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Alberta Legal Land Description Converter

Convert Alberta DLS, LSD, and Quarter Section descriptions to GPS coordinates instantly. Used by thousands of oil & gas, surveying, and real estate professionals.

Start Converting Now How It Works

The Alberta Legal Land Description Converter by Township Canada instantly converts DLS descriptions to GPS latitude and longitude coordinates. Enter any Alberta land description to get coordinates, view the location on a map, and get turn-by-turn navigation directions.

Try it now — enter an Alberta legal land description

Examples: 25-24-1-W5NE-7-24-1-W512-7-24-1-W5

How It Works

Understanding Alberta's DLS System

Alberta uses the Dominion Land Survey (DLS) system to identify land parcels.

The DLS Hierarchy

Alberta land is divided using a hierarchical system based on Meridians (north-south reference lines):

  • Meridians — Alberta primarily uses W4, W5, and W6
  • Ranges — Six-mile columns numbered west from each meridian
  • Townships — Six-mile rows numbered north from the US border
  • Sections — 36 one-square-mile divisions per township
  • Quarter Sections — NE, NW, SE, SW (160 acres each)
  • LSDs — 16 Legal Subdivisions per section (40 acres each)

This creates a unique address for every parcel of land in the province.

Alberta Meridians

W4 (4th Meridian)

Eastern Alberta: Lloydminster, Cold Lake, Medicine Hat

W5 (5th Meridian)

Central Alberta: Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer (most common)

W6 (6th Meridian)

Western Alberta: Jasper, Grande Prairie, Banff area

Sections in a Township (1-36)

31
32
33
34
35
36
30
29
28
27
26
25
19
20
21
22
23
24
18
17
16
15
14
13
7
8
9
10
11
12
6
5
4
3
2
1

Section 25 highlighted

Quarter Sections

NW
NE
SW
SE

SW quarter

LSDs (1-16)

13
14
15
16
12
11
10
9
5
6
7
8
4
3
2
1

LSD 7

Supported Formats

Three Ways to Describe Alberta Land

Our converter accepts all standard DLS formats used in Alberta.

Section Level

Identifies a full one-square-mile section within a township and range.

25-24-1-W5

Quarter Section

Specifies one of four quarters (NE, NW, SE, SW) within a section — about 160 acres.

SW-25-24-1-W5

Legal Subdivision (LSD)

The most precise level, identifying one of 16 subdivisions — about 40 acres.

7-25-24-1-W5
Use Cases

Who Uses Our Alberta Converter?

Oil & Gas

Locate well sites, pipeline routes, and lease boundaries

Real Estate

Find rural properties, acreages, and farmland listings

Surveying

Plan field work and verify boundary coordinates

Insurance

Verify property locations for underwriting and claims

More Provinces

Convert Land Descriptions Across Canada

SK

Saskatchewan

DLS System
MB

Manitoba

DLS + River Lots
BC

British Columbia

NTS System
ON

Ontario

Geographic Townships

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DLS system in Alberta?

Alberta uses the Dominion Land Survey with the 4th, 5th, and 6th meridians. Land is organized into townships (6x6 mile grids of 36 sections), sections, quarter sections, and LSDs.

How do I read SE 14-042-04 W4?

Right to left: W4 = West of 4th Meridian, 04 = range, 042 = township, 14 = section, SE = southeast quarter section.

How accurate is DLS to GPS conversion?

Township Canada returns the centroid of the described parcel. For an LSD (~40 acres) this is precise to within the parcel bounds. Download results include all four corner coordinates.

Can I get corner coordinates for LSDs?

Yes. Download your results in CSV, Shapefile, KML, GeoJSON, or DXF to get all four corner coordinates (NW, NE, SW, SE) for each parcel.

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