{ "name": "Public property-records sources for ten US commercial real estate markets", "description": "A maintained, dated directory of the official public sources a commercial real estate broker uses to research a property. Every entry records the URL, the question it answers, the verification level of the last human check and the date of that check.", "url": "https://glvtl.com/records-sources/", "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "licenseName": "CC BY 4.0", "attribution": "Chris Klebl, Sterling Digital Partners. https://glvtl.com/records-sources/", "creator": "Chris Klebl", "publisher": "Sterling Digital Partners", "schema": "https://glvtl.com/records-sources/schema.json", "version": 1, "dateModified": "2026-09-20", "lastHumanCheck": "2026-09-20", "entryCount": 163, "jurisdictionCount": 39, "countyCount": 22, "fixturesIncluded": false, "entries": [ { "market": "sarasota-bradenton", "jurisdiction": "Sarasota County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Sarasota County Property Appraiser", "url": "https://www.sarasotapropertyappraiser.gov/propertysearch", "answers": "Which parcel is this address, what is the account number, and which municipality is it in?", "level": "lookup_completed", "checked": "2026-09-19", "route": "Enter the full street address or account number in the property search, then open the returned card and read the account number, situs and municipality as printed.", "identifier": "Appraiser account number", "gotcha": "Searching a street address without a direction can return two different properties: 4900 TAMIAMI TRL returned both 4900 S (Sarasota County) and 4900 N (City of Sarasota). Ask for the direction, ZIP or account number.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "sarasota-bradenton", "jurisdiction": "Sarasota County", "category": "zoning", "agency": "Sarasota County Planning and Development Services", "url": "https://www.scgov.net/government/planning-and-development-services/planning-and-zoning/zoning", "answers": "What are the county zoning districts and where is the unincorporated-area zoning program?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-18", "route": "Open the county zoning program page and follow its links to districts and the zoning code.", "identifier": "Parcel ID or address", "gotcha": "This is the unincorporated-county program. If the appraiser card prints City of Sarasota, Venice, North Port or Longboat Key, the city is the zoning authority, not the county.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "sarasota-bradenton", "jurisdiction": "Sarasota County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Sarasota County Tax Collector", "url": "https://www.sarasotataxcollector.gov/services/tax-services/property-tax", "answers": "Is the tax paid, and what does the bill history show?", "level": "lookup_completed", "checked": "2026-09-19", "route": "Follow View/Pay Taxes (it may open a new tab), wait for the payments hub tiles to load, choose Property Tax, then search the account number and pick the Account suggestion.", "identifier": "Real-estate account number", "gotcha": "A site security check may appear. The account heading loads before Amount Due and Account History, which can still read Loading; a blank panel does not mean nothing is due. Searching the street address offered nearby house numbers instead of the subject.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "sarasota-bradenton", "jurisdiction": "Sarasota County", "category": "permits", "agency": "Sarasota County Building Department", "url": "https://building.scgov.net/", "answers": "What permits have been issued or applied for on this property?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-18", "route": "Open the county building portal and use its permit search.", "identifier": "Address or permit number", "gotcha": "A reCAPTCHA was present on the checked entry page.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "sarasota-bradenton", "jurisdiction": "Sarasota County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Sarasota County Clerk of the Circuit Court", "url": "https://secure.sarasotaclerk.com/OfficialRecords.aspx", "answers": "What deeds, mortgages, liens and easements are recorded against this property?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-18", "route": "Open Official Records and search by name, document type or date range.", "identifier": "Name, instrument number, or book/page", "gotcha": "The permanent index starts 1 January 1990 — nothing earlier is online. Book and page search only works for 1990 to 1998, and a result set is capped at the top 500 records, so a common name needs a date range.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "sarasota-bradenton", "jurisdiction": "Manatee County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Manatee County Property Appraiser", "url": "https://www.manateepao.gov/search/", "answers": "Which parcel is this address, what is the parcel ID, and what jurisdiction does the appraiser print?", "level": "lookup_completed", "checked": "2026-09-19", "route": "Set Property Type to REAL PROPERTY, search the address or parcel ID, then open the parcel card and read the parcel ID, situs and jurisdiction.", "identifier": "Parcel ID", "gotcha": "Make sure Property Type reads REAL PROPERTY — a tangible-personal-property account is not the land/building record. A SARASOTA postal address can sit on a card that prints UNINCORPORATED MANATEE COUNTY (e.g. 1302 ROME AVE, parcel 6656500003).", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "sarasota-bradenton", "jurisdiction": "Manatee County", "category": "zoning", "agency": "Manatee County GIS", "url": "https://www.mymanatee.org/gisportal/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=68da3a092fe140e081b7732665c87663", "answers": "What land-development attributes does the county map carry for this parcel?", "level": "lookup_completed", "checked": "2026-09-19", "route": "Open the Land Development map, search the parcel ID or address, select the parcel and read its attributes.", "identifier": "Parcel ID", "gotcha": "GIS attributes are not a zoning approval. The City Boundaries layer was not read in the recorded check — turn it on before assuming the county is the authority.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "sarasota-bradenton", "jurisdiction": "Manatee County", "category": "future_land_use", "agency": "Manatee County Building and Development Services", "url": "https://www.mymanatee.org/services-and-amenities/service-listing/service-details/view-land-development-regulations", "answers": "What land development code and comprehensive plan govern the unincorporated county?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-19", "route": "Open the land development regulations service page and follow it to the LDC and Comprehensive Plan.", "identifier": "Not applicable — code and plan documents", "gotcha": "Scope is the unincorporated area only. Inside Bradenton, Palmetto, Anna Maria, Holmes Beach or Bradenton Beach the city's plan applies.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "sarasota-bradenton", "jurisdiction": "Manatee County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Manatee County Tax Collector", "url": "https://taxcollector.com/ptaxweb/", "answers": "Is the tax paid, and what is the year-by-year payment history?", "level": "lookup_completed", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Accept the terms of agreement, then run a Property Id search on the parcel ID and read the returned year rows.", "identifier": "Property Id (parcel ID)", "gotcha": "Accept the terms of agreement first — it gates every fresh session. A Property Id search on 6656500003 returned 28 rows, one per tax year, with status, amount paid and date paid.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "sarasota-bradenton", "jurisdiction": "Manatee County", "category": "permits", "agency": "Manatee County Building and Development Services", "url": "https://aca-prod.accela.com/MANATEE/Default.aspx", "answers": "What permits have been issued or applied for on this property?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-18", "route": "Open the county Accela Citizen Access portal and use Building permit search.", "identifier": "Address, parcel ID or permit number", "gotcha": "Building permits that closed before 28 February 2018 are not in this portal at all; they sit on a separate Historical Data archive site linked from the search page.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "sarasota-bradenton", "jurisdiction": "Manatee County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court", "url": "https://records.manateeclerk.com/OfficialRecords/Search", "answers": "What deeds, mortgages, liens and easements are recorded against this property?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-18", "route": "Open Official Records search and search by name, document type or instrument number.", "identifier": "Name, instrument number, or book/page", "gotcha": "The index runs from 1 January 1978 and images only from 15 May 1981, with books 1010, 1012, 1026, 1029 and 1097 excluded. Book and page numbers stopped being assigned on 1 January 2020 — anything recorded since then has an instrument number and nothing else.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "sarasota-bradenton", "jurisdiction": "City of Bradenton", "category": "zoning", "agency": "City of Bradenton", "url": "https://cityofbradenton.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=be8a2ced2a6846cd9599732098d70cd9", "answers": "What does the city's land development map show at this location?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-18", "route": "Open the Land Development map viewer and search the address.", "identifier": "Address or parcel ID", "gotcha": "The viewer entry was opened but no parcel overlay was checked.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "sarasota-bradenton", "jurisdiction": "City of Bradenton", "category": "permits", "agency": "City of Bradenton", "url": "https://aca-prod.accela.com/BRADENTON/Default.aspx", "answers": "What permits exist on a City of Bradenton property?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-18", "route": "Open the city Accela Citizen Access portal and use Building permit search.", "identifier": "Address or permit number", "gotcha": "General Search opens with a six-month date range already filled in. Anything older returns nothing until you reset the start date yourself.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "sarasota-bradenton", "jurisdiction": "City of Sarasota", "category": "zoning", "agency": "City of Sarasota Development Services", "url": "https://www.sarasotafl.gov/Department-Pages/Development-Services/Zoning", "answers": "Who is the zoning authority inside the city, and where are the city's zoning resources?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-19", "route": "Open the city zoning program page; it points to the city's zoning maps and code.", "identifier": "Address or parcel ID", "gotcha": "An official pointer page, not a parcel determination. Confirm the district with the city.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "sarasota-bradenton", "jurisdiction": "City of Sarasota", "category": "future_land_use", "agency": "City of Sarasota", "url": "https://sarasota.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=bd58c550799b43af9509c0d3d482630d", "answers": "What are the city's zoning and future land use designations at this location?", "level": "locate_only", "checked": "2026-09-19", "route": "Open the Zoning and Future Land Use web app and search the address to locate the parcel, then read the zoning and future-land-use layers.", "identifier": "Address or parcel ID", "gotcha": "The recorded check located the Princeton Street address but did not read its district; a located map point is not a zoning determination.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "sarasota-bradenton", "jurisdiction": "City of Sarasota", "category": "permits", "agency": "City of Sarasota Development Services", "url": "https://ftgportal.sarasotafl.gov/Permits/Search.aspx?microapp=c", "answers": "What permits exist on a city property?", "level": "form_reached", "checked": "2026-09-18", "route": "Open the FTG permit search and enter an address or permit number.", "identifier": "Address or permit number", "gotcha": "Enter the street name only, with no directional prefix or suffix and no street type — \"Fruitville\", not \"Fruitville Road\". Some residential permit data from before 1997 was never put online.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "sarasota-bradenton", "jurisdiction": "Region-wide", "category": "flood", "agency": "FEMA Flood Map Service Center", "url": "https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home", "answers": "What FEMA flood zone and FIRM panel cover this property?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Enter the address in the Looking for a Flood Map box and press Search; the site hands off to Search By Address and returns the effective FIRM panel and its FIRMette.", "identifier": "Address or FIRM panel number", "gotcha": "A FEMA map is not an insurance determination. Search All Products, for the FIS report, LOMCs and preliminary products, is a separate page from the address box on this one.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "nashville", "jurisdiction": "Metropolitan Nashville & Davidson County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Property Assessor of Nashville & Davidson County", "url": "https://portal.padctn.org/OFS/WP/Home", "answers": "Who owns it, what is the parcel number, and what is the appraised and assessed value?", "level": "form_reached", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Leave the Real Estate radio selected, pick a search type from the dropdown, then type the address or owner into the criteria box and submit.", "identifier": "Map & parcel number (e.g. 09312001800)", "gotcha": "The form opens with a Real Estate / Personal Property radio pair — Personal Property returns business tangible accounts, not the land record. The criteria box reads 'Select an Option' and stays inert until a search type is chosen in the dropdown beside it. Street searches split Number and Street into separate fields.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "nashville", "jurisdiction": "Metropolitan Nashville & Davidson County", "category": "zoning", "agency": "Metro Nashville Planning Department / Metro GIS", "url": "https://maps.nashville.gov/ParcelViewer/", "answers": "What zoning district, base zoning and overlays apply at this parcel?