Review a legal property diagram. The layout is the same formula regardless of where the township is located. A legal property description is usually diagrammed on a plat map. (See Resources for an example.) Each township is divided into 36 sections, and a section is a piece of land one square mile by one square mile.
Review how to read a legal property description. The best way to read a legal description is backward; that is, from right to left. Ranges run north to south, and townships run east to west.
Locate the center point of the diagram. From this point, all direction moves either north, south, east or west. This is where the principal meridian (north to south) and the baseline (east to west) meet.
Notice the direction of the numbers. At the center of the diagram, all townships start with a "0" and then increase as they move away from the center.
Work through an example. T = Township, R = Range, N = north, S = south, E = east, and W = west. T3N/R3E means the township and range are three sections north and three sections east of the center. T3S/R3W refers to a township and range located three sections south and three sections west of the center.