Legal Land Description to Google Maps

You have a legal land description from a work order, lease document, or field note. You want to see exactly where it is — satellite imagery, a street view of the access road, or driving directions on your phone. Google Maps can do all of that, but it doesn't speak DLS. Here's how to bridge the gap.

Why Google Maps Doesn't Understand Legal Land Descriptions

Google Maps works with street addresses and GPS coordinates. A legal land description like NE 14-032-21W4 is a survey system reference — it describes a quarter section within Alberta's Dominion Land Survey grid. To get it into Google Maps, you first need to convert it to latitude and longitude.

Step-by-Step: Legal Land Description to Google Maps

Step 1 — Enter the LLD in Township Canada

Go to Township Canada and type your legal land description into the search bar. Use standard DLS format, for example:

NE 14-032-21W4
07-25-024-01W5
SW 33-051-05W5

Township Canada parses the quarter section, section, township, range, and meridian, then plots it on the survey grid map.

Step 2 — See the Result on the Survey Grid Map

Once Township Canada resolves the location, the map centers on your parcel. You can see how it sits within the surrounding grid, which township it belongs to, and what's nearby. This is useful context before you open Google Maps.

Step 3 — Copy the GPS Coordinates

Below the map, Township Canada shows the GPS coordinates for the parcel center point. For 07-25-024-01W5, those coordinates are approximately 51.28°N, 114.15°W — farmland west of Cochrane, Alberta.

Copy those coordinates. You'll paste them directly into Google Maps.

Step 4 — Open Google Maps and Paste the Coordinates

Open Google Maps in your browser or on your phone. Click or tap the search bar and paste the coordinates in decimal degree format:

51.28, -114.15

Google Maps will drop a pin at that exact location. From there you can:

Switch to Satellite view to see the land surface, access roads, and nearby features
Use Street View to check what the approach road looks like
Tap Directions to get turn-by-turn navigation from your current location

Step 5 — Use Google Maps for Navigation

Once you have the pin, share it or save it as a waypoint for field navigation. On mobile, you can hand it off to Google Maps navigation directly — useful when you're driving to a wellsite or agricultural parcel without a civic address.

Using Township Canada's "Open in Google Maps" Feature

Township Canada includes a direct link to open any resolved location in Google Maps. After converting your legal land description, look for the Open in Google Maps button in the result panel. This skips the manual copy-paste step and opens Google Maps with the coordinates pre-loaded.

Alternative: Get Directions Without Leaving Township Canada

If you need driving directions to a legal land description, Township Canada's route planner can generate them directly. Enter your starting point and destination LLD, and the planner calculates a route using the road network. Pro and Business plans include route planner access.

This is faster than switching between apps, especially when you're planning multiple field visits in one session.

Example

Input: 07-25-024-01W5

Resolved coordinates: 51.2801°N, 114.1523°W

In Google Maps: Search 51.2801, -114.1523 → satellite view shows the quarter section west of Cochrane, AB, with visible field boundaries and a gravel access road.

Field Navigation Tip

For ongoing field work, the Township Canada mobile app shows the DLS survey grid as an overlay directly on top of satellite imagery. You can see your legal land description boundaries without converting anything — your GPS position moves across the grid in real time.

This is particularly useful when you need to confirm you're in the right quarter section, not just near the right coordinates. Learn more on the Township Canada mobile app page.

Convert your legal land description on Township Canada and see it on the map — then open it in Google Maps for satellite view and navigation.

Legal Land Description to Google Maps — View LLD Locations on Google Maps