[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"learn-\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Flegal-land-description-for-mining":3,"learn-related-how-to\u002Flegal-land-description-for-mining":242},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"category":222,"createdAt":223,"cta":223,"description":224,"extension":225,"icon":223,"industry":226,"keywords":227,"meta":234,"navigation":236,"path":237,"province":238,"relatedPages":223,"section":223,"seo":239,"stem":240,"systems":223,"updatedAt":223,"__hash__":241},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Flegal-land-description-for-mining.md","Legal Land Descriptions for Mining — BC, Ontario, and NWT Mineral Claim Guide",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":209},"minimark",[9,14,18,21,26,29,34,42,58,62,65,72,76,79,82,86,89,141,145,148,159,171,179,183,193],[10,11,13],"h1",{"id":12},"legal-land-descriptions-for-mining-in-bc-ontario-and-nwt","Legal Land Descriptions for Mining in BC, Ontario, and NWT",[15,16,17],"p",{},"You're staking a mineral claim in northern British Columbia and need to reference the correct NTS map sheet cells on your BC Mineral Titles Online application. Or you're an exploration geologist filing a prospecting licence in the Northwest Territories and need GPS coordinates for the claim corners listed in NTS notation. In each case, the legal land description is the link between your target ground and every regulatory system that governs it.",[15,19,20],{},"Mining and mineral exploration in Canada rely on geographic grid systems — primarily the National Topographic System (NTS) — to define where claims, leases, and permits apply. Getting the grid reference wrong means staking the wrong ground, and in a competitive staking rush, that mistake can cost a project.",[22,23,25],"h2",{"id":24},"how-mining-uses-legal-land-descriptions-across-jurisdictions","How Mining Uses Legal Land Descriptions Across Jurisdictions",[15,27,28],{},"Each Canadian mining jurisdiction defines mineral tenure using a specific survey grid. The grid system determines how claims are registered, how boundaries are described in permit applications, and how regulators track what ground is held.",[30,31,33],"h3",{"id":32},"british-columbia-nts-cell-based-tenure","British Columbia — NTS Cell-Based Tenure",[15,35,36,37,41],{},"BC's mineral tenure system is built entirely on the NTS grid. When you register a mineral claim through BC Mineral Titles Online (MTO), you select cells on the NTS grid — not freehand polygons or metes-and-bounds descriptions. A cell claim in the Omineca Mining Division might reference cells within NTS map sheet ",[38,39,40],"strong",{},"093N\u002F01",", placing the claim approximately 50 km north of Prince George in a region with active gold-copper exploration.",[15,43,44,45,48,49,51,52,57],{},"The NTS hierarchy matters here. A 1:250,000 series reference like ",[38,46,47],{},"093N"," identifies a broad area. The 1:50,000 subdivision ",[38,50,40],{}," narrows it to a specific map sheet. Within that sheet, the MTO grid divides the ground into individual cells that you select for staking. Understanding which level of the NTS hierarchy a reference points to prevents filing errors. For a detailed breakdown of how NTS references work in BC, see ",[53,54,56],"a",{"href":55},"\u002Fblog\u002Fbc-nts-grid-references-convert-gps-field-work","BC NTS Grid References: How to Read Them and Convert to GPS",".",[30,59,61],{"id":60},"northwest-territories-and-nunavut-nts-with-federal-oversight","Northwest Territories and Nunavut — NTS with Federal Oversight",[15,63,64],{},"Mineral claims in the NWT and Nunavut are administered by Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) under the Canada Mining Regulations. Claims are staked by NTS grid reference, and the recording process requires the NTS map sheet number and the coordinates of the claim posts.",[15,66,67,68,71],{},"An exploration company staking ground near Yellowknife might reference NTS sheet ",[38,69,70],{},"085J\u002F07"," — a 1:50,000 map sheet in the Slave Geological Province, one of Canada's most productive gold and diamond districts. Converting that reference to GPS coordinates is necessary for planning the ground reconnaissance and for marking claim post locations with a handheld GPS unit.",[30,73,75],{"id":74},"ontario-claim-maps-and-the-mining-act","Ontario — Claim Maps and the Mining Act",[15,77,78],{},"Ontario's mining claim system uses a provincial claim map grid rather than NTS, but NTS references still appear in federal geological survey reports, geophysical datasets, and cross-jurisdictional environmental assessments that reference Ontario ground. Exploration geologists working with Geological Survey of Canada data in Ontario frequently need to convert NTS references to GPS to locate geophysical survey lines and sample sites described in federal publications.",[15,80,81],{},"Ontario's Mining Act reforms moved claim registration online through the Mining Lands Administration System (MLAS), which uses a cell-based map staking system similar to BC's approach. Prospectors and exploration companies select cells on a provincial grid and register claims electronically.",[22,83,85],{"id":84},"mineral-claim-staking-workflow","Mineral Claim Staking Workflow",[15,87,88],{},"A