British Columbia Legal Land Description Converter
Convert British Columbia DLS (Dominion Land Survey) and NTS (National Topographic System) legal land descriptions to GPS coordinates. Free tool for BC land lookup.
How British Columbia NTS System Works
British Columbia uses the National Topographic System (NTS) for legal land descriptions. This system segments the land into Map Series, Map Areas, Map Sheets, Blocks, Units, and Quarter Units.
NTS Hierarchy
- Map Series: Large area identifier (82-104 for BC)
- Map Area: Lettered A through P
- Map Sheet: Numbered 1 to 16
- Block: 12 blocks per sheet (A-L)
- Unit: 100 units per block (1-100)
- Quarter Unit: 4 per unit (A, B, C, D)
BC NTS Format Examples
| Format | Example | Legal Land Description | GPS Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|
| NTS | A-2-F/93-P-8 | Quarter Unit A, Unit 2, Block F | -120.265625, 55.335416 |
BC Peace River Region (DLS System)
The Peace River region in northeastern BC uses the Dominion Land Survey (DLS) system, the same as Alberta. This area includes communities like Fort St. John and Dawson Creek.
| Format | Example | Legal Land Description | GPS Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSD | 4-22-85-17-W6 | LSD 4, Section 22, Township 85, Range 17, West of 6th Meridian | -120.607055, 56.37911 |
BC NTS Converter FAQ
- How do I read a BC NTS legal land description?
- Read from right to left: Map Series-Map Area-Map Sheet, then Block, Unit, and Quarter Unit. For example, A-2-F/93-P-8 means Quarter Unit A, Unit 2, Block F, on Map Sheet 8, Map Area P, Map Series 93.
- Does BC use the same system as Alberta?
- Most of BC uses the NTS system, but the Peace River region in northeastern BC uses the DLS system (same as Alberta). Township Canada supports both systems.
- Can I convert NTS to latitude/longitude for free?
- Yes! Township Canada offers 10 free NTS conversions per month. For unlimited conversions, check our pricing plans.
- How accurate is the BC NTS converter?
- Township Canada's converter provides coordinates accurate to the center of the specified land parcel. Corner coordinates are included when you download your results. For programmatic access to polygon boundaries, check our API.
- Can I get corner coordinates for NTS Units or Quarter Units?
- Yes! While the search results display center coordinates, all corner coordinates are included when you download your results. Export formats like CSV, Shapefile, KML, GeoJSON, and DXF all contain the complete boundary coordinates for each NTS block.
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