Township Abbreviation: When to Write Twp.

Twp. and the other township abbreviation forms

Twp. takes the T, the w and the p from the spoken parts of the word: Township. That pattern, keeping key consonants, is the same one behind Bldg. for building and Mgmt. for management.

• Twp. is by far the most common. Use it unless a form or agency asks for something else.
• Tp. appears in some older records and legal descriptions.
• Tshp. and Twsp. are rare and can confuse readers.
• TWP in capitals without a period is common on signs and in database fields.

The plural is Twps., as in "the three neighboring Twps. share a fire district." In ordinary writing, though, spell out townships.

What a township is

In states that use them, a township is a unit of local government below the county. Depending on the state, it may handle roads, zoning, parks, police, fire service or property assessment. Some townships are large suburbs with tens of thousands of residents. Others are rural areas with a small elected board.

Townships play a big role in places such as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. Many other states have no township governments at all, so readers there may only see the word on maps or deeds.

Township abbreviation on addresses and mail

A mailing address normally uses the post office city name, not the township. A home in a township may have a mailing city that belongs to a nearby town. So you usually do not write Twp. on an envelope at all.

You do use it when a form asks for your municipality, school district or voting location. In those fields, write the name as the township spells it, such as "Cherry Hill Twp." If you are filling in a state code next to it, see the state abbreviations guide.

Townships on survey maps

Much of the central and western United States was mapped under a public land survey system. In it, a township is a square of land about 6 miles on each side, split into 36 sections of about one square mile each. Surveyors label rows of townships north or south of a base line and columns of ranges east or west of a meridian.

So "Sec. 12, T3N, R5W" pins down one square mile of land. Here the township is shortened to a single T, not Twp.

Sample uses

• "Springfield Twp. Police Department" on a patrol car.
• "Twp. Meeting: Tuesday, 7 p.m." on a notice board.
• "Deed: Lot 4, Washington Twp., Morris Co." in a property record.
• "Welcome to Bloomfield Twp." on a road sign.
• "Twps. of Lyon and Milford" in a news brief.

The county is often shortened beside it to Co., so you may see "Twp." and "Co." in one line. Read about that form on the county abbreviation page.

Tips before you shorten it

1. Spell out township in sentences and the first time you name a place.
2. Use Twp. in tables, headers, forms and tight spaces.
3. Always add the period, unless the setting uses all capitals, like TWP on a sign.
4. Keep the official name. Some places are a "charter township" or "civil township," and that word matters.

Browse the common abbreviations hub for more office and address short forms.