typical mineral claim staking workflow in BC illustrates how NTS references connect to every step:",[90,91,92,103,109,123,129,135],"ol",{},[93,94,95,98,99,102],"li",{},[38,96,97],{},"Target identification",": Regional geochemical data flags a copper-gold anomaly within NTS sheet ",[38,100,101],{},"093E\u002F04"," — the Quesnel Trough area of central BC, a belt known for porphyry copper deposits.",[93,104,105,108],{},[38,106,107],{},"Ground availability check",": On MTO, the geologist checks which NTS grid cells within 093E\u002F04 are open for staking. Cells already held by other parties are shaded on the map.",[93,110,111,114,115,117,118,122],{},[38,112,113],{},"NTS to GPS conversion",": The geologist enters ",[38,116,101],{}," into ",[53,119,121],{"href":120},"\u002F","Township Canada"," to get GPS coordinates for the map sheet boundaries. This positions the target area on the team's planning map and provides waypoints for the helicopter reconnaissance.",[93,124,125,128],{},[38,126,127],{},"Field reconnaissance",": The exploration crew navigates to the target using the GPS coordinates. Soil samples, rock chips, and GPS-tagged field observations are collected and referenced back to the NTS cells.",[93,130,131,134],{},[38,132,133],{},"Claim registration",": Back at the office, the geologist selects the target NTS cells on MTO and completes the online staking. The legal land description of the claim is the set of NTS cells selected.",[93,136,137,140],{},[38,138,139],{},"Permit application",": When the project advances to drilling, the exploration permit references the NTS map sheets and includes GPS coordinates for each proposed drill collar — converted from the NTS grid positions.",[22,142,144],{"id":143},"converting-nts-references-for-mining-field-work","Converting NTS References for Mining Field Work",[15,146,147],{},"Accurate NTS-to-GPS conversion matters at every stage of a mining project. Reconnaissance crews need waypoints. Drill plans need collar coordinates. Regulatory filings need both the NTS grid reference and the corresponding GPS position.",[15,149,150,151,153,154,158],{},"Enter any NTS map sheet reference into ",[53,152,121],{"href":120}," to get GPS coordinates for the sheet boundaries and internal grid lines. The ",[53,155,157],{"href":156},"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Fnts-to-gps-converter","NTS to GPS converter"," handles all levels of the NTS hierarchy — from the broad 1:250,000 series down to individual map sheet subdivisions.",[15,160,161,162,166,167,57],{},"For projects that span multiple NTS sheets — common in regional exploration programmes — the ",[53,163,165],{"href":164},"\u002Fapp\u002Fbatch","batch converter"," processes a full list of NTS references in one operation. Upload a CSV of map sheet references and download GPS coordinates for every entry. This is available on the ",[53,168,170],{"href":169},"\u002Fpricing","Business plan",[15,172,173,174,178],{},"When a mining project also involves DLS-described ground — common in northeastern BC and Alberta where coal and mineral rights overlap with the DLS grid — Township Canada handles both NTS and DLS conversions without switching tools. See the ",[53,175,177],{"href":176},"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Fdls-to-gps-converter","DLS to GPS converter"," for DLS-specific workflows.",[22,180,182],{"id":181},"try-it-with-a-mineral-exploration-location","Try It with a Mineral Exploration Location",[15,184,185,186,188,189,192],{},"Enter ",[38,187,101],{}," into the ",[53,190,191],{"href":120},"Township Canada converter"," to see an NTS map sheet in the Quesnel Trough of central BC — a region with decades of porphyry copper-gold exploration. The result shows the map sheet boundary on the NTS grid with GPS coordinates for the corners, ready for field planning or permit submissions.",[15,194,195,196,198,199,203,204,206,207,57],{},"For NTS conversions, use the ",[53,197,157],{"href":156},". For BC-specific NTS grid explanations, see ",[53,200,202],{"href":201},"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Fbc-nts-grid-explained","BC NTS Grid Explained",". For bulk NTS reference processing across a regional exploration programme, the ",[53,205,165],{"href":164}," handles large lists on a ",[53,208,170],{"href":169},{"title":210,"searchDepth":211,"depth":211,"links":212},"",2,[213,219,220,221],{"id":24,"depth":211,"text":25,"children":214},[215,217,218],{"id":32,"depth":216,"text":33},3,{"id":60,"depth":216,"text":61},{"id":74,"depth":216,"text":75},{"id":84,"depth":211,"text":85},{"id":143,"depth":211,"text":144},{"id":181,"depth":211,"text":182},"how-to",null,"How exploration geologists and mine surveyors use NTS and DLS legal land descriptions to stake mineral claims and file permits in BC, Ontario, and NWT.","md","mining",[228,229,230,231,232,233],"mining legal land description bc","mineral claim nts grid","mining exploration legal land","bc mineral titles nts","nwt mineral claim staking","ontario mining claim legal