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Parcel Viewer, search the address or parcel number, then select the parcel to read its zoning attributes.", "identifier": "Address or map & parcel number", "gotcha": "Nashville and Davidson County are a consolidated Metro government, so there is no separate county-versus-city zoning office for most of the county — but the satellite cities (Belle Meade, Berry Hill, Forest Hills, Oak Hill, Goodlettsville, Ridgetop) zone their own land.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "nashville", "jurisdiction": "Metropolitan Nashville & Davidson County", "category": "future_land_use", "agency": "Metro Nashville Planning Department", "url": "https://www.nashville.gov/departments/planning/long-range-planning/community-plans", "answers": "What community plan and policy designation govern future land use at this site?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open Community Plans, pick the community the property sits in, then read that plan's policy map and Community Character Manual designation.", "identifier": "Community plan area name", "gotcha": "Nashville's future land use is expressed as Community Character Manual policies (T4 Urban Mixed Use, D Downtown and so on), not as a conventional FLU category — and Downtown is governed by its own Downtown Code (DTC) rather than a community plan.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "nashville", "jurisdiction": "Metropolitan Nashville & Davidson County", "category": "flood", "agency": "Metro Water Services", "url": "https://www.nashville.gov/departments/water/developers/floodplain-development", "answers": "Is the site in a regulated floodplain, and what does Metro require to build in it?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Floodplain Development page and follow it to the floodplain regulations and map resources.", "identifier": "Address or parcel number", "gotcha": "Metro regulates to its own adopted floodplain standards, which are stricter than the FEMA minimum in places — a FEMA FIRM panel alone does not settle what Metro will permit.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "nashville", "jurisdiction": "Metropolitan Nashville & Davidson County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Office of the Metropolitan Trustee", "url": "https://www.nashville.gov/departments/trustee", "answers": "Is the property tax paid, and what is the bill history?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Trustee's page and follow its property tax search / pay links.", "identifier": "Map & parcel number or address", "gotcha": "The Trustee bills and collects; the Assessor sets value. A value question goes to padctn.org, not here.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "nashville", "jurisdiction": "Metropolitan Nashville & Davidson County", "category": "permits", "agency": "Metro Codes Administration", "url": "https://www.nashville.gov/departments/codes/codes-administration/public-records-and-data/property-permit-history", "answers": "What is the full permit history for a property, including older records not in ePermits?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Property Permit History page and follow the instructions for requesting or searching historic permit records.", "identifier": "Address or parcel number", "gotcha": "Permit history older than the online system is handled as a public-records request, not a self-serve search — budget lead time.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "nashville", "jurisdiction": "Metropolitan Nashville & Davidson County", "category": "permits", "agency": "Metro Codes and Building Safety", "url": "https://epermits.nashville.gov/", "answers": "What permits are open or issued on this property?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open Metro Nashville ePermits and use its permit search.", "identifier": "Address or permit number", "gotcha": "Results come back sorted by address and permit number, not by date, so the top of the list is 1980s work and the permit you want is usually pages down. Sort by the issued date before reading anything.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "nashville", "jurisdiction": "Metropolitan Nashville & Davidson County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Davidson County Register of Deeds", "url": "https://www.nashville.gov/departments/register-deeds/internet-services", "answers": "What deeds, deeds of trust, releases, liens and plats are recorded against this property?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Read the Online Subscription Services page, then sign up at the portal it names to search the index and images.", "identifier": "Name, instrument number, or book/page", "gotcha": "Davidson County's online record search is not free. The Register's own page states a paid subscription (single-user and additional-user monthly rates) at davidsonportal.com, and that portal's entry screen is a username/password form — there is no guest search. Free lookup means the public terminals at 300 Deaderick St.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "nashville", "jurisdiction": "Williamson County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Williamson County Assessor of Property", "url": "https://inigo.williamson-tn.org/property_search/", "answers": "Who owns it, what is the map and parcel number, and what is the assessed value?", "level": "form_reached", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Enter an owner name, property address, subdivision, or map and parcel number and submit.", "identifier": "Map number + parcel number", "gotcha": "The City dropdown on this form is the tax authority, not the mailing city — the form's own tooltip says so. Picking the postal city can filter out the right parcel.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "nashville", "jurisdiction": "Williamson County", "category": "zoning", "agency": "Williamson County Planning & Zoning", "url": "https://www.williamsoncounty-tn.gov/1387/Official-Zoning-Map", "answers": "What county zoning district applies to this parcel?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Official Zoning Map page and use the map or map sheet it links to.", "identifier": "Map & parcel number", "gotcha": "County zoning covers the unincorporated area only. Franklin, Brentwood, Spring Hill, Nolensville, Thompson's Station and Fairview each zone inside their own limits — confirm the municipality before reading a county district.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "nashville", "jurisdiction": "Williamson County", "category": "future_land_use", "agency": "Williamson County Planning & Zoning", "url": "https://www.williamsoncounty-tn.gov/113/Comprehensive-Plan", "answers": "What does the county comprehensive plan designate for this area?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Comprehensive Plan page and read the plan and its land use map, plus any special area plan covering the site.", "identifier": "Plan area / special area plan name", "gotcha": "Several corridors are covered by separate special area plans (Grassland Village, Leiper's Fork Village) that override the general plan map.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "nashville", "jurisdiction": "Williamson County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Williamson County Trustee", "url": "https://www.williamsoncounty-tn.gov/2194/Trustee", "answers": "Is the county property tax paid, and what is owed?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Trustee page and follow its property tax search / online payment link.", "identifier": "Map & parcel number or receipt number", "gotcha": "The Trustee's online payment portal is a third-party service (InvoiceCloud) and was returning a 'Maintenance In Progress' page when checked on 20 Sep 2026 — if it is down, the lookup is not available and the Trustee's office is the fallback.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "nashville", "jurisdiction": "Williamson County", "category": "permits", "agency": "Williamson County Building Codes", "url": "https://www.williamsoncounty-tn.gov/100/Building-Codes", "answers": "What county building permits apply, and how are they searched?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Building Codes page and follow its permit and inspection links.", "identifier": "Address or permit number", "gotcha": "County Building Codes covers the unincorporated area; inside Franklin, Brentwood and the other municipalities the city issues the permit.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "nashville", "jurisdiction": "Williamson County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Williamson County Register of Deeds", "url": "https://williamsoncountyregister.com/", "answers": "What deeds, deeds of trust and liens are recorded against this property?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Register's site and follow its online record search link.", "identifier": "Name, instrument number, or book/page", "gotcha": "The Register's public index runs on a separate Professional Access host (proaccess.williamson-tn.org) rather than on the county domain.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "nashville", "jurisdiction": "Williamson County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Williamson County Register of Deeds", "url": "https://proaccess.williamson-tn.org/proaccess/", "answers": "What is indexed against this property or owner in the county land records?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open Professional Access and use its name, instrument or book/page search.", "identifier": "Name, instrument number, or book/page", "gotcha": "Professional Access is not a free public search. It is a subscription — $50 a month for one concurrent user, $100 a month for unlimited — with a one-week trial.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "nashville", "jurisdiction": "City of Franklin", "category": "zoning", "agency": "City of Franklin Planning & Sustainability", "url": "https://publicmaps.franklintn.gov/zoning/", "answers": "What city zoning district applies to this parcel?", "level": "lookup_completed", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Dismiss the welcome splash with OK, type the address into Find address or place, choose the geocoded result, then click the parcel to open the zoning district popup.", "identifier": "Address or parcel number", "gotcha": "The old www.franklintn.gov/i-want-to/find/zoning-map path redirects to the Zoning Ordinance text, not to a map; this is the map. Parcels and Building Footprints stay greyed out in the layer list until you zoom in far enough, and a click returns several stacked records the popup pages through (“1 of 5”) — the overlay district, e.g. Central Franklin Overlay, is a separate record from the base zoning district.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "nashville", "jurisdiction": "City of Franklin", "category": "permits", "agency": "City of Franklin Building & Neighborhood Services", "url": "https://www.franklintn.gov/government/departments-a-j/building-and-neighborhood-services/building-and-neighborhood-services", "answers": "What permits exist on a City of Franklin property, and how are they applied for?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open Building and Neighborhood Services and follow Permitting for application and inspection information, or Online Plan Submittal for the plan review portal.", "identifier": "Address or permit number", "gotcha": "The old /business/permits-and-inspections path redirects here. There is no permit search on the page itself: plan review runs through franklintn.geocivix.com, whose View Public Projects button leads to a Subscriber Log In offering a prefilled anonymous guest account. So a public search does exist, but it is behind that login and it covers active plan-review projects rather than issued building permits.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "nashville", "jurisdiction": "Region-wide", "category": "flood", "agency": "FEMA Flood Map Service Center", "url": "https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home", "answers": "What FEMA flood zone and FIRM panel cover this property?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Enter the address in the Looking for a Flood Map box and press Search; the site hands off to Search By Address and returns the effective FIRM panel and its FIRMette.", "identifier": "Address or FIRM panel number", "gotcha": "A FEMA map is not an insurance determination, and Metro Nashville regulates to a stricter local floodplain standard.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "charlotte", "jurisdiction": "Mecklenburg County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Mecklenburg County Assessor's Office", "url": "https://property.spatialest.com/nc/mecklenburg/", "answers": "What is on the Property Record Card — assessed value, building detail and sale history?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Property Record Card search and search by address, owner or parcel ID, then open the card.", "identifier": "Parcel ID (PID)", "gotcha": "This is the Assessor's record card system, distinct from the POLARIS map — values live here, geometry lives there.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "charlotte", "jurisdiction": "Mecklenburg County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Mecklenburg County GIS (POLARIS 3G)", "url": "https://polaris3g.mecklenburgcountync.gov/", "answers": "Which parcel is this address, who owns it, and what are its recorded characteristics?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open POLARIS 3G, search the address, owner or parcel ID, then select the parcel and open its detail panel.", "identifier": "Parcel ID (PID), 8 digits", "gotcha": "POLARIS is a single-page map application — it loads as an empty map and needs a moment before the search box responds.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "charlotte", "jurisdiction": "Mecklenburg County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Mecklenburg County Office of Tax Administration", "url": "https://tax.mecknc.gov/", "answers": "What is billed, what is paid, and what is outstanding?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Office of Tax Administration site and follow its bill search / pay links.", "identifier": "Parcel ID or bill number", "gotcha": "Mecklenburg bills city and county taxes together — a Charlotte property's single bill carries both, so there is no separate city tax lookup.