State/county Land Map?

[+Cache Buzzards]

Ok, I know this sounds basic, but it truly is a question of mine. I drive around all the time and see fantastic vast areas of hills, peaks, creeks, and such just screaming for a cache or three to be placed on them. I didn't grow up around where I live so I have no idea if old Mr. Miller sold "that hill" to the county is '84. Many places have 4 wheeler paths up and down but no houses close to even ask. So here is the brunt of the question - is there a map in the local library which would show me which areas (in great detail) are state, county, DNR, etc...? Do tax maps show that kind of thing? Do I assume that if there are well defined 4 wheeler trails that caching is ok? I need some gool old fashioned guidance. Thanks!

 

*edit for spelling*

[+Renegade Knight]

In general a place of public accomodation is a good location for a cache. In specific there are exceptions (like Physcial Plants that produce electricity). You can find who ownes a parcel of land if you visit your county assessors office. They have to track who owns what to make sure that everbody pays their tax. Typically they are very helpful.

[+LazyCat]

In King County (and I assume other counties as well), you can go online and find out who owns what parcel of land. For King County, go to www.metrokc.gov. Then scroll down on the left side until your cursor is over "Property". A pop-up box comes up and you then click on "Maps". Under the heading "Property Research", click on Parcel Viewer. You can then search on a property by Parcel Number, Address, Street Intersection, or Navigating by Map". Once you find a parcel, you can find out who the Taxpayer is, the address, parcel number and other information. Try it on your own property to see what information you can get!

[+CW Iams]

Around here the townships / counties will put together a plat book (sp?) even few years. These plat books are basiclly low detail road maps that have property lines broken down on them and the owners name from the land's deed. I am not sure if this is a local thing around me or if other areas do it as well.

[+Greymane]

In King County (and I assume other counties as well), you can go online and find out who owns what parcel of land. For King County, go to www.metrokc.gov. Then scroll down on the left side until your cursor is over "Property". A pop-up box comes up and you then click on "Maps". Under the heading "Property Research", click on Parcel Viewer. You can then search on a property by Parcel Number, Address, Street Intersection, or Navigating by Map". Once you find a parcel, you can find out who the Taxpayer is, the address, parcel number and other information. Try it on your own property to see what information you can get!

I am afraid many parts of the country are not as up-to-date as King County. In many states, access to this information is limited to a paper map in the county offices, or is created on a county-by-county basis. Poorer counties tend to have much more limited resources, so less access to public documents and information.

[+reveritt]

Around here the townships / counties will put together a plat book (sp?) even few years. These plat books are basiclly low detail road maps that have property lines broken down on them and the owners name from the land's deed. I am not sure if this is a local thing around me or if other areas do it as well.

That's the traditional way of doing things. Usually the engineering or tax department of your town (or whatever civil division collects property taxes) will have the plat books. They are public records, and you may examine them. For a small fee, they will probably make a copy of a particular map.

 

The map will typically give you only the plat number (in my experience, anyway). Then you have to go to the real estate records to see who the current owner is. You can try asking the tax collector to look it up for you--don't know what the reaction will be.

 

I did this with my own property--traced the ownership back to the Revolutionary War. The British took the real estate records with them when they evacuated my town. The ship the records were on was sunk, so that was a brick wall as far as the research went. Interesting, though.

[+BlueDeuce]

Contact your local Library or County Seat and ask if there is a PLAT directory for your county.

 

If they don't know what that means, explains it a map that shows property owners.

 

If after asking several people, you get only funny looks, contact your county engineering department.

[+Kai Team]

More localities are putting this information online (see Onondaga, NY for example). There are companies who specialize in this and it's gotten cheaper to do, the Internet is more prevelent, and at some point putting the information online becomes cost effective for even poor government entities (versus maintaining and staffing Plat books and shelves of paper deeds and tax records for public access).

 

Check your county or other municipality's website to see if they link to real estate transactions, tax information or a "geographic information system".

Edited September 2, 2005 by Kai Team