description",{"system":235},"nts",true,"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Flegal-land-description-for-mining","british-columbia",{"title":5,"description":224},"learn\u002Fhow-to\u002Flegal-land-description-for-mining","BDOKehD0xLTKVbzj6JQ1BxUf-ytECVL2-P7CYrrC29o",[243,598,898],{"id":244,"title":245,"body":246,"category":223,"createdAt":223,"cta":581,"description":584,"extension":225,"icon":223,"industry":223,"keywords":585,"meta":591,"navigation":236,"path":592,"province":223,"relatedPages":593,"section":222,"seo":594,"stem":595,"systems":596,"updatedAt":223,"__hash__":597},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Farcgis-pro-legal-land-description-locator.md","ArcGIS Pro Legal Land Description Locator — DLS and NTS Search in Esri",{"type":7,"value":247,"toc":563},[248,252,255,268,276,280,288,305,311,315,319,327,331,351,355,363,367,371,379,383,408,412,415,419,425,431,435,438,480,483,497,501,512,538,542,554,558],[10,249,251],{"id":250},"arcgis-pro-legal-land-description-locator","ArcGIS Pro Legal Land Description Locator",[15,253,254],{},"ArcGIS Pro does not include a native locator for Canadian legal land descriptions. If you type \"NE 14-032-21W4\" into the ArcGIS Pro search bar, it returns nothing. Esri confirmed there are no plans to add DLS or NTS support — not even with the NATRF2022 datum update in version 3.7.",[15,256,257,258,262,263,267],{},"That's a problem if you're a GIS analyst at an oil and gas company, a geomatics engineer running cadastral surveys, or a land technician mapping pipeline corridors. Your data references ",[53,259,261],{"href":260},"\u002Flearn\u002Fsystems\u002Fdls","DLS"," quarter sections and ",[53,264,266],{"href":265},"\u002Flearn\u002Fsystems\u002Flsd","LSD"," parcels, but your GIS software doesn't know what they are.",[15,269,270,271,275],{},"Township Canada's ArcGIS Pro Python toolbox fills that gap. It adds a legal land description locator directly to ArcGIS Pro — search DLS and ",[53,272,274],{"href":273},"\u002Flearn\u002Fsystems\u002Fnts","NTS"," descriptions from the search bar, batch convert tables of locations to feature classes, and display parcel boundaries on any map.",[22,277,279],{"id":278},"what-the-arcgis-pro-toolbox-does","What the ArcGIS Pro Toolbox Does",[15,281,282,283,287],{},"The Township Canada Python toolbox (",[284,285,286],"code",{},"TownshipCanada.pyt",") installs as a standard ArcGIS Pro toolbox and provides two main capabilities:",[15,289,290,293,294,297,298,297,301,304],{},[38,291,292],{},"Search bar locator",": Type any DLS or NTS description into the ArcGIS Pro search bar — ",[284,295,296],{},"LSD 06-32-048-07W5",", ",[284,299,300],{},"NE 14-032-21W4",[284,302,303],{},"NTS 093P09"," — and the locator returns the GPS coordinates and zooms to the location on your map. No tab-switching, no copy-paste from a browser.",[15,306,307,310],{},[38,308,309],{},"Batch geoprocessing tool",": Point the tool at a table or feature class containing a column of legal land descriptions. It converts every row to a point feature class with latitude, longitude, and the original description. Optionally, it also generates a polygon feature class with the parcel boundaries. Useful for processing well inventories, pipeline route tables, or mineral rights spreadsheets that list hundreds of DLS locations.",[22,312,314],{"id":313},"when-you-need-this","When You Need This",[30,316,318],{"id":317},"gis-analysts-in-oil-and-gas","GIS Analysts in Oil and Gas",[15,320,321,322,326],{},"An ",[53,323,325],{"href":324},"\u002Flearn\u002Findustries\u002Foil-and-gas","oil and gas"," company receives a spreadsheet of 400 well locations from the AER, all in LSD format. The GIS team needs these as a point layer in their ArcGIS Pro project to run proximity analysis against existing infrastructure. Without a locator, they'd export the spreadsheet, convert it in a separate tool, re-import the coordinates, and join them back. The batch geoprocessing tool does it in one step inside ArcGIS Pro.",[30,328,330],{"id":329},"surveyors-planning-fieldwork","Surveyors Planning Fieldwork",[15,332,333,334,338,339,343,344,297,347,350],{},"A ",[53,335,337],{"href":336},"\u002Flearn\u002Findustries\u002Fsurveying","surveying"," firm wins a contract to monument 25 section corners along a proposed highway corridor in ",[53,340,342],{"href":341},"\u002Flearn\u002Fprovinces\u002Fsaskatchewan","Saskatchewan",". The contract lists each location as a DLS section reference — ",[284,345,346],{},"32-048-07W3",[284,348,349],{},"33-048-07W3",", and so on. The survey crew lead opens ArcGIS Pro, runs the batch tool against the contract table, and gets a point layer with all 25 locations plotted on the survey grid and satellite imagery. Field planning that used to take an afternoon now takes five minutes.",[30,352,354],{"id":353},"environmental-consultants","Environmental Consultants",[15,356,357,358,362],{},"An environmental assessment covers 60 quarter sections across the Peace River region of ",[53,359,361],{"href":360},"\u002Flearn\u002Fprovinces\u002Fbritish-columbia","British Columbia",". Some locations use DLS notation (the Peace River block) and others use NTS grid references (the rest of BC). The toolbox handles both systems in the same batch run — no need to separate the file by survey system.",[22,364,366],{"id":365},"how-to-set-it-up","How to Set It Up",[30,368,370],{"id":369},"step-1-get-a-township-canada-api-key","Step 1: Get a Township Canada API Key",[15,372,373,374,378],{},"The ArcGIS Pro toolbox connects to the Township Canada API. Sign up at the ",[53,375,377],{"href":376},"\u002Fapi","API portal"," — plans start at $20\u002Fmonth for 1,000 requests. If you're running batch jobs with hundreds of locations, the Scale plan at $100\u002Fmonth covers 10,000 requests.",[30,380,382],{"id":381},"step-2-install-the-toolbox","Step 2: Install the Toolbox",[15,384,385,386,388,389,395,396,399,400,403,404,407],{},"Download ",[284,387,286],{}," from the ",[53,390,394],{"href":391,"rel":392},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.arcgis.com\u002Fhome\u002Fgroup.html",[393],"nofollow","ArcGIS Marketplace",". In ArcGIS Pro, right-click ",[38,397,398],{},"Toolboxes"," in the Catalog pane, select ",[38,401,402],{},"Add Toolbox",", and browse to the ",[284,405,406],{},".pyt"," file. The toolbox appears under your project toolboxes.",[30,409,411],{"id":410},"step-3-configure-your-api-key","Step 3: Configure Your API Key",[15,413,414],{},"Open the toolbox properties and enter your Township Canada API key. The key is stored in your ArcGIS Pro project settings — you only configure it once.",[30,416,418],{"id":417},"step-4-search-or-batch-convert","Step 4: Search or Batch Convert",[15,420,421,424],{},[38,422,423],{},"To search",": Type a legal land description in the ArcGIS Pro Locate pane. The Township Canada locator appears as a search provider alongside Esri's default geocoders.",[15,426,427,430],{},[38,428,429],{},"To batch convert",": Open the Township Canada geoprocessing tool from the toolbox. Select your input table, specify which column contains the legal land descriptions, and run. The output is a point feature class (and optional polygon feature class) added directly to your map.",[22,432,434],{"id":433},"example-converting-a-well-inventory","Example: Converting a Well Inventory",[15,436,437],{},"Input table with 3 rows:",[439,440,441,454],"table",{},[442,443,444],"thead",{},[445,446,447,451],"tr",{},[448,449,450],"th",{},"Well Name",[448,452,453],{},"LLD",[455,456,457,465,473],"tbody",{},[445,458,459,463],{},[460,461,462],"td",{},"Ferrier 06-32",[460,464,296],{},[445,466,467,470],{},[460,468,469],{},"Pembina 14-27",[460,471,472],{},"LSD 14-27-048-05W5",[445,474,475,478],{},[460,476,477],{},"Drumheller NE-14",[460,479,300],{},[15,481,482],{},"After running the batch tool, ArcGIS Pro displays three points on the map — one near Rocky Mountain House, one near Drayton Valley, and one near Drumheller. Each point carries the original LLD, GPS coordinates, province, and survey system as attributes.",[15,484,485,486,489,490,494,495,57],{},"Export the results as a shapefile, geodatabase feature class, or any format ArcGIS Pro supports. For teams that also need data in KML, GeoJSON, or CSV, the ",[53,487,488],{"href":120},"Township Canada web app"," offers those ",[53,491,493],{"href":492},"\u002Fguides\u002Fdownload-results","export formats"," on the ",[53,496,170],{"href":169},[22,498,500],{"id":499},"beyond-arcgis-pro","Beyond ArcGIS Pro",[15,502,503,504,507,508,511],{},"Township Canada's Esri integration also includes an ",[38,505,506],{},"Experience Builder widget"," for ArcGIS Online — add legal land description search with autocomplete to any web map experience — and a ",[38,509,510],{},"Survey123 integration"," for field data collection. If a field crew enters a DLS description in a Survey123 form, the integration auto-converts it to GPS coordinates and updates the feature layer.",[15,513,514,515,297,519,297,523,527,528,532,533,537],{},"For GIS teams working outside Esri, Township Canada also has integration guides for ",[53,516,518],{"href":517},"\u002Fguides\u002Fmapbox-integration","Mapbox",[53,520,522],{"href":521},"\u002Fguides\u002Fleaflet-integration","Leaflet",[53,524,526],{"href":525},"\u002Fguides\u002Fopenlayers-integration","OpenLayers",", and ",[53,529,531],{"href":530},"\u002Fguides\u002Fmaplibre-integration","MapLibre",". And for data teams running ",[53,534,536],{"href":535},"\u002Fblog\u002Fsnowflake-dls-enrichment","Snowflake",", there's a SQL-native conversion function.",[22,539,541],{"id":540},"migrating-from-arcmap","Migrating from ArcMap?",[15,543,544,545,548,549,553],{},"Esri retired ArcMap in March 2026. If you have existing DLS locators, batch geocoding tables, or ",[284,546,547],{},".mxd"," projects that need to move to ArcGIS Pro, see the ",[53,550,552],{"href":551},"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Farcmap-to-arcgis-pro-dls-migration","ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro migration guide"," — it covers what breaks and the steps to restore legal land description functionality.",[22,555,557],{"id":556},"try-a-legal-land-description-now","Try a Legal Land Description Now",[15,559,185,560,562],{},[38,561,296],{}," into the [Township Canada converter](\u002F?example=LSD 06-32-048-07W5) to see what the ArcGIS Pro locator returns — GPS coordinates, parcel boundary, and survey grid context for a 40-acre parcel near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. Or search any DLS or NTS description from your own project