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "charlotte", "jurisdiction": "Mecklenburg County", "category": "permits", "agency": "Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement", "url": "https://code.mecknc.gov/public-records", "answers": "What building records, certificates of occupancy and permit applications exist for this property?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Code Enforcement public records page and use its document research and issued-permit searches.", "identifier": "Address or permit number", "gotcha": "Code Enforcement is a county department that issues building permits for Charlotte and the towns alike — the online document research window is limited to a retention period of roughly the last six years.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "charlotte", "jurisdiction": "Mecklenburg County", "category": "permits", "agency": "Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement (AccelaMeck)", "url": "https://aca-prod.accela.com/Mecklenburg/Home.html", "answers": "What is the live status of a permit, plan review or inspection?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open AccelaMeck and use Building > Search Applications.", "identifier": "Permit/record number, address or parcel ID", "gotcha": "General Search opens with a three-year date range already filled in — start date three years back, end date today. A permit older than that returns nothing until you widen the dates yourself.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "charlotte", "jurisdiction": "Mecklenburg County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds", "url": "https://meckrod.manatron.com/", "answers": "What deeds, deeds of trust, plats, liens and easements are recorded against this property?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open ROD Web Access and use its name, book/page or instrument search.", "identifier": "Name, instrument number, or book/page", "gotcha": "The entry screen puts a logon form in front of you. Web Access covers March 1990 forward only; anything older is a separate Historic Land Records system.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "charlotte", "jurisdiction": "Mecklenburg County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds", "url": "https://deeds.mecknc.gov/services", "answers": "Which record search applies to the period I need, and how do I get a certified copy?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Register of Deeds services page and choose the search or copy service that matches the record's date.", "identifier": "Name, instrument number, or book/page", "gotcha": "Two databases, split by date. The online search covers March 1990 to today; anything from 1763 through February 1990 is in a separate Historical Index.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "charlotte", "jurisdiction": "Gaston County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Gaston County GIS", "url": "https://gis.gastoncountync.gov/Map/Index", "answers": "Which parcel is this, and what does the county map carry for it?", "level": "lookup_completed", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Accept the GIS Disclaimer, pick the search type from the arrow beside the search box — Parcel Number, Owner Name, Physical Address or Street Name — type the value and choose the suggestion to open the Property Details panel.", "identifier": "Parcel number or PIN", "gotcha": "The county’s ArcGIS Experience hub (gis.gastoncountync.gov/portal/…) is a data-download site with no parcel search; this Map/Index viewer is the searchable one. A disclaimer dialog gates every visit, and the search box defaults to Physical Address, so a parcel number typed straight in returns nothing until the type is switched. Property Details opens as a wEdge Property Tax Inquiry card carrying the parcel number, PIN, township and current owner.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "charlotte", "jurisdiction": "Gaston County", "category": "zoning", "agency": "Gaston County Planning and Zoning", "url": "https://www.gastongov.com/185/Planning-and-Zoning", "answers": "What county zoning district applies, and who is the zoning authority here?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open Planning and Zoning and follow its zoning map and ordinance links.", "identifier": "Parcel number or address", "gotcha": "County zoning applies to the unincorporated area only. Gastonia, Belmont, Mount Holly, Cherryville and the other municipalities zone their own land, and several run their own separate GIS hubs.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "charlotte", "jurisdiction": "Gaston County", "category": "future_land_use", "agency": "Gaston County Planning and Zoning", "url": "https://www.gastongov.com/387/2035-Comprehensive-Land-Use-Plan", "answers": "What does the county's long-range plan designate for this area?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the 2035 Comprehensive Land Use Plan page and read the plan and its land use map.", "identifier": "Plan area", "gotcha": "There is no interactive future-land-use layer. The plan is a single PDF you read and locate the property in yourself.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "charlotte", "jurisdiction": "Gaston County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Gaston County Tax Office", "url": "https://gastonnc.devnetwedge.com/", "answers": "What is the tax bill, the assessed value and the payment status?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Property Tax Inquiry, search by parcel number, owner or address, and open the record.", "identifier": "Parcel number", "gotcha": "The inquiry is a JavaScript application — the search fields are not in the initial HTML and appear only once the app has loaded.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "charlotte", "jurisdiction": "Gaston County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Gaston County Tax Office", "url": "https://www.gastongov.com/583/Tax-Office", "answers": "Who assesses and collects, and where are the listing, appeal and bill-search services?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Tax Office page and follow its property tax inquiry and tax mapping links.", "identifier": "Parcel number", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "charlotte", "jurisdiction": "Gaston County", "category": "permits", "agency": "Gaston County Building Inspections", "url": "https://www.gastongov.com/175/Building-Inspections", "answers": "What permits exist on this property and how are they applied for?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open Building Inspections and follow its permit application and status links.", "identifier": "Address or permit number", "gotcha": "The county enforces building codes for unincorporated Gaston plus fourteen named towns — Belmont, Bessemer City, Cherryville, Cramerton, Dallas, Delview, Gastonia, High Shoals, Lowell, McAdenville, Mount Holly, Ranlo, Spencer Mountain and Stanley. Permit records live in a separate Civic Access portal, not on this page.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "charlotte", "jurisdiction": "Gaston County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Gaston County Register of Deeds", "url": "https://www.gastongov.com/730/Register-of-Deeds", "answers": "What deeds, plats and liens are recorded against this property?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Register of Deeds page and follow its land records search link.", "identifier": "Name, instrument number, or book/page", "gotcha": "The county's /572/Register-of-Deeds path redirects off-site to a third-party certificate vendor; /730 is the department page you want.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "charlotte", "jurisdiction": "City of Charlotte", "category": "zoning", "agency": "City of Charlotte", "url": "https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/19bcaee4275e4a278dd452f5056590f2/page/My-Charlotte-Lookup/", "answers": "What is the zoning, ownership and service detail at this address, in one lookup?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open My Charlotte Lookup, enter the address, and read the zoning and property panels it returns.", "identifier": "Address", "gotcha": "The city publishes this as the short link cltgov.me/mycharlottelookup, which redirects to this ArcGIS Experience URL. A map reading is not a zoning verification letter.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "charlotte", "jurisdiction": "City of Charlotte", "category": "zoning", "agency": "City of Charlotte — Unified Development Ordinance", "url": "https://charlotteudo.org/", "answers": "What does the district actually allow — uses, setbacks, height, parking?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the UDO site and go to the article for the district the map returned.", "identifier": "Zoning district code", "gotcha": "Charlotte replaced its old ordinance with the UDO, so district names changed wholesale (B-1, I-1 and the rest became CG, ML and so on). A district letter from an older listing or an old site plan may no longer exist.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "charlotte", "jurisdiction": "City of Charlotte", "category": "zoning", "agency": "City of Charlotte Planning, Design & Development — Zoning Administration", "url": "https://www.charlottenc.gov/Growth-and-Development/Planning-and-Development/Zoning/Zoning-Admin", "answers": "Who determines zoning inside Charlotte, and how do I get a determination in writing?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open Zoning Administration and follow its zoning map, interpretation and verification links.", "identifier": "Address or parcel ID", "gotcha": "Mecklenburg County has no county zoning ordinance — every parcel is zoned by Charlotte or by one of the six towns (Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Matthews, Mint Hill, Pineville). Establish the municipality first; there is no county fallback.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "charlotte", "jurisdiction": "City of Charlotte", "category": "permits", "agency": "City of Charlotte Development Center", "url": "https://www.charlottenc.gov/Growth-and-Development/Development-Center", "answers": "What city approvals — land development, driveway, zoning, urban forestry — attach to a project here?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Development Center page and follow the review or permit type you need.", "identifier": "Address or project number", "gotcha": "Building permits are the county's (Code Enforcement); land development, driveway and tree approvals are the city's. A property with a clean county permit record can still have an open city land-development case.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "charlotte", "jurisdiction": "Region-wide", "category": "flood", "agency": "North Carolina Emergency Management — Flood Risk Information System", "url": "https://fris.nc.gov/", "answers": "What is the flood zone, base flood elevation and flood risk at this parcel?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open FRIS, search the address or parcel, and read the flood zone and BFE reported for the location.", "identifier": "Address or parcel ID", "gotcha": "North Carolina is a Cooperating Technical State and runs its own flood mapping, so FRIS — not the FEMA portal — is the authoritative first stop for NC parcels.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "austin", "jurisdiction": "Travis County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Travis Central Appraisal District", "url": "https://traviscad.org/propertysearch", "answers": "Who owns it, what is the property ID, and what is the appraised and taxable value?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Property Search page and follow it into the district's search application, then search by owner, address or property ID.", "identifier": "Property ID / geographic ID", "gotcha": "In Texas the appraisal district — not the county — holds the value record, and TCAD's boundary is the county line. A property straddling the Travis/Williamson line has a record in only one district, and Austin city limits extend into Williamson and Hays counties.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "austin", "jurisdiction": "Travis County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Travis County Tax Office", "url": "https://tax-office.traviscountytx.gov/properties", "answers": "What is billed across all taxing units, what is paid, and what is delinquent?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Properties section and use its property tax account search.", "identifier": "Property ID / tax account number", "gotcha": "One Travis County bill carries every overlapping taxing unit — county, city, school district, ACC, healthcare district, MUDs and PIDs. Reading only the city rate understates the load badly on MUD land.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "austin", "jurisdiction": "Travis County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Travis County Clerk — Recording Division", "url": "https://countyclerk.traviscountytx.gov/departments/recording/search-copies-of-records/", "answers": "What deeds, liens, easements and plats are recorded against this property?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open Search & Copies of Records and follow the official public records search it links to.", "identifier": "Name, instrument number, or volume/page", "gotcha": "Texas has no mandatory disclosure of sale price, so a recorded deed will normally show no consideration. The deed proves the transfer, not the price.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "austin", "jurisdiction": "Travis County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Travis County Clerk — Recording Division", "url": "https://countyclerk.traviscountytx.gov/departments/recording/real-property/", "answers": "What does the Clerk record for real property, and what are the filing requirements?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Real Property page for record types, fees and forms.", "identifier": "Instrument number", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "austin", "jurisdiction": "Williamson County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Williamson Central Appraisal District", "url": "https://search.wcad.org/", "answers": "Who owns it, what is the property ID, and what is the appraised value?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the WCAD PublicAccess search and search by owner, address or property ID; Advanced Search adds more criteria.", "identifier": "Property ID (quick ref ID)", "gotcha": "The PublicAccess entry page carries a site Login button that is for the district's own portal, not for searching — property search is public and needs no account.