Introduction to Land Survey Systems
The Public Land Survey System (PLSS http://bit.ly/114N1y)
is a legal land reference set up to ease the inventory and transfer of
property. The original PSS surveys in Wisconsin were conducted over 100 years
ago. The task of present-day land surveyors includes the retracing of the
original lines, and further subdividing sections. Today almost all land
transactions in the 30 western-most states are described with the section,
township, and range system http://bit.ly/JVZYC.
The position of a PLSS corner, a corner of a township or a comer
of one it’s 36 sections, is defined by the original monument and whether or not
its placement was mathematically correct. Many early monuments were made of
wood, stone or other natural materials susceptible to decay and destruction.
Since many monuments have been lost or destroyed over
the years, retracement surveys are conducted to reestablish previously surveyed
boundary lines. New sturdy monuments are place where the old monuments were
located, at the specified corners.
PLSS corner remonumentation efforts have stepped up in
recent years as the demand for accurate cadastral maps has increased with the
implementation of Wisconsin’s’ land records modernization activities. The
integration of the PLSS reference system with the National Spatial Reference
System, will involve re-establishing these corners and relating them to the
mathematical framework of the NSRS http://bit.ly/2m10iY
.
Further information about the Wisconsin Land
Information Programs on initiative on land records modernization can be found
the WLIP’s homepage, maintained by the Wisconsin Land Information Board
http://www.wlia.org
.