files.",{"title":210,"searchDepth":211,"depth":211,"links":564},[565,566,571,577,578,579,580],{"id":278,"depth":211,"text":279},{"id":313,"depth":211,"text":314,"children":567},[568,569,570],{"id":317,"depth":216,"text":318},{"id":329,"depth":216,"text":330},{"id":353,"depth":216,"text":354},{"id":365,"depth":211,"text":366,"children":572},[573,574,575,576],{"id":369,"depth":216,"text":370},{"id":381,"depth":216,"text":382},{"id":410,"depth":216,"text":411},{"id":417,"depth":216,"text":418},{"id":433,"depth":211,"text":434},{"id":499,"depth":211,"text":500},{"id":540,"depth":211,"text":541},{"id":556,"depth":211,"text":557},{"label":582,"href":583},"Try the ArcGIS Pro locator","\u002F?example=LSD 06-32-048-07W5","Add a DLS and NTS legal land description locator to ArcGIS Pro. Search, batch convert, and map Canadian land descriptions without leaving Esri.",[586,587,588,589,590],"arcgis pro legal land description locator","arcgis pro dls locator","esri legal land description","arcgis nts search","arcgis pro township range section",{},"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Farcgis-pro-legal-land-description-locator",[260,273,324,336],{"title":245,"description":584},"learn\u002Fhow-to\u002Farcgis-pro-legal-land-description-locator",[261,274,266],"R6OkRDuFXKgHBS__pipV64RlOEGff2qNDstmaSjpkh4",{"id":599,"title":600,"body":601,"category":223,"createdAt":223,"cta":884,"description":886,"extension":225,"icon":223,"industry":223,"keywords":887,"meta":892,"navigation":236,"path":551,"province":223,"relatedPages":893,"section":222,"seo":894,"stem":895,"systems":896,"updatedAt":223,"__hash__":897},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Farcmap-to-arcgis-pro-dls-migration.md","ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro: Migrating DLS and NTS Legal Land Descriptions",{"type":7,"value":602,"toc":868},[603,607,616,622,625,629,633,643,647,650,661,664,668,678,682,688,692,697,720,723,727,733,737,740,765,768,772,784,787,791,797,800,811,817,825,829,838,848,854,858],[10,604,606],{"id":605},"migrating-dls-legal-land-descriptions-from-arcmap-to-arcgis-pro","Migrating DLS Legal Land Descriptions from ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro",[15,608,609,610,612,613,615],{},"Esri retired ArcMap on March 1, 2026. If your team ran ",[53,611,261],{"href":260}," or ",[53,614,274],{"href":273}," legal land description workflows in ArcMap — batch geocoding from a well inventory, custom locators, or coordinate lookups — those workflows do not carry over to ArcGIS Pro automatically.",[15,617,618,619,621],{},"The short version: ArcGIS Pro has no native support for Canadian legal land descriptions. ",[284,620,300],{}," means nothing to the built-in search bar. You need a locator add-on to restore that functionality.",[15,623,624],{},"This page covers what breaks in an arcmap to arcgis pro legal land description migration, and the steps to fix it.",[22,626,628],{"id":627},"what-breaks-in-the-migration-what-breaks","What Breaks in the Migration {#what-breaks}",[30,630,632],{"id":631},"custom-dls-locators-built-in-arcmap","Custom DLS Locators Built in ArcMap",[15,634,635,636,639,640,642],{},"Some ArcMap users built composite locators for DLS conversion by pairing a custom address locator with coordinate-based geocoding. Those locator files (",[284,637,638],{},".loc",") are not compatible with ArcGIS Pro — the format changed in ArcGIS Pro 2.x and ArcMap ",[284,641,638],{}," files cannot be imported. You'll see a \"locator is not compatible\" error if you try.",[30,644,646],{"id":645},"batch-geocoding-tables","Batch Geocoding Tables",[15,648,649],{},"ArcMap projects that batch-geocoded a DLS or LSD attribute table break at two points after migration:",[90,651,652,658],{},[93,653,654,655,657],{},"The ",[284,656,638],{}," locator file is incompatible with ArcGIS Pro",[93,659,660],{},"ArcGIS Pro's Address Locator framework doesn't recognize DLS notation as a valid address type",[15,662,663],{},"You can export the source data, but you can't re-geocode it without a DLS-aware locator.",[30,665,667],{"id":666},"saved-map-documents-mxd","Saved Map Documents (.mxd)",[15,669,670,671,673,674,677],{},"Opening an ",[284,672,547],{}," in ArcGIS Pro converts it to an ",[284,675,676],{},".aprx"," project. The conversion preserves layers and symbology, but any tool that depended on a DLS locator stops working silently — no error, just empty search results.",[22,679,681],{"id":680},"replacing-the-dls-locator-in-arcgis-pro-solution","Replacing the DLS Locator in ArcGIS Pro {#solution}",[15,683,684,685,687],{},"The Township Canada ArcGIS Pro toolbox (",[284,686,286],{},") adds a fully functional DLS and NTS locator to ArcGIS Pro. It works with the Locate pane search bar and as a geoprocessing tool for batch conversion.",[30,689,691],{"id":690},"step-1-install-the-toolbox","Step 1: Install the Toolbox",[15,693,385,694,696],{},[284,695,286],{}," from the ArcGIS Marketplace. In ArcGIS Pro:",[90,698,699,706,714],{},[93,700,701,702,705],{},"Open the ",[38,703,704],{},"Catalog"," pane",[93,707,708,709,711,712],{},"Right-click ",[38,710,398],{}," → ",[38,713,402],{},[93,715,716,717,719],{},"Browse to ",[284,718,286],{}," and click OK",[15,721,722],{},"The toolbox appears under your project toolboxes immediately — no restart required.",[30,724,726],{"id":725},"step-2-connect-your-api-key","Step 2: Connect Your API Key",[15,728,729,730,732],{},"The toolbox calls the Township Canada API to resolve descriptions. Sign up for an API key at the ",[53,731,377],{"href":376}," — plans start at $20\u002Fmonth for 1,000 requests. Enter