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "austin", "jurisdiction": "Williamson County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Williamson County", "url": "https://www.wilcotx.gov/734/Property-Tax", "answers": "What does the county publish about property tax rates, bills and payment?", "level": "blocked", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Not reached — the request was answered with a Cloudflare challenge page.", "identifier": "Property ID", "gotcha": "Checked 20 Sep 2026: the county web site returned HTTP 403 with a Cloudflare 'Just a moment...' interstitial. It is reachable in an ordinary interactive browser; it is not reachable by a script or a link checker.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "austin", "jurisdiction": "Williamson County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Williamson County Tax Assessor-Collector", "url": "https://tax.wilcotx.gov/", "answers": "What is billed and paid on this property across its taxing units?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Property Search and search by owner, address or property ID.", "identifier": "Property ID / tax account number", "gotcha": "The county's own www.wilcotx.gov pages sat behind a Cloudflare interstitial when checked on 20 Sep 2026 and would not return content to an automated fetch; tax.wilcotx.gov answered normally.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "austin", "jurisdiction": "Williamson County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Williamson County Clerk", "url": "https://williamsoncountytx-web.tylerhost.net/williamsonweb/user/disclaimer", "answers": "What deeds, liens and plats are recorded in the county's official public records?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Accept the disclaimer the portal opens on, then search by name, document number or recording date.", "identifier": "Name, document number, or volume/page", "gotcha": "The portal redirects every fresh visit to a disclaimer page (/user/disclaimer) that must be accepted before any search — a bookmarked search URL will bounce you back to it.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "austin", "jurisdiction": "City of Austin", "category": "zoning", "agency": "Austin Development Services Department", "url": "https://www.austintexas.gov/development-services/zoning-verification", "answers": "How do I get the city's zoning in writing, as a determination rather than a map reading?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Zoning Verification page and follow the application process for a Zoning Verification Letter.", "identifier": "Address or legal description", "gotcha": "The city states plainly that the online zoning data is not a formal determination — overlays and split zoning are not fully shown. If the deal turns on the district, the Zoning Verification Letter is the only answer that binds.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "austin", "jurisdiction": "City of Austin", "category": "zoning", "agency": "City of Austin — Property Profile (GIS)", "url": "https://maps.austintexas.gov/PropertyProfile/", "answers": "What is the zoning, land use, jurisdiction and regulatory overlay at this address?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open Property Profile, search the address, and read the zoning (ZType), jurisdiction and overlay panels for the selected parcel.", "identifier": "Address or TCAD property ID", "gotcha": "Zoning only exists inside the full-purpose city limits. Property Profile also covers the limited-purpose jurisdiction and the ETJ, where the city reviews subdivision but assigns no zoning district — an empty zoning field there means 'no zoning', not 'missing data'. Property Profile does not show every overlay, and a parcel can carry more than one zoning district.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "austin", "jurisdiction": "City of Austin", "category": "flood", "agency": "City of Austin Watershed Protection — FloodPro", "url": "https://maps.austintexas.gov/floodpro/", "answers": "Is this property in the 100-year or 500-year floodplain as the city maps it?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open FloodPro, search the address, and read the floodplain layers at the parcel.", "identifier": "Address", "gotcha": "Austin maps its own Atlas 14 floodplain, which is materially larger than the effective FEMA floodplain in many creeks — a property outside the FEMA zone can still be inside the city's regulated floodplain and subject to city review.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "austin", "jurisdiction": "City of Austin", "category": "permits", "agency": "Austin Development Services Department", "url": "https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/search.cfm", "answers": "What plans, site plans and case documents were actually filed for a permit or case?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the eDIMS document search and search by case or permit number to retrieve the filed documents.", "identifier": "Permit or case number", "gotcha": "eDIMS holds the documents; Austin Build + Connect holds the status. You need a case or permit number from ABC before eDIMS is useful.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "austin", "jurisdiction": "City of Austin", "category": "permits", "agency": "Austin Development Services Department", "url": "https://www.austintexas.gov/development-services/types-permits", "answers": "Which permit type does this work require, and which review path does it enter?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open Types of Permits and pick the category matching the work.", "identifier": "Permit type", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "austin", "jurisdiction": "City of Austin", "category": "permits", "agency": "Austin Development Services Department (Austin Build + Connect)", "url": "https://abc.austintexas.gov/citizenportal/app/", "answers": "What permits and cases are open or issued at this address?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Citizen Portal and use its permit/case search by address or permit number.", "identifier": "Address or permit/case number", "gotcha": "abc.austintexas.gov redirects into /citizenportal/app/ — bookmark the redirected URL, not the short host.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "austin", "jurisdiction": "Region-wide", "category": "flood", "agency": "FEMA Flood Map Service Center", "url": "https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home", "answers": "What FEMA flood zone and FIRM panel cover this property?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Enter the address in the Looking for a Flood Map box and press Search; the site hands off to Search By Address and returns the effective FIRM panel and its FIRMette.", "identifier": "Address or FIRM panel number", "gotcha": "Inside Austin, check FloodPro as well — the city's regulated floodplain is wider than the effective FEMA zone.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "huntsville", "jurisdiction": "Madison County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Madison County Revenue / GIS (ISV parcel viewer)", "url": "https://isv.kcsgis.com/al.madison_revenue/", "answers": "Where is this parcel, and what are its boundaries and mapped attributes?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the parcel viewer and search by address or parcel number, then select the parcel.", "identifier": "Parcel number or address", "gotcha": "A Terms of Use panel with a reCAPTCHA box blocks the map on every visit — tick the box, then I Agree. Those terms also forbid automated extraction and any resale or republishing of the data.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "huntsville", "jurisdiction": "Madison County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Madison County Tax Assessor (AssuranceWeb Property)", "url": "https://madisonproperty.countygovservices.com/Property/Property/Search", "answers": "Who owns it, what is the PIN, and what is the appraised and assessed value?", "level": "form_reached", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Set the property search year, choose the search field (owner, PIN, account, company, subdivision or address), enter the criteria and submit.", "identifier": "PIN / parcel number", "gotcha": "The form requires a search year before it will run — the record you see is that tax year's, not necessarily the current one. Matching defaults to 'starts with'; the Contains radio has to be selected for a partial street name to hit.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "huntsville", "jurisdiction": "Madison County", "category": "flood", "agency": "Madison County Public Works", "url": "https://www.madisoncountyal.gov/departments/public-works/flood-protection-information", "answers": "What does the county publish about flood hazard and floodplain requirements?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open Flood Protection Information and read its floodplain and flood-hazard guidance.", "identifier": "Address or parcel number", "gotcha": "The county's /services/flood-protection path redirects here — the public-works path is the live one.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "huntsville", "jurisdiction": "Madison County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Madison County Tax Assessor", "url": "https://www.madisoncountyal.gov/departments/tax-assessor", "answers": "Who sets the value, and how is an assessment classified or appealed?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Tax Assessor page and follow its property search and assessment links.", "identifier": "PIN / parcel number", "gotcha": "Alabama's assessment ratio depends on use class — Class II (commercial) is assessed at 20% of fair market value against Class III's 10%. Reading an assessed value without its class is meaningless.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "huntsville", "jurisdiction": "Madison County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Madison County Tax Collector", "url": "https://www.madisoncountyal.gov/departments/tax-collector", "answers": "Is the property tax paid, and what is owed for the current year?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Tax Collector page and follow its current-year real and personal property tax information and payment links.", "identifier": "PIN / parcel number", "gotcha": "Alabama splits the job three ways — the Tax Assessor values, the Tax Collector bills, and the Probate Judge records. Three offices, three sites, for one property.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "huntsville", "jurisdiction": "Madison County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Madison County Probate Judge", "url": "https://www.madisoncountyal.gov/departments/probate-judge/recorded-documents", "answers": "What deeds, mortgages, liens and plats are recorded against this property?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open Recorded Documents and follow its online records link; the search runs on the county's separate records host.", "identifier": "Name, instrument number, or book/page", "gotcha": "In Alabama the Probate Judge is the recorder, not a Register of Deeds or County Clerk. The county's online records host (madisonprobate.countygovservices.com) redirected to a Microsoft sign-in page when checked on 20 Sep 2026, so plan on an account.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "huntsville", "jurisdiction": "Madison County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Madison County Probate Judge — online records", "url": "https://madisonprobate.countygovservices.com/", "answers": "What is indexed and imaged in the county land records?", "level": "blocked", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Not reached — the request was redirected to a sign-in page before any search screen.", "identifier": "Name, instrument number, or book/page", "gotcha": "Re-checked 20 Sep 2026 in a browser: the root still redirects to a Microsoft Entra B2C screen titled “Madison County — Sign up or sign in” at madisoncountyalntc.b2clogin.com. The only choices are an email sign-in or Sign up now; there is no guest search and no anonymous index.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "huntsville", "jurisdiction": "Limestone County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Limestone County Revenue Commission", "url": "https://limestonerevenue.net/parcelviewer/", "answers": "Where is this parcel and what are its mapped boundaries and parcel number?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the parcel viewer and search by address, owner or parcel number.", "identifier": "Parcel number", "gotcha": "A welcome panel covers the map on each visit. Once past it there is no search box on the map itself — Parcel Search is a separate tab across the top.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "huntsville", "jurisdiction": "Limestone County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Limestone County Revenue Commission", "url": "https://www.limestonecounty-al.gov/Departments/Revenue-Commission", "answers": "Who is the assessing and collecting authority, and where is the office?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Revenue Commission department page and follow its parcel data and payment links.", "identifier": "Parcel number", "gotcha": "The county runs two look-alike domains: limestonecounty-al.gov is the live official site, while limestonecounty.net returns a 'Private Site' page.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "huntsville", "jurisdiction": "Limestone County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Limestone County Revenue Commission (Citizen Access Portal)", "url": "https://limestonerevenue.net/", "answers": "What is the appraised value, assessed value and tax amount, and is it paid?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Citizen Access Portal and search by name, parcel number or address.", "identifier": "Parcel number", "gotcha": "In Limestone County a single Revenue Commissioner does the mapping, appraising, assessing and collecting — unlike Madison County next door, where three separate offices split the same work.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "huntsville", "jurisdiction": "Limestone County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Limestone County Probate Judge", "url": "https://www.limestonecounty-al.gov/Departments/Probate-Judge", "answers": "What deeds, mortgages, liens, easements and plats are recorded against this property?