The Township Geocoder tool allows conversion three different ways: Township and Range to Latitude and Longitude (Township Range tab), Latitude and Longitude to Township and Range (Lat/Long tab), or multiple conversions of either one by a formatted file (File Conversion tab). To start, select the correct tab matching desired conversion.
Township and Range to Latitude and Longitude
First, select the State containing the township and range that will be converted. A list of potential Principal Meridians will appear to select from. After choosing the correct one, the conversion requires inputting the Township and Range number, fraction (if any), and direction along with the Section number (1-36). To be more specific, the Quarter Section can be entered but is not required. After pressing the submit button, the bottom of the page will now display the location in decimal degrees and the more defined degrees, minutes, and seconds. The following shows an example of converting the ID 08 T003N R003W Section 7 (quarter section not specified) township.
Latitude and Longitude to Township and Range
The latitude and longitude can be inputted in two different ways: specifying Degrees, Minutes, Seconds, and Direction or by the single Decimal Degrees number. If specifying by degrees, minutes, seconds, and direction, make sure that the numbers for degrees and minutes do not have any decimal places (the seconds can) while the direction must be one letter (N,E,S,W). For decimal degrees, note signs are negative for West (Township) and South (Range). The following converts the -116.74272 longitude and 43.61083 latitude to the corresponding township and range.
Multiple conversions of one type can be done at one time by creating a specifically formatted file. The two types are township, range, and section to decimal degrees or decimal degrees to township, range, and section. Make sure to select the desired type and create an appropriate file (see Sample Input/Output File Formats for help) saving it to an accessible location. Click the browse button to locate and upload the file. After submitting, a file listing the conversions will be made available at the link given at the bottom of the page. There is a maximum file size of 7.5 KB.