your key in the toolbox properties; it's stored in your ArcGIS Pro project settings and persists across sessions.",[30,734,736],{"id":735},"step-3-rebuild-batch-geocoding-workflows","Step 3: Rebuild Batch Geocoding Workflows",[15,738,739],{},"For any ArcMap batch geocoding jobs you're migrating:",[90,741,742,749,756,759,762],{},[93,743,744,745,748],{},"Open ",[38,746,747],{},"Township Canada Batch Convert"," from the toolbox in the Geoprocessing pane",[93,750,751,752,755],{},"Set ",[38,753,754],{},"Input Table"," to your well inventory, pipeline table, or land rights spreadsheet",[93,757,758],{},"Select the column containing the DLS or NTS descriptions",[93,760,761],{},"Choose an output feature class location",[93,763,764],{},"Run the tool",[15,766,767],{},"Output is a point feature class with GPS coordinates, province, and survey system as attributes. Optional boundary polygons are available as a second output.",[30,769,771],{"id":770},"step-4-restore-search-bar-lookups","Step 4: Restore Search Bar Lookups",[15,773,774,775,778,779,297,781,783],{},"After installation, the Township Canada locator appears in the ",[38,776,777],{},"Locate"," pane alongside Esri's default geocoders. Type any legal land description — ",[284,780,296],{},[284,782,300],{},", or an NTS reference — and it returns the location with map zoom.",[15,785,786],{},"This replaces the browser-based lookup workflow that many ArcMap users fell back on when their locator wasn't working.",[22,788,790],{"id":789},"example-migrating-a-well-inventory-example","Example: Migrating a Well Inventory {#example}",[15,792,793,794,796],{},"A land technician at an ",[53,795,325],{"href":324}," company has an ArcMap project with 340 well locations stored as DLS descriptions in a file geodatabase table. The existing geocoding results layer is broken because the ArcMap locator isn't recognized in ArcGIS Pro.",[15,798,799],{},"Migration path:",[90,801,802,805,808],{},[93,803,804],{},"Export the geodatabase table to CSV (or keep it in the geodatabase)",[93,806,807],{},"Run the Township Canada batch tool, pointing it at the DLS column",[93,809,810],{},"Output: a point feature class with all 340 wells plotted by GPS coordinates",[15,812,813,814,816],{},"The whole process takes under five minutes. Before the migration, the same task required rebuilding a locator and hoping the ",[284,815,547],{}," conversion hadn't dropped any table joins.",[15,818,819,820,824],{},"For teams that need results in formats other than a geodatabase feature class — CSV, KML, GeoJSON, Shapefile — the ",[53,821,823],{"href":822},"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Fbatch-convert-legal-land-descriptions","batch convert guide"," covers the Township Canada web app workflow.",[22,826,828],{"id":827},"common-mistakes-mistakes","Common Mistakes {#mistakes}",[15,830,831,837],{},[38,832,833,834,836],{},"Trying to import the old ",[284,835,638],{}," file."," It won't work. ArcMap and ArcGIS Pro use different locator schemas. The only path forward is a DLS-native toolbox.",[15,839,840,843,844,847],{},[38,841,842],{},"Assuming ArcGIS Pro's built-in geocoders handle DLS."," They don't. Esri's geocoders are address-based and don't understand Canadian survey grid notation. A query like ",[284,845,846],{},"SE-24-47-6-W5"," either returns nothing or maps to a street address in an unrelated location.",[15,849,850,853],{},[38,851,852],{},"Overlooking NTS references."," Teams working in BC, the Yukon, or on resource mapping data often mix DLS and NTS references in the same table. The Township Canada toolbox handles both systems in a single batch run — no need to separate the file by survey system before processing.",[22,855,857],{"id":856},"try-it-now","Try It Now",[15,859,860,861,864,865,867],{},"See how the ",[53,862,863],{"href":592},"ArcGIS Pro locator"," works by searching ",[38,866,296],{}," in the [Township Canada converter](\u002F?example=LSD 06-32-048-07W5). You get GPS coordinates and a parcel boundary for a 40-acre parcel near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta — the same response the ArcGIS Pro toolbox returns when you type that description in the Locate pane.",{"title":210,"searchDepth":211,"depth":211,"links":869},[870,875,881,882,883],{"id":627,"depth":211,"text":628,"children":871},[872,873,874],{"id":631,"depth":216,"text":632},{"id":645,"depth":216,"text":646},{"id":666,"depth":216,"text":667},{"id":680,"depth":211,"text":681,"children":876},[877,878,879,880],{"id":690,"depth":216,"text":691},{"id":725,"depth":216,"text":726},{"id":735,"depth":216,"text":736},{"id":770,"depth":216,"text":771},{"id":789,"depth":211,"text":790},{"id":827,"depth":211,"text":828},{"id":856,"depth":211,"text":857},{"label":885,"href":583},"Try the ArcGIS Pro DLS locator","ArcMap retired March 2026. Here's how to move your DLS and NTS legal land description workflows to ArcGIS Pro without losing functionality.",[888,889,890,891,587],"arcmap to arcgis pro legal land description","arcmap dls migration","arcgis pro nts locator","migrate arcmap legal land description