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Probate Judge page and follow its recording and online services links.", "identifier": "Name, instrument number, or book/page", "gotcha": "The county's /Departments/Probate-Office path is a 404; the live page is /Departments/Probate-Judge.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "huntsville", "jurisdiction": "Limestone County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Limestone County Probate Office — online services", "url": "https://www.ingprobate.com/Limestone_Probate/", "answers": "What is indexed in the Limestone County land records?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the online services portal and use its records search.", "identifier": "Name, instrument number, or book/page", "gotcha": "The index is hosted on a vendor domain rather than the county's, so a search bookmark will not look like a county URL.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "huntsville", "jurisdiction": "City of Huntsville", "category": "parcel", "agency": "City of Huntsville GIS", "url": "https://www.huntsvilleal.gov/development/building-construction/gis/", "answers": "Which city map application covers parcels, districts and city limits?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the GIS page and choose the map application for the question you have.", "identifier": "Address or parcel number", "gotcha": "City GIS is the place to confirm whether an address is actually inside the city limits before assuming city zoning or city permitting applies.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "huntsville", "jurisdiction": "City of Huntsville", "category": "zoning", "agency": "City of Huntsville GIS", "url": "https://maps.huntsvilleal.gov/zoningdistricts/", "answers": "What zoning district applies at this location?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Zoning Districts map and search or navigate to the property, then read the district at the parcel.", "identifier": "Address or parcel number", "gotcha": "The right-hand panel lists zoning districts to highlight on the map; it is not a parcel report. Use the address box, and match the form its own placeholder shows — abbreviated street type plus quadrant, \"308 Fountain Cr SW\".", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "huntsville", "jurisdiction": "City of Huntsville", "category": "zoning", "agency": "City of Huntsville Planning Division", "url": "https://www.huntsvilleal.gov/development/building-construction/planning/zoning/", "answers": "What are the city's zoning districts, and how is a district changed or varied?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Zoning page and follow its district, rezoning and variance links.", "identifier": "Address or parcel number", "gotcha": "Huntsville annexes aggressively and its limits reach into Limestone and Morgan counties. The parcel record may sit with Madison County while the zoning authority is the City of Huntsville — or the reverse across a county line.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "huntsville", "jurisdiction": "City of Huntsville", "category": "permits", "agency": "City of Huntsville — ePlans Review", "url": "https://www.huntsvilleal.gov/development/building-construction/eplans-submittal/", "answers": "How is a commercial plan set submitted and tracked through city review?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the ePlans Review page and follow the submittal instructions and portal link.", "identifier": "Project or permit number", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "huntsville", "jurisdiction": "City of Huntsville", "category": "permits", "agency": "City of Huntsville Inspection Department", "url": "https://www.huntsvilleal.gov/government/departments/inspection-department/", "answers": "What building permits and inspections apply, and how are they obtained?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Inspection Department page and follow its permit and inspection links.", "identifier": "Address or permit number", "gotcha": "The older /business/inspection/ path still works but redirects to this one.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "huntsville", "jurisdiction": "Region-wide", "category": "flood", "agency": "FEMA Flood Map Service Center", "url": "https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home", "answers": "What FEMA flood zone and FIRM panel cover this property?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Enter the address in the Looking for a Flood Map box and press Search; the site hands off to Search By Address and returns the effective FIRM panel and its FIRMette.", "identifier": "Address or FIRM panel number", "gotcha": "A FEMA map is not an insurance determination. In Madison County, cross-check the county's own flood protection information as well.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "atlanta", "jurisdiction": "Fulton County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Fulton County Board of Assessors", "url": "https://www.fultonassessor.org/", "answers": "Who owns it, what is it appraised at, and what did the annual notice say?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Board of Assessors home page, then follow the property search link from the top navigation.", "identifier": "Parcel ID", "gotcha": "The home page is a wall of assessment-notice bulletins; the search is a navigation link, not a box on the page. The site also returns a Cloudflare challenge to anything that is not a normal browser.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "atlanta", "jurisdiction": "Fulton County", "category": "zoning", "agency": "Fulton County GIS (Open Data) — Current Zoning", "url": "https://gisdata.fultoncountyga.gov/maps/4bef7661a5b04a7c854cd4e3ebfc0deb", "answers": "What zoning district is the parcel in, in unincorporated Fulton?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Current Zoning item, then Explore to load the map viewer and identify the parcel.", "identifier": "Address or Parcel ID", "gotcha": "The layer's own description limits it to unincorporated Fulton County. Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, South Fulton and the rest each keep their own zoning map — this layer will not answer for them.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "atlanta", "jurisdiction": "Fulton County", "category": "flood", "agency": "FEMA Flood Map Service Center", "url": "https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search", "answers": "What flood zone is the property in, and which FIRM panel governs it?", "level": "form_reached", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Enter the street address in Search By Address, then open the effective FIRMette for the panel.", "identifier": "Street address", "gotcha": "The address search returns the panel, not a determination. A CRE lender will want the FIRMette PDF, not a screenshot of the viewer.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "atlanta", "jurisdiction": "Fulton County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Fulton County Tax Commissioner", "url": "https://fultoncountytaxes.org/", "answers": "Is the tax bill paid, and what is the balance?", "level": "blocked", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Not established. Every automated request to this host returned a Cloudflare interstitial and no page content.", "identifier": "Parcel ID", "gotcha": "The site sits behind an aggressive bot check. Expect a security interstitial before the first page even in a normal browser.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "atlanta", "jurisdiction": "Fulton County", "category": "permits", "agency": "Fulton County Public Works — Planning, Zoning and Permitting", "url": "https://www.fultoncountyga.gov/inside-fulton-county/fulton-county-departments/public-works/planning-zoning-and-permitting", "answers": "Who permits work at this address if it is in unincorporated Fulton, and where do the applications go?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the department page and follow the permitting links from the body copy.", "identifier": "Address", "gotcha": "Since 3 July 2017 the county only permits the Fulton Industrial Business District. Every other address in Fulton is permitted by a city — Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Roswell, South Fulton and the rest — so the county has no record of it.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "atlanta", "jurisdiction": "Fulton County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA)", "url": "https://search.gsccca.org/", "answers": "What deeds, liens, plats and UCC filings are recorded against the property statewide?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Pick the index you need from the search menu — Real Estate, Lien, UCC, Plat, Notary — then search by name, book/page or instrument number.", "identifier": "Grantor/grantee name, or deed book and page", "gotcha": "Georgia is centralised: one statewide portal covers every county's Superior Court Clerk, so you do not search Fulton and DeKalb separately. But several of the most useful entry points — address search, map search, instrument-type search — are labelled PREMIUM on the menu and are not part of the free tier.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "atlanta", "jurisdiction": "DeKalb County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "DeKalb County Property Appraisal", "url": "https://propertyappraisal.dekalbcountyga.gov/", "answers": "Who owns it, what is it appraised at, and what are the property characteristics?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "From the portal home, choose Real Estate Search, then search by parcel ID, address or owner. Map Search and Advanced/Sales Search are separate tabs.", "identifier": "Parcel ID", "gotcha": "The portal home redirects to a disclaimer screen. Nothing searchable appears until you press Agree, and it returns on a fresh visit.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "atlanta", "jurisdiction": "DeKalb County", "category": "zoning", "agency": "DeKalb County Planning & Sustainability — Zoning", "url": "https://dekalbcountyga.gov/departments/planning-and-sustainability/zoning", "answers": "What zoning district applies in unincorporated DeKalb, and who answers a zoning question?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Zoning page under Planning & Sustainability and follow through to the map and ordinance links.", "identifier": "Address or Parcel ID", "gotcha": "DeKalb is heavily incorporated — Decatur, Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Chamblee, Tucker, Doraville, Stonecrest and part of Atlanta all zone their own land. Confirm the governing city before you read a county district off a map.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "atlanta", "jurisdiction": "DeKalb County", "category": "tax", "agency": "DeKalb County Tax Commissioner — Property Search", "url": "https://publicaccess.dekalbtaxga.gov/Search/Disclaimer.aspx?FromUrl=../search/commonsearch.aspx?mode=realprop", "answers": "What is billed, what is paid, and what does the bill history show?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Press Agree on the disclaimer and the real-property search form loads.", "identifier": "Parcel ID", "gotcha": "Every way in lands on this disclaimer: the bare root and a deep link straight to /search/commonsearch.aspx?mode=realprop both bounce here, once per session, so no bookmarked search URL survives.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "atlanta", "jurisdiction": "DeKalb County", "category": "permits", "agency": "DeKalb County Planning & Sustainability", "url": "https://dekalbcountyga.gov/departments/planning-and-sustainability", "answers": "Where do building and land-development permits for unincorporated DeKalb live?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the department page and follow the permitting and development links.", "identifier": "Address", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "atlanta", "jurisdiction": "City of Atlanta", "category": "zoning", "agency": "Atlanta Department of City Planning GIS", "url": "https://gis.atlantaga.gov/interactivemaps-2-col.html", "answers": "What is the property's zoning district, NPU, and what do the official zoning sheets show?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "From Interactive Maps, pick the Zoning map (property information, planning viewer, lot boundary and NPU maps sit alongside it), then search the address or parcel number.", "identifier": "Address or Parcel ID", "gotcha": "The interactive viewer and the signed PDF zoning sheets are different artefacts on the same page. For anything going into a file, pull the numbered zoning sheet PDF, not the viewer.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "atlanta", "jurisdiction": "City of Atlanta", "category": "permits", "agency": "Atlanta Department of City Planning — Zoning, Development and Permitting Services", "url": "https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/departments/city-planning/zoning-development-permitting-services", "answers": "What is the permit process, and where do I check an application's status?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "The page's own menu splits into: zoning and permitting basics, submit/check status/pay fees, applications and checklists, inspections, and research a property or project.", "identifier": "Address or application number", "gotcha": "This host returns Access Denied to non-browser requests; it opens normally in a browser.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "atlanta", "jurisdiction": "City of Atlanta", "category": "permits", "agency": "Atlanta Online Portal (Accela Citizen Access)", "url": "https://aca-prod.accela.com/ATLANTA_GA/Cap/CapHome.aspx?module=Planning", "answers": "What permit and planning records exist at this address, and what is their status?", "level": "form_reached", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "The module is set by the URL — Planning here. Use the General Search form: record number, date range, address or parcel.", "identifier": "Record number, or address", "gotcha": "Accela splits records by module (Planning, Building, Enforcement). A record you cannot find is usually filed in a different module, not missing.