One section of the Public Land Survey, ruled into quarters and quarter-quarters, ready to print.
Blank Section Plat Map
Name Date
Blank sheet
1 of 12
Tap a quarter-quarter to write its name in.
More options
Write the name of each numbered quarter-quarter.Answer key
NW¼ of the NW¼
NE¼ of the NW¼
NW¼ of the NE¼
NE¼ of the NE¼
SW¼ of the NW¼
SE¼ of the NW¼
SW¼ of the NE¼
SE¼ of the NE¼
NW¼ of the SW¼
NE¼ of the SW¼
NW¼ of the SE¼
NE¼ of the SE¼
SW¼ of the SW¼
SE¼ of the SW¼
SW¼ of the SE¼
SE¼ of the SE¼
Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from ruled squares. Licence: own work.
Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a quarter-quarter is answered.
NW¼ of the NW¼The northwest quarter of the northwest quarter. It is the upper left square of the upper left quarter, 40 acres.
NE¼ of the NW¼The northeast quarter of the northwest quarter. It is the upper right square of the upper left quarter, 40 acres.
SW¼ of the NW¼The southwest quarter of the northwest quarter. It is the lower left square of the upper left quarter, 40 acres.
SE¼ of the NW¼The southeast quarter of the northwest quarter. It is the lower right square of the upper left quarter, 40 acres.
Northeast quarter 4
NW¼ of the NE¼The northwest quarter of the northeast quarter. It is the upper left square of the upper right quarter, 40 acres.
NE¼ of the NE¼The northeast quarter of the northeast quarter. It is the upper right square of the upper right quarter, 40 acres.
SW¼ of the NE¼The southwest quarter of the northeast quarter. It is the lower left square of the upper right quarter, 40 acres.
SE¼ of the NE¼The southeast quarter of the northeast quarter. It is the lower right square of the upper right quarter, 40 acres.
Southwest quarter 4
NW¼ of the SW¼The northwest quarter of the southwest quarter. It is the upper left square of the lower left quarter, 40 acres.
NE¼ of the SW¼The northeast quarter of the southwest quarter. It is the upper right square of the lower left quarter, 40 acres.
SW¼ of the SW¼The southwest quarter of the southwest quarter. It is the lower left square of the lower left quarter, 40 acres.
SE¼ of the SW¼The southeast quarter of the southwest quarter. It is the lower right square of the lower left quarter, 40 acres.
Southeast quarter 4
NW¼ of the SE¼The northwest quarter of the southeast quarter. It is the upper left square of the lower right quarter, 40 acres.
NE¼ of the SE¼The northeast quarter of the southeast quarter. It is the upper right square of the lower right quarter, 40 acres.
SW¼ of the SE¼The southwest quarter of the southeast quarter. It is the lower left square of the lower right quarter, 40 acres.
SE¼ of the SE¼The southeast quarter of the southeast quarter. It is the lower right square of the lower right quarter, 40 acres.
How this list was compiled: The rules of the survey checked on 2026-10-01 in United States government sources. (1) Bureau of Land Management, Specifications for Descriptions of Land, 2017 edition, https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/SpecificationsForDescriptionsOfLand.pdf (a section is nominally 1 mile square, 640 acres, and sections are numbered from 1 to 36; the section is subdivided into quarter sections, nominal 160-acre units designated NE1/4, NW1/4, SW1/4 and SE1/4; the quarter-quarter section is nominally 40 acres and is written as, for example, SW1/4NE1/4; the description of a quarter-quarter is written without a comma). (2) United States Code, title 43, sections 751 to 753, read at https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/43/751 (townships of six miles square; sections containing, as nearly as may be, 640 acres each; the sections numbered beginning with number one in the northeast section and proceeding west and east alternately through the township until the thirty-six be completed; half sections, quarter sections and quarter quarter sections; any excess or deficiency is put in the northern and western sections of a township). (3) U.S. Geological Survey, https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/do-us-topos-and-national-map-have-layer-shows-public-land-survey-system-plss (the system typically divides land into 6-mile-square townships; townships are subdivided into 36 one-mile-square sections; sections can be further subdivided into quarter sections, quarter-quarter sections, or irregular government lots). The drawing is our own: ruled squares. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from ruled squares. Own original drawing; nothing traced or copied. Licence: own work
How it works
This blank section plat map is one section of the Public Land Survey System: a square mile ruled into four quarter sections and sixteen quarter-quarter sections of 40 acres each, north at the top. Print it blank, numbered or named.
Read the full guide
What the lines are
The outer square is one section, nominally 640 acres. The two solid lines cut it into quarter sections of 160 acres: NW, NE, SW and SE. The dashed lines cut each quarter into four quarter-quarters of 40 acres. Choose Named to write every square's description on it, or Numbered to print them as a key.
Read a description from the end
SW¼NE¼ means the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter. Find the last part first: go to the northeast quarter, then take its southwest square. The small grid under the section shows how a township's 36 sections are numbered, starting with 1 in the northeast corner and running west and east by turns.
Questions and answers
How many acres are in a section?
A regular section is one mile square and holds 640 acres. A quarter section is 160 acres and a quarter-quarter section is 40 acres, so a section holds sixteen quarter-quarters.
How are the sections of a township numbered?
From 1 to 36. Number 1 is the section in the northeast corner. The numbers run west along the top row to 6, drop down to 7 and run back east to 12, and carry on back and forth until 36 in the southeast corner.
How do you read NW¼SE¼?
As the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter. Start from the end: find the southeast quarter of the section, then the northwest square inside it. Written without a comma it is one 40-acre parcel; with a comma it would be two separate quarters.
Is every section exactly one square mile?
No. The law says each section holds 640 acres as nearly as may be. Where a township does not measure out exactly, the excess or shortage goes into its northern and western sections. This sheet draws a regular section.