workflows",{},[592,260,273,324,822],{"title":600,"description":886},"learn\u002Fhow-to\u002Farcmap-to-arcgis-pro-dls-migration",[261,274,266],"x2yeDngUIxHirsgheWP_aHf_ykiDIBWmRAHuJCe8nTQ",{"id":899,"title":900,"body":901,"category":222,"createdAt":223,"cta":223,"description":1187,"extension":225,"icon":223,"industry":223,"keywords":1188,"meta":1194,"navigation":236,"path":822,"province":1196,"relatedPages":223,"section":223,"seo":1197,"stem":1198,"systems":223,"updatedAt":223,"__hash__":1199},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Fbatch-convert-legal-land-descriptions.md","Batch Convert Legal Land Descriptions — Process Thousands of LLDs at Once",{"type":7,"value":902,"toc":1175},[903,907,910,913,917,920,936,939,943,949,960,966,976,980,984,987,990,999,1002,1006,1013,1017,1020,1041,1044,1048,1051,1089,1098,1102,1115,1118,1122,1134,1148,1155,1163],[10,904,906],{"id":905},"batch-convert-legal-land-descriptions-to-gps-coordinates","Batch Convert Legal Land Descriptions to GPS Coordinates",[15,908,909],{},"If you have a spreadsheet of legal land descriptions that need GPS coordinates, converting them one at a time is not practical. A pipeline company with 2,000 DLS locations for a route survey, an insurance firm triaging 500 claims after a hailstorm, or a land department reconciling quarterly well licence filings — each of these jobs starts with the same problem: a column of LSD or quarter section references that need to become latitude and longitude values.",[15,911,912],{},"Township Canada's batch converter handles this in a single upload.",[22,914,916],{"id":915},"what-the-batch-converter-does","What the Batch Converter Does",[15,918,919],{},"The batch converter accepts a CSV or spreadsheet containing legal land descriptions in any standard Canadian format — DLS, LSD, NTS, quarter section, or Geographic Township. It processes each row, calculates the GPS coordinates from official survey data, and returns the results as a downloadable file.",[15,921,922,923,297,926,297,928,931,932,935],{},"Input formats are flexible. You can upload descriptions like ",[284,924,925],{},"06-32-048-07W5",[284,927,300],{},[284,929,930],{},"NTS A-2-F\u002F93-P-8",", or ",[284,933,934],{},"Lot 12, Concession 3, Township of Essa"," — all in the same file. The converter identifies the survey system for each row automatically.",[15,937,938],{},"Output includes the original description, latitude, longitude, and a confidence flag for each record. Rows that don't match a known land parcel are flagged rather than silently dropped, so you know exactly which entries need review.",[22,940,942],{"id":941},"when-youd-need-batch-conversion","When You'd Need Batch Conversion",[15,944,945,948],{},[38,946,947],{},"Quarterly regulatory filings",": Oil and gas companies submit well location data to the AER, SK Ministry of Energy, or BC OGC using legal land descriptions. Before filing, teams often need to verify coordinates match the descriptions on record. Running the full list through batch conversion catches discrepancies before they become compliance issues.",[15,950,951,954,955,959],{},[38,952,953],{},"Post-event insurance triage",": After a major hailstorm in southern Alberta, an insurer might receive 300+ claims in a week, each referencing a quarter section or LSD. Plotting all of them on a map at once shows the geographic spread of damage and helps prioritize field adjuster routes. See our guide on ",[53,956,958],{"href":957},"\u002Fhow-to\u002Flegal-land-description-for-crop-insurance","how crop insurance uses legal land descriptions"," for more on this workflow.",[15,961,962,965],{},[38,963,964],{},"Farmland portfolio analysis",": Real estate firms or agricultural lenders managing hundreds of rural parcels need GPS coordinates for mapping, valuation, and due diligence. A CSV of quarter sections from land titles converts to a GeoJSON file that drops straight into GIS software.",[15,967,968,971,972,57],{},[38,969,970],{},"Survey project planning",": A surveying crew with 40 section corners to visit needs GPS coordinates for route planning. Upload the list, download as KML, and load it into a GPS device or mapping app. For individual lookups, see the ",[53,973,975],{"href":974},"\u002Fhow-to\u002Fsection-township-range-lookup","section township range lookup guide",[22,977,979],{"id":978},"how-to-batch-convert-with-township-canada","How to Batch Convert with Township Canada",[30,981,983],{"id":982},"step-1-prepare-your-file","Step 1: Prepare Your File",[15,985,986],{},"Create a CSV with one legal land description per row. The descriptions can be in any column — you'll select the right one after upload. If your file has headers, keep them; the converter will detect them.",[15,988,989],{},"A simple file might look like:",[991,992,997],"pre",{"className":993,"code":995,"language":996},[994],"language-text","location\n06-32-048-07W5\nNE 14-032-21W4\nSW 03-024-02W5\n11-22-034-04W4\n","text",[284,998,995],{"__ignoreMap":210},[15,1000,1001],{},"Mixed formats work too. DLS, LSD, NTS, and Ontario Geographic Township descriptions can all appear in the same column.",[30,1003,1005],{"id":1004},"step-2-upload-to-the-batch-converter","Step 2: Upload to the Batch Converter",[15,1007,1008,1009,1012],{},"Go to the ",[53,1010,1011],{"href":164},"Township Canada batch converter"," and upload your CSV. Select the column containing the legal land descriptions. The converter previews the first few rows so you can confirm it picked the right data.",[30,1014,1016],{"id":1015},"step-3-review-and-download-results","Step 