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "charleston", "jurisdiction": "Charleston County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Charleston County Assessor", "url": "https://www.charlestoncounty.gov/departments/assessor/index.php", "answers": "Who values the property, what is the assessment ratio, and how do I reach the appraiser?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Assessor's department page; the real property search and the appraisal forms are linked from the body.", "identifier": "TMS (Tax Map Serial) number", "gotcha": "Charleston County's domain moved from charlestoncounty.org to charlestoncounty.gov — old bookmarks still redirect, but anything you have saved is worth re-copying.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "charleston", "jurisdiction": "Charleston County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Charleston County Online Services — Real Property Record Search", "url": "https://sc-charleston.publicaccessnow.com/RealPropertyRecordSearch.aspx", "answers": "What are the owner, appraised value, characteristics and assessment for this TMS?", "level": "form_reached", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Search by TMS, owner name or address on the Real Property Record Search form.", "identifier": "TMS number", "gotcha": "This portal is the county's record search; the Assessor's department page is a landing page around it. Go straight here for the record.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "charleston", "jurisdiction": "Charleston County", "category": "zoning", "agency": "Charleston County GIS", "url": "https://www.charlestoncounty.gov/departments/gis/index.php", "answers": "Where is the parcel, and what county map layers cover it?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the GIS department page and follow to the county's mapping applications.", "identifier": "TMS number or address", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "charleston", "jurisdiction": "Charleston County", "category": "zoning", "agency": "Charleston County Zoning & Planning Department", "url": "https://www.charlestoncounty.gov/departments/zoning-planning/index.php", "answers": "What zoning district applies in unincorporated Charleston County, and who issues a zoning verification?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the department page and follow to the zoning ordinance and district information.", "identifier": "TMS number or address", "gotcha": "The county zones only unincorporated land. Charleston, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Summerville and the island towns each zone their own — check the municipality before reading a district.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "charleston", "jurisdiction": "Charleston County", "category": "flood", "agency": "FEMA Flood Map Service Center", "url": "https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search", "answers": "What flood zone and FIRM panel govern the property?", "level": "form_reached", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Enter the street address in Search By Address, then open the effective FIRMette for the panel.", "identifier": "Street address", "gotcha": "Charleston's coastal panels are revised often. Check the effective date on the panel, not just the zone letter.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "charleston", "jurisdiction": "Charleston County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Charleston County Treasurer", "url": "https://www.charlestoncounty.gov/departments/treasurer/index.php", "answers": "Is the property tax paid, and what does the bill history show?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Treasurer's page and follow to tax bill search and payment.", "identifier": "TMS number", "gotcha": "Three offices touch one bill in SC: the Assessor values it, the Auditor calculates it, and the Treasurer collects it. A value question answered by the Treasurer is the wrong office.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "charleston", "jurisdiction": "Charleston County", "category": "permits", "agency": "Charleston County Building Inspection Services", "url": "https://www.charlestoncounty.gov/departments/building-inspection-services/index.php", "answers": "Who permits and inspects construction in unincorporated Charleston County?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the department page and follow to permit application and inspection links.", "identifier": "Address or permit number", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "charleston", "jurisdiction": "Charleston County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Charleston County Register of Deeds (RMC)", "url": "https://www.charlestoncounty.gov/departments/rod/", "answers": "What deeds, mortgages, plats and easements are recorded against the parcel?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Register of Deeds page and follow the online records search link.", "identifier": "Grantor/grantee name, or book and page", "gotcha": "South Carolina's recorder is the RMC/Register of Deeds, a separate office from the Clerk of Court. Asking the Clerk for a deed sends you to the wrong counter.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "charleston", "jurisdiction": "Berkeley County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Berkeley County Real Property Services", "url": "https://berkeleycountysc.gov/dept/realprop/property-search/", "answers": "What is the official entry point and disclaimer for Berkeley property assessment data?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Read the two disclaimers (Real Property, and Auditor/Treasurer/Tax Collector), then press I Agree to reach the search.", "identifier": "TMS number", "gotcha": "An I Agree gate stands in front of the search, and the disclaimer states assessment data reflects ownership as of 31 December of the prior year unless the law says otherwise — so a recent sale may not show here yet.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "charleston", "jurisdiction": "Berkeley County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Berkeley County Real Property Services — Property Card Search", "url": "https://assessor.berkeleycountysc.gov/prop_card_search.php", "answers": "Who owns it, what is the assessed value, and what does the property card show?", "level": "form_reached", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Either enter the TMS directly under Retrieve property by TMS, or search real property by street number/name or owner name. Comparable Sales Search and Flood Certificate Search are tabs across the top.", "identifier": "TMS number", "gotcha": "The site tells you itself: search the street name WITHOUT the type — 'Oakley', not 'Oakley Road' — because the same street is stored as Road, Rd and Rd. in different records. Owner names are stored LASTNAME FIRSTNAME; search the last name alone first.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "charleston", "jurisdiction": "Berkeley County", "category": "flood", "agency": "Berkeley County Real Property Services — Flood Certificate Search", "url": "https://assessor.berkeleycountysc.gov/prop_card_search.php", "answers": "Does the county hold a flood certificate for this parcel?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "From the property search page, use the Flood Certificate Search tab in the top navigation.", "identifier": "TMS number", "gotcha": "A county flood certificate is not a FEMA determination. Pull the FEMA FIRMette as well for anything a lender will read.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "charleston", "jurisdiction": "Dorchester County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Dorchester County Assessor", "url": "https://www.dorchestercountysc.gov/government/property-tax-services/assessor", "answers": "Who values the property, and what forms and deadlines apply?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Assessor page under Property Tax Services; the search and form links run down the body.", "identifier": "TMS number", "gotcha": "The Assessor sets value only — not the tax amount. The page says so in its first line, and it is the most common wrong-office call in this county.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "charleston", "jurisdiction": "Dorchester County", "category": "zoning", "agency": "Dorchester County Planning & Development — Maps / GIS", "url": "https://www.dorchestercountysc.gov/government/planning-development/maps-gis", "answers": "Where is the parcel, what layers cover it, and what does the county map show?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Use On Line Mapping for the viewer, or Property Lookup Without Mapping if you only want the record. GIS Data Layers is a separate page.", "identifier": "TMS number or address", "gotcha": "The county advertises a 'GIS Property Search' under Business, but it redirects to this Maps/GIS page — the two entry points are the same destination.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "charleston", "jurisdiction": "City of Charleston", "category": "zoning", "agency": "City of Charleston", "url": "https://www.charleston-sc.gov/", "answers": "Which city department governs zoning inside the city limits, and where do its pages live?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Navigate from the city home page to Planning, Preservation & Sustainability; do not guess a page URL.", "identifier": "Address or TMS number", "gotcha": "The city runs CivicEngage numeric page IDs (/162/…, /1024/…). A stale or wrong ID does not 404 — it silently redirects you somewhere else entirely; one guessed ID landed on a staff directory and another on the South Carolina tourism site. Always reach city pages by navigating from the home page.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "charleston", "jurisdiction": "City of Charleston", "category": "permits", "agency": "City of Charleston — EnerGov Citizen Self Service", "url": "https://egcss.charleston-sc.gov/energov_prod/selfservice", "answers": "What permit, plan and inspection records exist at this address, and what is their status?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "From the Self Service home, choose the Permits or Plans search and query by address or permit number.", "identifier": "Permit number or address", "gotcha": "Exact Phrase is ticked by default and addresses are stored abbreviated and uppercase, so \"100 Meeting Street\" returns nothing while \"573 MEETING ST\" returns records. Unticking it swings the other way — it matches each word separately and returns thousands.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "dallas-fort-worth", "jurisdiction": "Dallas County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Dallas Central Appraisal District (DCAD)", "url": "https://www.dallascad.org/", "answers": "Who owns it, what is it appraised at, and what are the improvement details?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "From the DCAD home page choose the property search, then query by account number, address or owner.", "identifier": "DCAD account number", "gotcha": "The appraisal district is not the county. DCAD values property; Dallas County bills and collects. Two different agencies, two different websites, two different numbers on the record.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "dallas-fort-worth", "jurisdiction": "Dallas County", "category": "flood", "agency": "FEMA Flood Map Service Center", "url": "https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search", "answers": "What flood zone and FIRM panel govern the property?", "level": "form_reached", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Enter the street address in Search By Address, then open the effective FIRMette for the panel.", "identifier": "Street address", "gotcha": "This is Search by Address, and it returns only the effective FIRM panel for the dropped pin. The FIS report, LOMCs and preliminary products are under Search All Products, a different tool. The dynamic FIRMette can take a minute or more to build at peak times.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "dallas-fort-worth", "jurisdiction": "Dallas County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Dallas County Tax Office", "url": "https://www.dallascounty.org/departments/tax/", "answers": "What is owed, what is paid, and what does the statement history show?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Tax Office page and follow to the property tax account search.", "identifier": "DCAD account number", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "dallas-fort-worth", "jurisdiction": "Dallas County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Dallas County Clerk — Official Record Search", "url": "https://dallas.tx.publicsearch.us/", "answers": "What instruments are recorded against this property or party?", "level": "form_reached", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Quick Search by grantor/grantee name, document type or instrument number; advanced search adds date and book/page.", "identifier": "Grantor/grantee name, or instrument number", "gotcha": "Pick the Department before anything else; a search term on its own returns nothing. The header states the date the index is certified through, which runs a few days behind today.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "dallas-fort-worth", "jurisdiction": "Dallas County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Dallas County Clerk — Recording Division", "url": "https://www.dallascounty.org/government/county-clerk/recording/", "answers": "Where are deeds, deeds of trust, liens and easements recorded, and how do I get a certified copy?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "The page links the non-certified Official Public Record Search, and separately the paid Electronic Certified OPR Documents service.", "identifier": "Grantor/grantee name, or instrument number", "gotcha": "The page states it plainly: the free online search returns NON-certified documents. Electronic certified copies are a separate paid product — do not hand a downloaded image to a title company expecting it to serve as certified.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "dallas-fort-worth", "jurisdiction": "Tarrant County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD)", "url": "https://www.tad.org/", "answers": "Who owns it, what is it appraised at, and what is the improvement schedule?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "From the TAD home page open the property search and query by account, address or owner.", "identifier": "TAD account number", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "dallas-fort-worth", "jurisdiction": "Tarrant County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector", "url": "https://www.tarrantcountytx.gov/en/tax.html", "answers": "What is owed and what has been paid across all the taxing units on this account?