What is an aliquot part?
An aliquot part is a legal subdivision of a section by repeated halving and quartering, such as the NE¼ or the SW¼ of the NE¼, without a metes-and-bounds survey.
How aliquot parts work
Aliquot parts describe land as fractions of a section: quarter (160 ac), quarter-quarter (40 ac), and finer. They are central to PLSS descriptions and the DLS legal subdivision (LSD) system.
Last reviewed June 2026. General information about survey systems — not legal, title, or survey advice.
Sources: US BLM — Cadastral Survey (PLSS), Natural Resources Canada — About Canada Lands surveys.