3: Review and Download Results",[15,1018,1019],{},"Processing time depends on file size — a few hundred rows finish in seconds, and files with thousands of rows typically complete in under a minute. Once done, you can:",[1021,1022,1023,1029,1035],"ul",{},[93,1024,1025,1028],{},[38,1026,1027],{},"Preview"," results on an interactive map, with each point plotted at its GPS location",[93,1030,1031,1034],{},[38,1032,1033],{},"Download"," as CSV (coordinates appended to your original data), KML, Shapefile, GeoJSON, or DXF",[93,1036,1037,1040],{},[38,1038,1039],{},"Check"," the processing report for any rows that didn't match a known parcel",[15,1042,1043],{},"The processing report is especially useful for data cleanup. If 15 out of 2,000 rows fail, you can fix the formatting on just those 15 and re-run them rather than re-processing the entire file.",[22,1045,1047],{"id":1046},"export-formats","Export Formats",[15,1049,1050],{},"The batch converter outputs in six formats, depending on where you need the data next:",[1021,1052,1053,1059,1065,1071,1077,1083],{},[93,1054,1055,1058],{},[38,1056,1057],{},"CSV"," — for spreadsheets, databases, or further processing",[93,1060,1061,1064],{},[38,1062,1063],{},"KML"," — for Google Earth and Google Maps",[93,1066,1067,1070],{},[38,1068,1069],{},"Shapefile"," — for ArcGIS, QGIS, and other GIS platforms",[93,1072,1073,1076],{},[38,1074,1075],{},"GeoJSON"," — for web maps and developer workflows",[93,1078,1079,1082],{},[38,1080,1081],{},"DXF"," — for AutoCAD and CAD software",[93,1084,1085,1088],{},[38,1086,1087],{},"PDF"," — for printed reports and documentation",[15,1090,1091,1092,1094,1095,57],{},"Export formats beyond PDF require a ",[53,1093,170],{"href":169},". For more on what you can do with downloaded results, see the ",[53,1096,1097],{"href":492},"download results guide",[22,1099,1101],{"id":1100},"example-converting-a-lease-block","Example: Converting a Lease Block",[15,1103,1104,1105,297,1108,297,1111,1114],{},"An Alberta land department needs to convert 150 LSD locations for a lease block review near Drayton Valley. Their spreadsheet has entries like ",[284,1106,1107],{},"14-27-048-05W5",[284,1109,1110],{},"15-27-048-05W5",[284,1112,1113],{},"16-27-048-05W5"," — a cluster of LSDs in Township 48, Range 5, West of the 5th Meridian.",[15,1116,1117],{},"After uploading the CSV, the batch converter returns GPS coordinates for all 150 parcels in 12 seconds. The team downloads the results as a Shapefile, loads it into ArcGIS, and overlays it with pipeline and wellbore data. Three rows had typos (a township number that doesn't exist), which the processing report flagged for manual correction.",[22,1119,1121],{"id":1120},"try-batch-conversion-now","Try Batch Conversion Now",[15,1123,1124,1125,1127,1128,188,1130,1133],{},"Upload your own CSV to the ",[53,1126,1011],{"href":164}," and get GPS coordinates for every legal land description in your file. Or start with a single conversion — enter ",[38,1129,925],{},[53,1131,1132],{"href":120},"search bar"," to see how it works.",[15,1135,1136,1137,1140,1141,612,1145,57],{},"Batch conversion is available on ",[53,1138,1139],{"href":169},"Business plans",". For converting locations one at a time, see the ",[53,1142,1144],{"href":1143},"\u002Fhow-to\u002Flsd-finder","LSD finder",[53,1146,177],{"href":1147},"\u002Fhow-to\u002Fdls-to-gps-converter",[15,1149,1150,1151,1154],{},"If your data already lives in Snowflake or Databricks, you can skip the CSV step entirely — Township Canada's ",[53,1152,1153],{"href":535},"Snowflake External Function"," converts DLS locations to GPS coordinates directly inside SQL queries.",[15,1156,1157,1158,1162],{},"For developers building batch conversion into their own applications, the ",[53,1159,1161],{"href":1160},"\u002Fblog\u002Fintegrate-legal-land-description-api-canada","API integration tutorial"," covers the Batch API endpoint with code examples.",[15,1164,1165,1166,1170,1171,1174],{},"If your data lives in Google Sheets, the ",[53,1167,1169],{"href":1168},"\u002Fblog\u002Fgoogle-sheets-add-on-convert-legal-land-descriptions","Township Canada Google Sheets Add-On"," converts legal land descriptions to GPS coordinates directly in your spreadsheet — type ",[284,1172,1173],{},"=TOWNSHIP(A1)"," in any cell or use the sidebar batch converter for up to 200 descriptions at once.",{"title":210,"searchDepth":211,"depth":211,"links":1176},[1177,1178,1179,1184,1185,1186],{"id":915,"depth":211,"text":916},{"id":941,"depth":211,"text":942},{"id":978,"depth":211,"text":979,"children":1180},[1181,1182,1183],{"id":982,"depth":216,"text":983},{"id":1004,"depth":216,"text":1005},{"id":1015,"depth":216,"text":1016},{"id":1046,"depth":211,"text":1047},{"id":1100,"depth":211,"text":1101},{"id":1120,"depth":211,"text":1121},"Convert hundreds or thousands of legal land descriptions to GPS coordinates at once. Upload a CSV and get results in seconds.",[1189,1190,1191,1192,1193],"batch convert legal land descriptions","bulk lsd to gps","batch lld converter","convert multiple land descriptions","csv legal land description conversion",{"system":1195},"dls","alberta",{"title":900,"description":1187},"learn\u002Fhow-to\u002Fbatch-convert-legal-land-descriptions","Q0bvX5JmDbZSn5Pb2GGiJI_sslAYimgigbAUQ0l55AY"]