How to Draw a Survey and Export a Shapefile Using the PLSS Map Viewer

plssmap.com provides an interactive PLSS Map Viewer where you can look up Public Land Survey System grid information (township, range, section corners), map legal descriptions, create metes-and-bounds surveys, and export the final geometry as a GIS-ready shapefile. This guide walks you step-by-step through the process using a real-world legal description.

Example Legal Description

To demonstrate the Draw Survey tool, we will use a recorded legal description involving a conveyance between the County of Arapahoe and the State of Colorado to the Colorado Department of Transportation. 

A tract or parcel of land No. RW-1 REV of the Department of Transportation, State of Colorado Project
No. SHE 030-041 containing 44713 sq. ft. (1.026 acres), more or less. Located in Section 36, Township 4
South, Range 66 West, of the 6th Principal Meridian, in Arapahoe County, Colorado, said tract or parcel
being more particularly described as follows:

Commencing at the Southeast Corner of said Section 36; Thence N45°32'00"W, a distance of 42.39 feet,
to the TRUE POINT OF BEGINNING;

1. Thence S89°25'02"W, a distance of 48.88 feet;
2. Thence N00°28'33"W, a distance of 914.82 feet;
3. Thence N89°24'29"E, a distance of 48.88 feet;
4. Thence S00°28'33"E, a distance of 914.84 feet; to the TRUE POINT OF BEGINNING.

The above-described parcel contains 44,713 sq. ft. (1.026 acres), more or less.

Step 1 — Locate the PLSS Section

Follow this link and you will see Section 36, Township 4 South, Range 66 West, 6th Principal Meridian. When the section is visible, click the green Draw New Survey button in the lower-right corner.

Step 2 — Enable Snapping

Click Enable Snapping. With snapping on, any marker placed within 30 feet of a section corner will automatically snap to the official PLSS corner coordinates. A snapped marker appears as a blue circle with a black border.

Click near the Southeast Corner of Section 36. This sets the initial corner.

Step 3 — Locate the True Point of Beginning (POB)

  1. Click Add Line.
  2. Enter a distance: 42.39 ft.
  3. Select the NW quadrant.
  4. Enter: Degrees = 45, Minutes = 32, Seconds = 00.
  5. Click Add.

A line will appear ending in a black circle. Click Set Point of Beginning to mark the POB.

Step 4 — Add the Remaining Survey Lines

Repeat the same “Add Line” process for lines 1 through 3 in the deed:

1. S89°25'02"W, 48.88 ft
2. N00°28'33"W, 914.82 ft
3. N89°24'29"E, 48.88 ft

As you add these lines, a light green polygon will begin to appear. The info box at the top of the map will update with the calculated area and perimeter.

Step 5 — Automatic Closure Back to the POB

You do not need to draw the final line (line 4). The tool automatically closes the polygon back to the Point of Beginning (POB). You can confirm that the final edge closely matches the deed’s final call: 

S00°28'33"E, 914.84 ft

Step 6 — Verify the Parcel Area

After the third line is placed, check the white info box at the top of the screen. You should see an area of approximately 1.03 acres, which agrees (more or less) with the deed’s 1.026 acres.

Step 7 — Download the Shapefile

When the survey is complete, click the blue Download Shapefile button. This generates a ZIP file containing:

The exported shapefile contains the exact geometry you created on the PLSS grid.

Questions or Support

For questions, comments, or feature requests, email contact@plssmap.com or reach out on X at @plssmap.