Louisiana land is described under the federal township-and-range system from two meridians, the Louisiana Meridian west of the Mississippi River and the St. Helena Meridian for the districts east of it, but its surveys also include long river lots and colonial-era land claims confirmed after the Louisiana Purchase, which were laid out before the regular square sections.
The Louisiana Office of State Lands explains that when the United States took ownership of Louisiana, all land in the state was considered federal property. France, Spain and Great Britain had each granted land to early settlers, so the federal government first had to confirm those private claims. An Act of Congress of March 2, 1805 created district land registers and boards of commissioners before which holders of Spanish, French or British grants appeared with witnesses and affidavits; approved claims were confirmed by Act of Congress.
The same act directed the Surveyor General to survey the vacant land so it could be sold. Surveyors created base lines and two meridians: the Louisiana Meridian, centered in present Rapides Parish, and the St. Helena Meridian, centered near the line between East and West Feliciana parishes. They then laid out six-mile townships divided into sections.
Louisiana township plats look different from those in Oklahoma or Kansas because of the order the surveyors worked in. According to the State Land Office, they first laid out the long, skinny river lots, then the approved land claims, and only then the one-square-mile sections of public land. A single township plat can therefore show all three kinds of tract, with a table naming the confirmed claimants.
The General Land Office's 1894 surveying manual, reproduced in the Bureau of Land Management's history of the rectangular survey, describes the Louisiana Meridian as governing all surveys in the state west of the Mississippi River, with a base line on the 31st parallel, and the St. Helena Meridian as governing the Greensburg and southeastern districts east of the river.
| Meridian | Where it is centered | What it governs |
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana Meridian | Present Rapides Parish | Surveys west of the Mississippi River |
| St. Helena Meridian | Near the East Feliciana / West Feliciana parish line | The Greensburg and southeastern districts, east of the Mississippi River |
The Office of State Lands holds the severance record of the first sale of every piece of land in Louisiana: U.S. and state tract books, official township plats and field notes, land claim papers, Section 16 school lands and state patents. Its Historical Records Search is online, and document images can be downloaded free of charge. The Office notes these records make up the source of title for every acre in the state.
Every transfer after that first sale is a private conveyance recorded in the parish where the land lies. The State Land Office has no private deeds, so a mineral title search runs from the State Land Office's original severance to the parish conveyance records.
Louisiana mineral rights are governed by the Louisiana Mineral Code, which has its own rules for mineral servitudes and prescription. The survey history adds a practical layer: a description may cite a section, township and range, a river lot or a confirmed land claim, and each must be matched to the right meridian and parish.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Have a Louisiana title attorney confirm what a specific description covers.
The Public Land Survey System (Township and Range)
Oil & Gas Encyclopedia — all terms
Educational information only — not legal, tax, or investment advice. Consult a qualified attorney, CPA, or landman about your specific situation.
Yes. Louisiana is surveyed in townships and sections from the Louisiana Meridian and the St. Helena Meridian, but its plats also include river lots and confirmed colonial land claims that were laid out before the regular sections.
The two survey meridians in Louisiana. The Louisiana Meridian, centered in present Rapides Parish, governs surveys west of the Mississippi River; the St. Helena Meridian, near the East and West Feliciana parish line, governs the Greensburg and southeastern districts east of it.
The Louisiana Office of State Lands holds tract books, township plats, field notes, land claim papers and state patents, searchable online through its Historical Records Search. Later private transfers are recorded in the parish where the land lies.
A tract granted by France, Spain or Great Britain before the United States took ownership, which the claimant proved before a federal board after the Act of March 2, 1805 and which Congress then confirmed.
No. It holds the original severance from public ownership. Deeds between private owners are recorded in the parish conveyance records.
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