The north to south line intersecting that point is called the Principal Meridian – which happens to be 115^th Avenue.

This location, atop a conical hill some 150 feet in elevation, was originally selected in 1851 when John R. Bartlett, Commissioner, U.S. Boundary Commission erected a stone monument about 6 to 8 feet tall, 8 feet in diameter at the base tapering to about 4 feet in diameter at the top, with an 8 foot pole extending above it, was erected to mark the Mexican border under the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo.  Some 16 years later, on January 19, 1867, the work of surveying Arizona began with the monument being the initial point.  Note that it was in 1853, via the Gadsden Purchase that today’s southern Arizona (south of the monument) - including Tucson, became part of the United States.

That monument is long since gone, but it was replaced in 1984 with the concrete slab shown below.  This effort was undertaken by the Arizona Professional Land Surveyors, the Gila River Indian Community, the Salt River Project, the Sate of Arizona Land Department, and Arizona State Office, Bureau of Land Management.

From this Point of Beginning then, all land in Arizona is defined with a grid system consisting of Range lines running north to south, every 6 miles in each direction (west and east) from the Principal Meridian.  These effectively create 6 mile wide strips of land that run north and south that are called Ranges.  They are numbered based on the distance and direction from the principal meridian.  For example, the first range east of the principal meridian is identified as R1E, the third one west:  R3W. 

And, there are Township lines running east to west, every 6 miles in each direction (north and south) from the Baseline.  These create 6 mile wide strips called Tiers.  Their numbering system is similar to Ranges.  For example, the first tier north of the baseline is identified as T1N, the 5 one south: T5S

Where these lines intersect forming a 6 mile by 6 mile square (36 square miles), that square is called a Township.  To further divide this large area of land (36 square miles = 23,040 acres), each township is again divided into 36 squares measuring 1 mile by 1 mile.  Each of these units is called a Section.  So, there are 36 sections in a township.  Each section is assigned a number according to the following scheme:

Each section can then be further split into fractional portions; 1/2s, 1/4s, and then again and again.

One matter that is not addressed here is the adjustment to all of this that becomes necessary due to the curvature of the earth.  Remember – as Columbus allegedly discovered, the earth is not flat.  So when you try to lay something like a flat grid on top of it, every once in a while you have to adjust for that curvature.  Corrections are made every 24 miles north from the bottom of the state to re-establish a 6 mile separation.  A correction township contains 25 standard sections (as opposed to the standard 36 sections normally found) and 11 fractional sections.  This correction affects the sections across the north side and down the west side of the correction township.  Therefore, the fractional sections are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 18, 19, 30, and 31.

OK, so the major subdivision of land is a standardized system that will get us down to a parcel size of an acre.  Most residential property is much smaller than that.  Developers are responsible for creating a plat map for a subdivision and filing that map with the County.  The plat map will define and provide measurements of the various numbered lots, streets, utility easements, common areas, and all other features of the subdivision.

Anytime a land owner divides property six or more times, a public report must be produced (no small task).  The public report must accurately inform potential buyers of the property of all pertinent information that may be of interest:  a plat map, the water source, physical and legal access to the property, encumbrances, liens, right-of-ways, easements, drainage information, etc., etc.

An example of a proper plat map appears on the following page and happens to be for a subdivision named, Fairway Heights at Tucson National Resubdivision.  It happens to be located in the gated resort community known as OMNI Tucson National where the Professional Golf Association (PGA) tournament known as the Tucson Open was played in years past.  It is just northwest of Tucson city limits in Pima County.  It can also be identified as being located in Township 12 South, Range 13E, Section 28 (T12S R13E 28).  The subdivision is laid out on approximately 9 acres lying along and nearly in the center of the northern boundary of Section 28, with 44 lots having single family residences built on them.  There are nine small common areas and the roadways are owned and maintained by the homeowners’ association.

To someone familiar with the rectangular survey system, there is no mistaking where this property is located.

One other thing that will be quite different for those unfamiliar with our system is to see that our towns’ roadways (with the distinct exception of both intrastate and inter-state highways) are for the most part laid out on the lines of this grid system. 

Major streets are typically one mile apart and most streets run north and south, or east and west.  There are not too many exceptions.  In some cases this can be frustrating as there aren’t too many short cuts when traveling across town – not very many diagonally running roads.  However, once you become accustomed to the system, you find many benefits and few of the disadvantages of the tangled mess of some roadways back east.  Giving and receiving travel directions is much easier here, once you are familiar with the system.  Understanding legal descriptions of land should also be enhanced.

The following map includes the greater Tucson Metropolitan Area showing Interstate 10 entering at the top, left corner coming from Phoenix and continuing out to the East.  Interstate 19 drops down to the south from Tucson, all the way to the Mexican border town of Nogales.

Township 11 S to Township 20 S,
Range 11 E to Range 20 E

DISCLAIMER

John P. Hale is Owner and Designated Broker of Touchstone Residential Realty, Inc., 2485 West Tom Watson Drive, Tucson, Arizona 85745.  He has been a residential real estate agent in the greater Tucson Metropolitan area since 2000.  In addition to being licensed as a Broker rather than a salesperson, John holds the following designations awarded by the National Association of REALTORS^®:  ABR – Accredited Buyer Representative, ASR – Accredited Seller Representative, CRS – Certified Residential Specialist, e-PRO, and GRI – Graduate Realtor Institute.  And, John is among the very few that have been named, MRE – Master of Real Estate by the Arizona Association of Real Estate.

Please note that this article was written by him to reflect the author’s opinion of good practice at the time of its’ writing for the general benefit of those considering sale or purchase of residential real estate, it is not intended as definitive legal advice and you should not act upon it as such without seeking independent legal counsel.  Frequent changes in the law and standards of practice may cause this information to become outdated and no longer applicable or even incorrect.