Land research

Check a parcel before you buy it

A parcel number or coordinates in. What the public record says about that exact spot out. What the seller says is not an input.

Option 1

By parcel number (APN)

On the tax bill, the county property record, and usually in the sale ad. Searched against the statewide parcel layer in 30 states.

Add context (optional)
Not one of the 30 states? (20 others)

These states have no free statewide parcel layer to search; parcel data sits with each county. Open your state's viewer, find the parcel, copy its coordinates, and use option 2. Same checks, same report.

Option 2

By GPS coordinates

Works in all 50 states. Drop a pin in Google Maps, right-click it, copy the two numbers. Or use the pin from a county map viewer.

Add context (optional)

Checks run at the exact point you give. On a big parcel, move the pin to where the house would go and run it again.

Either way: a few seconds to find the spot, then two to four minutes for the full report on its own page (keep the link).

What gets checked

  • Flood zone · FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer
  • Soils and septic suitability · USDA soil survey: map unit, depth to bedrock and water table, drainage, slope, the survey's own septic and dwelling ratings
  • Wetlands within 150 m · US Fish and Wildlife inventory
  • Slope, aspect, elevation · USGS 3DEP
  • Roads and access within 600 m · OpenStreetMap, with class and surface
  • The parcel record · your state's open GIS layer, where one exists
  • Off-grid rules · this site's laws research for that county, with sources and verification status
  • Climate, solar and distances · 30-year normals for the ZIP; straight-line miles to hospital, fire, hardware, grocery

What it cannot tell you

  • Title, liens, easements, covenants
  • Mineral, timber and water rights
  • Survey corners and true boundaries
  • Who actually maintains the road, and in winter
  • Whether a well will produce, and at what depth
  • Whether the parcel is buildable, or what it is worth

Those need a title search, a surveyor, an attorney, and the county. Public data is mapped at map resolution and can be out of date or mis-registered: treat every finding as a lead to verify, not a fact about your corner of the ground. How this site researches.

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