Buyer basics

What Is an APN, and How to Verify Who Really Owns a Piece of Land

Before you send anyone money for a piece of land, you should be able to confirm, independently, that they own it. The tool that lets you do that is the parcel's APN. Here is what it is and how to use it.

What an APN is

APN stands for Assessor's Parcel Number. It is a unique ID that a county assigns to every piece of property for tax and record-keeping purposes. Think of it as the parcel's fingerprint. Depending on the county, you may also see it called a parcel number, an AIN, or a schedule number, but it does the same job: it points to exactly one piece of land.

Why it matters to a buyer

Land is easy to misrepresent if a buyer cannot check the facts. The APN is what lets you check them. With it, you can look the parcel up in public county records and confirm the details for yourself, rather than taking a seller's word. For owner-financed land especially, where you are dealing directly with the owner, being able to verify ownership is a big part of buying with confidence.

How to look up a parcel by its APN

Most counties put this information online for free.

• Find the county the land is in, then search for that county's assessor or property records site.
• Enter the APN, or the address if you have it.
• The record will typically show the owner of record, the acreage, the assessed value and taxes, and often the legal description and a parcel map.

Many counties also have a GIS map viewer where you can see the parcel outline on a map, which helps you understand where the boundaries actually sit.

What you can confirm

A few minutes with the APN lets you verify:

• Who currently owns the parcel
• The acreage and legal description
• The annual property taxes
• Roughly where the boundaries sit

If the owner of record does not match who is selling you the land, that is a flag worth asking about before you go any further.

Why we put the APN on every listing

We list the APN on every parcel for exactly this reason. We would rather you check than take our word for it. Look the parcel up on the county's own site, confirm we own it, and buy with the confidence that comes from having verified it yourself.