What Is an APN Number?
When buying or selling real estate property, you may have come across the term APN. What is an APN number? And why does it even matter to real estate buyers and sellers?
Simply defined, APN stands for Assessor’s Parcel Number. It is a unique number assigned by the Tax Assessor to a piece of property or each tract of land within a county. It’s a numbering system that distinguishes one property from the next.
Who Assigns an APN
An APN number is given or assigned by your local taxing authority to a real estate property. And only the taxing authorities in your city or county where the real property is located can assign an APN. While its purpose is mainly for record-keeping, it is also used for property identification.
Depending on the numbering or formatting standard, property appraisers, tax assessors, and other key persons can easily identify the location and type of property you own. And if you know the answer to the question, “what is an APN” then you likely work with real estate in some capacity.
Some, but not all taxing authorities publicize property tax information. These are indexed by APN. Property appraisers can establish property values yearly with this information. These appraisers are the ones who review information about your real property. They determine rightful exemptions, limitations, and taxable value. An appraiser can also provide the fair market value for a real estate property in case you plan on buying or selling.
What Are Other Terms for APN Number?
There are several other terms used for APN. They have exactly the same meaning as Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN).
These alternative terms that are commonly used in the real estate industry include:
- Property Identification (PID)
- Property Identification Number (PIN)
- Assessor’s Identification Number (AIN)
- Property Account Number
- Sidwell Number
- Tax Account Number
Where Can I Find My Property’s APN Number?
An APN number is typically made up of numbers in three sets separated by dashes. Likewise, these numbers include the book number, page number, and the lot number. When you want to know what is an APN number for your property, then you simply have to check your property tax bill. An APN can look like this: 126-88-115. You can also check your county’s Property Assessor website, and they will have the info. It is a matter of public record.
Since APN’s are public record, it is not difficult to get access to this information. There are even some county websites offering assistance in getting this information for you. To be sure, you can reach out to your county’s property assessor and they can answer any questions that you have.
The Nationwide Environmental Title Research, LLC’s website offers the necessary contact details and online tools when available. By clicking on the county where your property is, you can find the phone numbers of the property appraiser, county clerk, and county tax collector. Depending on your property’s county location, the online tool can help you search property records as well.
Land Buying and Selling Made Easy
If you want to know what is an APN number because you plan to buy or sell land, then you can instead work with a company that makes the entire process easy for you. At Land Soar, we make land buying and selling simple and convenient for our clients. We eliminate the need for middleman to reduce transaction costs, which of course, is beneficial for you. These transaction costs can be very expensive, and these savings are passed on to our buyers.
To get assistance from experts in land buying and selling, contact Land Soar. And if you’re looking for a piece of land to buy in the United States, or if you need to sell your real estate property, we are here to help.
Call Land Soar at 386-200-5001 to consult with a professional. You may also send us a message at service@landsoar.com. Planning to sell your land? Fill out the form on our Sell Your Land page. You will be asked, but not required, to enter your APN number in the form. We will do our best to get in touch with you within 24 hours.