township—¹A unit of local government; a subdivision of a county or an area in New England. In the public land states, boundaries of civil townships may coincide in whole or in part with public-land lines. ² [USPLS] A unit of survey of public lands; normally a quadrangle approximately six miles on a side with boundaries conforming to meridians and parallels within established limits, containing thirty-six sections, some of which are designed to take up the convergence of the east and west township boundary or range lines. Used in conjunction with an appropriate range to give the coordinates of a particular township with reference to the initial point.

township, fractional [USPLS]— A township containing appreciably less than thirty-six normal sections, usually because of invasion by a segregated body of water, or by other land which cannot properly be surveyed as part of that township. Townships may be rendered fractional also in closing the public land surveys on state boundaries, or other limiting lines. See also section, fractional [USPLS].

township, unorganized—Tracts of land, principally in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, laid out by State Authority for administrative purposes, but having no local government.

township corner— See corner, township [USPLS]; corner [USPLS].

township line— See line, township [USPLS]; line, range [USPLS].

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Source: NSPS “Definitions of Surveying and Related Terms“, used with permission.

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