Quarter Section Finder: Locate Any Quarter Section in Western Canada

A quarter section is 160 acres of land — one of the most commonly referenced parcel sizes in rural western Canada. This guide shows you how to find any quarter section by its legal description and get the GPS coordinates, map boundaries, and surrounding land details.

What Is a Quarter Section?

In the Dominion Land Survey system, every section (640 acres, roughly 1 square mile) is divided into four quarter sections:

• NE — Northeast quarter
• NW — Northwest quarter
• SE — Southeast quarter
• SW — Southwest quarter

Each quarter section is approximately 160 acres. The legal description format is Quarter-Section-Township-Range-Meridian — for example, NW 27-039-04W5.

Quarter sections are the standard unit for most land transactions in rural Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. When a farmer buys a piece of land, the title almost always references a quarter section. When a municipality assesses property taxes, the roll is organized by quarter section. When a pipeline company negotiates a right-of-way, the crossing agreements reference quarter sections.

When You'd Need a Quarter Section Finder

A real estate agent receives an MLS listing for a ranch near Stettler, Alberta. The listing describes the property as "NW 27-039-04W5 and adjacent quarters." The agent needs to see exactly where those quarters sit on a map and how they relate to nearby roads, waterways, and other properties.

A crop insurance adjuster in Saskatchewan needs to visit three quarter sections after a hail storm: SE 15-028-03W3, NE 15-028-03W3, and SW 22-028-03W3. Before driving out, they need GPS coordinates and directions for each one.

A municipal planner reviewing a subdivision application needs to confirm the quarter section boundaries against the proposed lot layout. Getting the exact GPS coordinates and boundary outline is the starting point.

How to Find a Quarter Section with Township Canada

Step 1: Enter the Quarter Section

Go to Township Canada and type the legal description into the search bar:

• NW 27-039-04W5
• NW 27-39-4-W5 (without leading zeros)
• NW Sec 27 Twp 39 Rge 4 W5M (long-form)

Step 2: Review the Result

The converter returns:

• GPS coordinates for the center of the quarter section
• Boundary outline on the survey grid map, showing exactly which 160 acres are included
• Adjacent quarters — easily see the NE, SE, and SW of the same section
• Satellite imagery for visual reference (on Pro and Business plans)

Step 3: Take Action

From the result, you can:

• Get turn-by-turn directions to the quarter section
• Save it to your saved places for future reference
• Export the location and boundary as PDF, CSV, KML, Shapefile, or GeoJSON (export guide)
• Look up the individual LSDs within the quarter section for more precise 40-acre locations

Step 4: Find Multiple Quarter Sections

If you have a list of quarter sections — for instance, all parcels in a lease agreement or all fields in a farming operation — upload them as a CSV to the batch converter. Township Canada returns GPS coordinates for every quarter section in the file. This feature is available on the Business plan.

Example: Finding NW 27-039-04W5

Enter NW 27-039-04W5 into Township Canada:

• Location: Northwest quarter of Section 27, Township 39, Range 4, West of the 5th Meridian
• GPS: approximately 52.13°N, 114.57°W
• Area: roughly 160 acres
• Region: West of Red Deer, Alberta — rolling foothills with a mix of farmland and cattle ranching

This quarter section sits in a part of Alberta where land titles, oil and gas surface leases, and municipal planning all reference the quarter section as the basic unit.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Forgetting the quarter designation: Typing 27-039-04W5 without specifying NE, NW, SE, or SW gives you the full 640-acre section, not a specific quarter. Always include the quarter.
• Wrong meridian: In Alberta, W4 covers the eastern half (roughly east of Highway 2) and W5 covers the western half. Getting this wrong moves your result by hundreds of kilometres.
• Confusing quarter section with LSD: A quarter section contains four LSDs. If your document references an LSD number (1-16), you need to include it for 40-acre precision. See the LSD finder guide for that.

For more precise locations within a quarter section, use an LSD lookup. For a full overview of DLS conversions at any level, see the DLS to GPS converter guide.

Find Your Quarter Section Now

Try it — enter NW 27-039-04W5 into the Township Canada converter and see the result instantly. Or enter any quarter section from your own land titles, lease agreements, or field records.