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Tax Assessor-Collector page and follow to the property tax account search.", "identifier": "TAD account number", "gotcha": "One Tarrant account carries several taxing units (county, city, school, college, hospital). The total is the sum; a single line is not the bill.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "dallas-fort-worth", "jurisdiction": "Tarrant County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Tarrant County Clerk", "url": "https://www.tarrantcountytx.gov/en/county-clerk.html", "answers": "Who records real property instruments in Tarrant County, and what are the copy fees?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the County Clerk page and follow to real property records.", "identifier": "Grantor/grantee name, or instrument number", "gotcha": "The clerk's page is links only; the search sits on a separate site. Its own disclaimer says information has been redacted from certain instruments and that the online database is not the official repository of the real property records.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "dallas-fort-worth", "jurisdiction": "Tarrant County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Tarrant County Clerk — Official Record Search", "url": "https://tarrant.tx.publicsearch.us/", "answers": "What instruments are recorded against this property or party?", "level": "form_reached", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Quick Search by name, document type or instrument number.", "identifier": "Grantor/grantee name, or instrument number", "gotcha": "Dallas and Tarrant run the same portal software on sibling hostnames. The search behaves identically, but the indexes are separate — a county-line property needs both.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "dallas-fort-worth", "jurisdiction": "City of Dallas", "category": "zoning", "agency": "City of Dallas GIS Hub", "url": "https://gis.dallascityhall.com/", "answers": "What zoning district, overlay and planned development apply inside the city limits?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "From the GIS Hub, open the zoning or development map application and search the address.", "identifier": "Address or DCAD account number", "gotcha": "Texas counties have no zoning power at all — only cities do. Inside Dallas County, zoning exists only where a city has annexed the land, and this hub covers the City of Dallas only.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "dallas-fort-worth", "jurisdiction": "City of Dallas", "category": "permits", "agency": "City of Dallas — DallasNow (Accela Citizen Access)", "url": "https://aca-prod.accela.com/DALLASTX/Cap/CapHome.aspx?module=Building&TabName=Building", "answers": "What permits exist at this address, and what is their status?", "level": "form_reached", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "On the Building tab choose a search type — General Search, Search by Address, Search by Record Information, Search by Contact — and search.", "identifier": "Permit number or address", "gotcha": "This replaced developdallas.dallascityhall.com, which stopped being used for applications and inspections on 25 April 2025 and no longer answers at all — the host now fails to connect, so the legacy project and CO searches that lived there are gone with it. DallasNow carries a standing notice that its automated email notifications are running late, so the portal, not your inbox, is the current status.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "dallas-fort-worth", "jurisdiction": "City of Dallas", "category": "permits", "agency": "Dallas OpenData", "url": "https://www.dallasopendata.com/", "answers": "What does the bulk permit history look like across the city?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Search the catalog for building permit datasets and filter or export.", "identifier": "Address", "gotcha": "Useful for trend work and comparables, not for a single-property answer of record — the authoritative status stays in the permitting portal.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "dallas-fort-worth", "jurisdiction": "City of Fort Worth", "category": "zoning", "agency": "Fort Worth Development Services — Zoning", "url": "https://www.fortworthtexas.gov/departments/development-services/zoning", "answers": "What zoning district applies inside Fort Worth, and how is a zoning change filed?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open Zoning and use the embedded district map, or follow the Zoning Map, Zoning Ordinance and Apply for a Zoning Change links beside it.", "identifier": "Address", "gotcha": "The old /departments/developmentservices/zoning path is a 404 — the folder is now development-services. The whole fortworthtexas.gov domain sits behind a WAF that returns Akamai Access Denied to non-browser requests, so the page opens in a browser and nowhere else. The parcel-level zoning layer itself is on mapit.fortworthtexas.gov, listed separately.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "dallas-fort-worth", "jurisdiction": "City of Fort Worth", "category": "zoning", "agency": "Fort Worth GIS (MAPIT)", "url": "https://mapit.fortworthtexas.gov/", "answers": "Where is the parcel and which city map layers — zoning among them — cover it?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the GIS site and choose the mapping application, then search the address.", "identifier": "Address", "gotcha": "The GIS subdomain answers when the main city site does not; it is the reliable way in to Fort Worth map data.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "miami", "jurisdiction": "Miami-Dade County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Miami-Dade Property Appraiser — Property Search", "url": "https://www.miamidadepa.gov/pa/real-estate/property-search.page", "answers": "What are the owner, assessed and market values, legal description and sales history?", "level": "form_reached", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Search by address, owner name, folio or subdivision, then open the property report.", "identifier": "Folio number", "gotcha": "Spelling the street type out fails. \"111 NW 1 Street\" returns \"Exact match not found for search criteria entered\" and offers a guess; \"111 NW 1 ST\" is the stored form.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "miami", "jurisdiction": "Miami-Dade County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Miami-Dade Property Appraiser — Property Search application", "url": "https://apps.miamidadepa.gov/propertysearch/", "answers": "The live search application behind the Property Search page.", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Enter an address or folio in the search bar and open the returned property report.", "identifier": "Folio number", "gotcha": "This is a JavaScript application: fetched without a browser it returns only the words 'Property Search' and nothing else. Anything scripted against it needs a real browser.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "miami", "jurisdiction": "Miami-Dade County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Property Appraiser of Miami-Dade County", "url": "https://www.miamidadepa.gov/pa/home.page", "answers": "Who owns it, what is it assessed at, and what is the folio?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "From the home page, Real Estate leads to Property Search, the folio-number explainer and the comparable sales tools.", "identifier": "Folio number (13 digits)", "gotcha": "The folio encodes the municipality in its first two digits; code 30 means unincorporated Miami-Dade. Reading the folio tells you which government zones and permits the site before you open a single map.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "miami", "jurisdiction": "Miami-Dade County", "category": "zoning", "agency": "Miami-Dade Land Management GIS", "url": "https://gisweb.miamidade.gov/landmanagement/", "answers": "What zoning and land-use designations does the county map show for this parcel?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Locate the property by folio number or address in the Land Management map, then read the zoning layer.", "identifier": "Folio number or address", "gotcha": "A GIS disclaimer splash covers the map on each visit. The app then opens on the Zoning Records tab, which searches zoning applications and cases — the zoning district itself is on the separate Zoning tab.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "miami", "jurisdiction": "Miami-Dade County", "category": "zoning", "agency": "Miami-Dade Zoning and Development Services", "url": "https://www.miamidade.gov/global/economy/zoning/home.page", "answers": "What zoning district applies, and how do I get a written zoning verification?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "The home page leads to Zoning Districts, the Land Development Code (County Code Chapter 33), and the Zoning Verification Request, which is filed through the Citizen Self-Service portal under Zoning.", "identifier": "Folio number or address", "gotcha": "County zoning governs unincorporated land only. Miami-Dade has dozens of municipalities, each with its own code — the folio's municipality digits tell you which one you are in before you read a district.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "miami", "jurisdiction": "Miami-Dade County", "category": "future_land_use", "agency": "Miami-Dade Zoning — Zoning Districts / CDMP", "url": "https://www.miamidade.gov/global/economy/zoning/districts/home.page", "answers": "What does each district permit, and how does it sit against the comprehensive plan?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Read the district list, then cross-reference the CDMP land-use designation in the Land Management map.", "identifier": "Zoning district code", "gotcha": "Zoning and the CDMP future land use are separate designations and can disagree. A rezoning that conflicts with the CDMP needs a plan amendment first — this is the step deals most often miss in Miami-Dade.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "miami", "jurisdiction": "Miami-Dade County", "category": "flood", "agency": "FEMA Flood Map Service Center", "url": "https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search", "answers": "What flood zone and FIRM panel govern the property?", "level": "lookup_completed", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Enter the street address in Search By Address, then open the effective FIRMette for the panel.", "identifier": "Street address", "gotcha": "Miami-Dade's panels have been revised repeatedly. Read the effective date on the panel — an out-of-date FIRMette is the most common error in a Miami file.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "miami", "jurisdiction": "Miami-Dade County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Miami-Dade Office of the Tax Collector", "url": "https://www.miamidade.gov/taxcollector/", "answers": "Is the tax paid, and what does the bill history show?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Tax Collector landing page and follow to real estate tax bill search.", "identifier": "Folio number", "gotcha": "The Tax Collector has been migrating to its own domain (mdctaxcollector.gov), which answered automated requests with a Cloudflare challenge on the day of checking. Enter from miamidade.gov/taxcollector.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "miami", "jurisdiction": "Miami-Dade County", "category": "permits", "agency": "Miami-Dade — Public Records: Building Plans and Permits", "url": "https://www.miamidade.gov/global/service.page?Mduid_service=ser149695713973833", "answers": "How do I obtain the actual recorded building plans, not just the permit line?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Follow the records-request instructions on this service page.", "identifier": "Permit number or folio", "gotcha": "Plans are a records request, not a portal download. Budget days, not minutes, and expect a fee.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "miami", "jurisdiction": "Miami-Dade County", "category": "permits", "agency": "Miami-Dade County — Find a Permit", "url": "https://www.miamidade.gov/permits/", "answers": "What permits exist at this address and what is their status?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Use the permit search from this page; it routes to the county permitting system.", "identifier": "Permit number or address", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "miami", "jurisdiction": "Miami-Dade County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Miami-Dade Clerk of the Courts — Official Records", "url": "https://onlineservices.miamidadeclerk.gov/officialrecords/", "answers": "What deeds, mortgages, liens and lis pendens are recorded against the property or party?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Choose the search type — name, document type, book/page, instrument number — and query.", "identifier": "Grantor/grantee name, or instrument number", "gotcha": "Advanced Search is behind a registration and login. Searching anonymously works but is rate-limited and throws Cloudflare Turnstile verification challenges. The home page states the date the database is recorded through, which runs a few days behind.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "miami", "jurisdiction": "Broward County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Broward County Property Appraiser (BCPA)", "url": "https://web.bcpa.net/BcpaClient/#/Record-Search", "answers": "Who owns it, what is it assessed at, and what is the sales history?", "level": "lookup_completed", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Optionally narrow by city, then search Property Search by owner name, address or folio and open the record.", "identifier": "Folio number", "gotcha": "This is where bcpa.net and its legacy RecMenu.asp both send you; the menu-of-forms version is retired. The box prefix-matches the house number — “115 S ANDREWS AVE” also returns 1153 S ANDREWS AVE — so read the Site Address column before opening a record. Tangible, Sales, Subdivision, Time Share, Commercial and Land are separate searches in the Record Search menu.