General Land Office (GLO)
The BLM General Land Office Records website provides online access to federal land conveyance records for the Public Land States, which are states that were created out of the public domain. The website offers access to images of more than five million federal land title records issued since 1788. The site also has images related to survey plats and field notes dating back to 1810.
The GLO Records also includes Master Title Plats (MTP), a mapping of current land status for a specified township. Other plats can be included in the MTP plat group. For example, the oil and gas and the leasable minerals plats add a graphic depiction of the current mineral lease status to the basic MTP depiction of land status.
Note that while the collection is extensive, this site does not contain every federal title record issued. For additional records, contact your state or local office.
Click here to access General Land Office Records!
How to use the new General Land Office system
The new system launched July 13, 2026! Watch this video to learn more about the newly modernized General Land Office Records system and get started today.
News and updates to the system
Aug. 6 2026: Next scheduled release with bug fixes and more enhancements.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I need to make an account?
Account creation is not necessary for general use of the General Land Office Records system. Only if you want to save searches, do you need to create a Login.gov account and log in.
- How do I get the State and County selections in my search to take?
Please make sure that you click the "Update" button after you have selected the State(s) to lock in your selections. Once locked in the County Field will be enable and you can then choose the County. Again, make sure that you click the "Update" button after you have selected the County.
- Can I search by Township and Range?
Yes. Using the Map Find Address search box, in the top right corner. Click on the down arrow icon to the left of the search field. An options menu will appear and select "Legal Land Description." Type in the township and range information.
- I can't seem to find patent records for Ohio?
- The map search does not currently work for Ohio records. If you are looking specifically for patents in Ohio, use the Advanced Search.On the General tab, choose Ohio (remember to click update). If you also know the county, you can select that as well. Enter any part of a name in the name field. If you know exactly what name you are looking for, enter the name in quotation marks. Then click on the Search button and you will see records for Ohio. When you are in the search results, there are filters that you can select to narrow down the number of results.
- Where do I find homesteading records?
Homestead patents are published in the General Land Office records system. Homestead application records, however, are not. Those records can be found at National Archives.
- What if I need help with using GLO?
The GLO Help Center provides a wealth of information. You can review topical articles and frequently asked questions, or you can search for an answer by subject. You may also submit a request for support to the BLM Public Help Desk.
Have more Questions?