The DLS System
Understanding the Dominion Land Surveys system. The Dominion Lands Surveys (DLS) System is the standard used for property descriptions in Western Canada. When you see a location with a description such as 13-23-6W4M, it can be a bit confusing at first but with the following information you should be able to sort them out.
Extents of the DLS System
Surveys were begun in 1870 and originated at the Principal Meridian (W97°27'28.4") proceeding westward. Additional meridians were established at W102°, W106°, W110°, W114°, W118°, and W122° and named the second meridian, third meridian, etc.
Townships and Ranges
The parcel of land which falls between two township lines and two range lines is also referred to as a Township. Any township may be described using the common numbering system, thus, the shaded township in the above figure would be referred to as Tp 3 Rg 2 West of the Fourth Meridian or 003-02W4.
Sections
Townships are further divided into sections, which are about one mile square. The 36 sections in a township are numbered as shown in the following figure.
Following the convention for Township numbering, the shaded section in the above diagram would be referred to as Sec 21 Tp33 Rg 13 West of the Fourth Meridian, or 21-33-13W4.
Quartersections and Legal Subdivisions
Sections may be further divided into Quartersections and Legal Subdivisions. As you might expect, there are four quartersections in a section and they are referred to by the quadrant they occupy (north-west, north-east, south-west or south-east). Sections may also be divided into Legal Subdivisions (LSD's) of which there are 16 per section. These two types of description can coexist but normally one or the other is used. The following figures show the layout of Quarter Sections and LSDs within a section.
The shaded quartersection in the above diagram would be NW11-13-21W4 while the shaded LSD would be 8-2-13-21W4.
Forgot your password?