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "miami", "jurisdiction": "Broward County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Broward County Records, Taxes & Treasury — Tax Bill Search", "url": "https://broward.county-taxes.com/public", "answers": "Is the property tax paid and what is the balance?", "level": "blocked", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Not established. The host returned a bot-check interstitial to every automated request and no page content was retrieved.", "identifier": "Folio number", "gotcha": "Broward's tax portal sits on a third-party payment host behind a bot check.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "miami", "jurisdiction": "Broward County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Broward County Records, Taxes & Treasury — Official Records (AcclaimWeb)", "url": "https://officialrecords.broward.org/AcclaimWeb/", "answers": "What deeds, mortgages, plats and liens are recorded against the property or party?", "level": "form_reached", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Accept the disclaimer, then choose a search: Name, Book/Page, Document Type, Instrument #, Case #, Consideration Amount, Date Recorded, Parcel ID or Simple Search.", "identifier": "Grantor/grantee name, instrument number, or Parcel ID", "gotcha": "The index is not complete. Documents recorded before 9 March 1972 are not on the site at all. Between 9 March 1972 and 7 July 1977 you can search ONLY by instrument number, book type, book/page range or record date — no name search. Full searchability starts 7 July 1977. Plats are the exception and are searchable regardless of date.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "miami", "jurisdiction": "City of Miami", "category": "zoning", "agency": "City of Miami Planning Department", "url": "https://www.miami.gov/My-Government/Departments/Planning", "answers": "Who administers Miami 21 — the city's form-based code — and where do zoning questions go?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the Planning department page; Comprehensive Planning and the zoning/land development links run from there.", "identifier": "Address or folio number", "gotcha": "The page opened is the Comprehensive Planning landing page; the zoning code itself (Miami 21) is administered separately and the page does not carry a district lookup. www.miamigov.com redirects to www.miami.gov, and the host refuses non-browser requests.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "houston", "jurisdiction": "Harris County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD)", "url": "https://hcad.org/", "answers": "Who owns it, what is it appraised at, and what does the improvement schedule show?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "From the HCAD home page, follow Property Search; query by account number, address or owner.", "identifier": "HCAD account number (13 digits)", "gotcha": "The district renamed itself Harris Central Appraisal District — it is still HCAD, and still not Harris County. Values come from here; bills come from the Tax Office.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "houston", "jurisdiction": "Harris County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "HCAD Parcel Viewer", "url": "https://arcweb.hcad.org/parcel-viewer-v2.0/", "answers": "Where is the parcel, what is its shape and acreage, and what are the neighbours?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Search the address or account in the viewer and select the parcel.", "identifier": "HCAD account number or address", "gotcha": "The old /parcelviewer/ path redirects to parcel-viewer-v2.0 — update saved links.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "houston", "jurisdiction": "Harris County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "HCAD Property Search", "url": "https://search.hcad.org/", "answers": "The live HCAD record search.", "level": "blocked", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Not established. Every request, including from a normal browser session, sat on a 'Performing security verification' interstitial and no search form was reached.", "identifier": "HCAD account number", "gotcha": "HCAD's search subdomain is behind a bot check that can hold you on a verification screen. If it stalls, enter through hcad.org rather than the search host directly.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "houston", "jurisdiction": "Harris County", "category": "zoning", "agency": "Harris County", "url": "https://www.harriscountytx.gov/", "answers": "Nothing — and that is the answer. Texas counties have no zoning authority.", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "There is no county zoning map to open. For unincorporated Harris County, use the county's subdivision and development regulations and the applicable MUD or special district instead.", "identifier": "Address", "gotcha": "This is a genuine gap, not a missing link. Texas law gives counties no general zoning power, so nobody at Harris County can tell you what a parcel is zoned. Land use in unincorporated Harris is governed by plat restrictions, deed restrictions and subdivision regulations — which live in the Clerk's recorded documents, not in a zoning map.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "houston", "jurisdiction": "Harris County", "category": "flood", "agency": "FEMA Flood Map Service Center", "url": "https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search", "answers": "What is the effective FIRM panel and zone of record?", "level": "form_reached", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Enter the street address in Search By Address, then open the effective FIRMette for the panel.", "identifier": "Street address", "gotcha": "This is Search by Address, and it returns only the effective FIRM panel for the dropped pin. The FIS report, LOMCs and preliminary products are under Search All Products, a different tool. The dynamic FIRMette can take a minute or more to build at peak times.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "houston", "jurisdiction": "Harris County", "category": "flood", "agency": "Harris County Flood Education Mapping Tool", "url": "https://www.harriscountyfemt.org/", "answers": "What flood zone, floodway and modelled flood risk apply to this address?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Enter the address in the mapping tool and read the flood zone and risk panels.", "identifier": "Street address", "gotcha": "This is the best flood source in any of these five markets and it is county-specific — Harris publishes education-grade mapping that goes beyond the FEMA panel. It still is not a flood determination; pull the FEMA FIRMette for the file.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "houston", "jurisdiction": "Harris County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Harris County Tax Office", "url": "https://www.hctax.net/", "answers": "What is owed, what is paid, and across which taxing units?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "From the home page choose Property Tax, then search by account, address or owner.", "identifier": "HCAD account number", "gotcha": "Harris properties commonly carry a MUD, an emergency services district and a community college district on top of county, city and school. The bill is the sum of all of them, and a pro forma built on county rate alone will be materially wrong.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "houston", "jurisdiction": "Harris County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Harris County Clerk — Real Property Records", "url": "https://www.cclerk.hctx.net/", "answers": "What deeds, deeds of trust, liens and plats are recorded against the property or party?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "From the Clerk's home page open Real Property records and search by name, film code or instrument number.", "identifier": "Grantor/grantee name, or film code", "gotcha": "Harris indexes older instruments by film code rather than instrument number. A citation that looks malformed is often a film code.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "houston", "jurisdiction": "Fort Bend County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "FBCAD Property Search (eSearch)", "url": "https://esearch.fbcad.org/", "answers": "What are the owner, value, legal description and acreage for this property?", "level": "form_reached", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Type a keyword — owner, address or property ID — in the search bar; results come back as a grid or list you can customise and download.", "identifier": "FBCAD property ID", "gotcha": "The site's own disclaimer is the warning: it contains values only, not tax rates or estimated taxes — those live at fortbendtax.org — and it states legal descriptions and acreage are for appraisal-district use and must be verified before use in any legal document.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "houston", "jurisdiction": "Fort Bend County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Fort Bend Central Appraisal District (FBCAD)", "url": "https://www.fbcad.org/", "answers": "Who owns it, what is it appraised at, and is the roll certified?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "From the FBCAD home page follow to Property Search.", "identifier": "FBCAD property ID", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "houston", "jurisdiction": "Fort Bend County", "category": "tax", "agency": "Fort Bend County Tax Assessor-Collector", "url": "https://www.fortbendcountytx.gov/government/departments/tax-assessor-collector", "answers": "What is owed and what has been paid?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the department page and follow to the property tax search.", "identifier": "FBCAD property ID", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "houston", "jurisdiction": "Fort Bend County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Fort Bend County Clerk", "url": "https://www.fortbendcountytx.gov/government/departments/county-clerk", "answers": "What instruments are recorded against the property, and how are copies obtained?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the County Clerk page and follow the official public records links.", "identifier": "Grantor/grantee name, or instrument number", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "houston", "jurisdiction": "Montgomery County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "MCAD Property Search", "url": "https://mcad-tx.org/Property-Search", "answers": "The MCAD record search.", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Search by owner, address or property ID from the portal's Property Search page.", "identifier": "MCAD property ID", "gotcha": "MCAD's portal is a single-page application; the search interface loads after the shell, so a page that looks empty is usually still loading.", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "houston", "jurisdiction": "Montgomery County", "category": "parcel", "agency": "Montgomery Central Appraisal District (MCAD)", "url": "https://mcad-tx.org/", "answers": "Who owns it and what is it appraised at?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "The MCAD public portal home leads to Property Search.", "identifier": "MCAD property ID", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "houston", "jurisdiction": "Montgomery County", "category": "recorded_documents", "agency": "Montgomery County Clerk", "url": "https://www.mctx.org/index_clerk.php", "answers": "What deeds, liens and plats are recorded in Montgomery County?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the County Clerk page and follow to real property records and the online search.", "identifier": "Grantor/grantee name, or instrument number", "gotcha": "mctx.org uses flat index_*.php entry pages rather than department paths; the department URL you would guess does not exist.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "houston", "jurisdiction": "City of Houston", "category": "parcel", "agency": "City of Houston Planning and Development Department", "url": "https://www.houstontx.gov/planning/", "answers": "Which department governs platting, development and land-use policy inside the city?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the department home and follow to Development Regulations, Platting, or the Planning Commission.", "identifier": "Address", "glove": "covered" }, { "market": "houston", "jurisdiction": "City of Houston", "category": "zoning", "agency": "City of Houston Planning and Development Department — Development Regulations", "url": "https://www.houstontx.gov/planning/DevelopRegs/", "answers": "If Houston has no zoning, what actually controls what can be built here?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Read the Development Regulations pages: Chapter 42 subdivision rules, setbacks, parking, and the special minimum-lot-size and minimum-building-line areas.", "identifier": "Address", "gotcha": "Houston is the largest US city with no zoning ordinance, and this is the page that matters instead of one. What constrains a site here is Chapter 42 platting, city-wide setback and parking rules, deed restrictions recorded against the subdivision, and any special minimum-lot-size or building-line designation. A broker who reports 'no zoning, so no constraints' is wrong in both directions — there is no district, but the deed restrictions are privately enforceable and the city will enforce some of them.", "glove": "partial" }, { "market": "houston", "jurisdiction": "City of Houston", "category": "future_land_use", "agency": "City of Houston GIS (MyCity)", "url": "https://mycity.houstontx.gov/", "answers": "What city map layers — plats, special districts, capital projects, service boundaries — cover this parcel?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "Open the GIS portal and choose the applicable map application, then search the address.", "identifier": "Address", "gotcha": "With no zoning layer to read, MyCity's special-district and plat layers are the nearest equivalent to a land-use check in Houston.", "glove": "manual" }, { "market": "houston", "jurisdiction": "City of Houston", "category": "permits", "agency": "Houston Permitting Center", "url": "https://www.houstonpermittingcenter.org/", "answers": "What permits exist at this address, what is their status, and what is required to apply?", "level": "page_opened", "checked": "2026-09-20", "route": "From the Permitting Center home, use the permit search and the applicable trade or occupancy section.", "identifier": "Permit number or address", "gotcha": "The status tools here key off an eight-digit project number, not an address. Without that number there is nothing to type.", "glove": "manual" } ] }