Texas land is described by original land surveys rather than township and range: each tract that passed from the public domain was surveyed and patented, the survey was recorded with the Texas General Land Office (GLO) in the State Abstract of Land Titles, and each recorded survey carries an abstract number that is unique within its county.
Texas never conducted a uniform statewide land survey. The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) puts it plainly in its mapping guide: because Texas has never performed a uniform statewide survey, the original surveys made when land left the public domain, called patent surveys, constitute the state's official land survey system. Those surveys were made by the Republic of Texas and then the State of Texas as each grant was patented, and later surveys build on them.
That is the reason a Texas mineral deed reads so differently from an Oklahoma or North Dakota one. Instead of "Section 12, Township 5 North, Range 3 West," a Texas description names a survey, its abstract number and its county, and often a block and section as well. For the grid used elsewhere, see the Public Land Survey System.
The RRC defines the terms that appear on its maps and in Texas legal descriptions:
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Survey | A certified measured description of a piece of land; the term sometimes refers to the land itself. Original surveys were made as land was patented out of the public domain and recorded at the General Land Office. |
| Abstract | An original land survey describing an area transferred from the public domain by the Republic or the State of Texas, recorded in the State Abstract of Land Titles kept by the GLO. Each gets an abstract number unique within its county. |
| Block | A defined set of original land surveys with its own name or number. Surveys inside a block are usually consecutively numbered, mile-square sections; railroad land grants were often patented in blocks and sections. |
| Section | A square survey exactly one mile on a side. The term is also used loosely for consecutively numbered surveys in a group, even when they are not true mile squares. |
Much of West Texas, including the Permian Basin, is described in blocks and sections. According to the RRC, some state land was surveyed and patented in square-mile units, which the GLO officially treats as sections; larger grants such as school lands and capitol lands were later surveyed into square-mile units for sale; and land grants to railroad companies were often patented in blocks and sections.
So a Texas description such as "Section 12, Block 33, [grantee] Survey, Abstract 1234, [County] County" is read from the inside out: the numbered section within a named block, which belongs to an original survey identified by its abstract number in a named county. The abstract number is what ties the tract to its original grant in the GLO's records. Because abstract numbers repeat from county to county, a description without its county is incomplete.
Three public sources cover most questions:
Because many original surveys date to the 1800s and early 1900s, they do not always fit together. The GLO describes a vacancy as a tract of unsurveyed, unsold public school land lying between original surveys, usually because of a surveying error; it still belongs to the Permanent School Fund. Excess acreage is acreage inside a patented survey greater than the original title or patent called for, and the GLO notes that a current survey of an original grant may reveal it and that title to part of the survey may be affected.
For a mineral owner the practical point is that the acreage named in an old deed is not always the acreage on the ground. Title examiners compare the deed, the original survey and the current plat.
Texas treats land and the minerals beneath it as property that can have separate owners. The Texas Comptroller's property classification guide, which appraisal districts use, gives the example of a ranch where the land and the minerals in place are each owned separately and classified separately, with oil and gas interests in Category G1. That is why mineral interests can appear on county appraisal rolls as property separate from the surface.
This page is general information, not legal advice. A Texas title examiner or licensed surveyor should 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.
The number assigned to an original land survey recorded in the State Abstract of Land Titles kept by the Texas General Land Office. It is unique within the county, so it is always read together with the county name.
No. Texas never ran a uniform statewide survey. Its official land survey system is the set of original patent surveys recorded with the General Land Office, described by survey name, abstract number, block and section.
A block is a named or numbered set of original surveys; the surveys inside it are usually consecutively numbered, mile-square sections. Railroad land grants were often patented this way, which is common across West Texas.
Use the Texas General Land Office Land Grant Database, which searches by county, abstract number, grantee, patentee and survey, block and township. Railroad Commission maps also show original survey lines and abstract numbers.
No. They are unique only within a county. The same abstract number can exist in many counties, so a description must name the county.
A tract of unsurveyed, unsold public school land between original surveys, usually left by a surveying error. The General Land Office treats it as belonging to the Permanent School Fund.
A true section is exactly one mile square, but the word is also used for consecutively numbered surveys that are not true squares, so check the survey and plat for the actual acreage.
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