PLSS: Public Land Survey System

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~alfrankl/landrecords.htm

The PLSS system is a method of subdividing land areas within the U.S. It was meant to be used as a way for the federal government to divide public domain lands. It uses a grid-like system and a series of "coordinates" to deliniate one plot from the next. This method provides a systematic way to locate land anywhere in the U.S. It is much more accurate than the metes-and-bounds system because it does not use natural features in the survey process which can change with time. We can clearly see that the land in Alabama has been subdidved by using the PLSS system. This map is showing how the PLSS system is arranged across the entirety of Alabama.