State plane coordinates are a system of geographical coordinates used only for the United States. Each state is divided into one or more planes or zones of coordinates. Zones often follow county or political boundaries rather than topographical landmarks. Each state has a coordinate orientation of either north-south or east-west depending on the states inclination towards width or height. Exceptions to this orientation are Texas and California, whose planes are east-westerly.
Use a Trimble professional grade GPS receiver to locate state plane coordinates. If you own a different brand of GPS device, check with the manufacturer to locate state plane coordinates on your GPS. Not all GPS devices can access state plane coordinates as most are based on the Universal Transverse Mercator, or UTM, system of coordinates. A GPS is not necessary to locate state plane coordinates if you have access to the Internet.
Convert longitude and latitude coordinates to state plane coordinates. Use Google Earth Point or the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) State Plane Coordinate Toolkit. Access the drop down menu on the NGS toolkit. Select "Convert TO or FROM State Plane Coordinates." Click either "Convert Latitude and Longitude to SPC" or "Find Zones." If you select "Find Zone," submit state, select city and choose the radio dial for NAD83.
Visit the Comcast State Plane Coordinates web page. Locate your state and select the area that best describes your location. The state plane coordinates are listed in bold black text. The green text denotes UTM coordinates.
