Latitude/Longitude Validator (Range & Format)
Validates latitude and longitude values for correct range and DD, DMS or DDM format.
Any common notation: -31.95, 115.86 · 31°57′S 115°52′E · 31 57 12 S; 115 52 01 E
Validation report
Paste or type a pair to check it.
Valid means the notation and ranges are correct. It does not prove the point is where you expect, and no datum is assumed or transformed. 0, 0 is a legitimate coordinate.
How the method works
A fixed worked example to explain the method — it is not your result.
Before you rely on this: First-pass guide only. Verify safety-critical or regulated work against the relevant standards, your project requirements and a qualified professional.
How to use this calculator
- Paste or type a coordinate pair in any common notation — signed decimal degrees, DMS, DDM, with or without hemisphere letters.
- Say whether it is written latitude first or longitude first, and optionally force the format.
- Read the report: Valid, Needs a decision, or Invalid — with the normalised pair, the detected format and separator, and what to fix.
- Use Batch / CSV to check many rows at once: one pair per line, or a CSV with named columns — choose the delimiter, say whether the first row is a header, map the latitude, longitude and ID columns, check the preview, then download clean rows plus a rejected-row report.
How it works
Each half is parsed with a strict grammar: no trailing junk, minutes and seconds below 60, hemisphere letters only on their own axis (N/S on latitude, E/W on longitude).
Latitude must be within −90…90 and longitude within −180…180, inclusive; at exactly 90° or 180° the minutes and seconds must be zero.
If the stated order fails but the swapped order would work, the tool says so and offers a button — it never swaps on its own. If both values are within ±90°, the order is genuinely ambiguous and you are told.
Valid means the notation and ranges are right. It does not prove the point is where you expect, and no datum is assumed or transformed. 0, 0 is a legitimate coordinate.
Worked example
115.86, −31.95 read latitude first. Needs a decision: 115.86 cannot be a latitude, but the pair works longitude first. Switching gives the valid pair −31.95, 115.86. A latitude of 95 is invalid; 90° 0′ 0″ N is valid; 10° 60′ N is not.
Common mistakes
- Pasting longitude, latitude (the GeoJSON order) into a latitude-first field.
- Writing 60 minutes or 60 seconds instead of carrying into the next unit.
- Discarding 0, 0 as bad data — it is a real point in the Gulf of Guinea.
Frequently asked questions
What ranges are valid?
Latitude must be between −90° and 90°, longitude between −180° and 180°.
Related tools
- Signed vs Cardinal Coordinate Notation Converter
- Decimal Degrees to DDM Converter
- DDM to DMS Converter
- DMS to DDM Converter
- DDM to Decimal Degrees Converter
- Latitude and Longitude Converter
Explore more in Surveying, Coordinates, GIS & CAD.
Cite this tool
Zerdly. (2026). Latitude/Longitude Validator (Range & Format). Retrieved from https://www.zerdly.com/tools/latitude-longitude-validator-range-and-format-check/
Tip: Enter any known values to calculate the remaining results.
Designed to run locally in your browser. Tool inputs are not intentionally stored by Zerdly unless stated otherwise.