Jordan Z. Marks

ASSESSOR | RECORDER | COUNTY CLERK

County of San Diego

Mapping

The California State Board of Equalization has established fundamental requirements for a map system which permits efficient operation of a county Assessor’s office and preparation of a complete and equalized assessment roll. The basic requirement in describing property on the assessment roll is that it clearly designates the properties assessed. 

The Assessor’s Office must appraise all property in the county for tax purposes. The first step in the assessment process is to locate and identify all parcels of property. This is done through the use of Assessor’s parcel maps. 

There are two basic methods of describing land for assessment purposes: metes and bounds and by reference to maps. Maps generally show the location of parcels with respect to streets, highways, official survey points, and district boundaries.  

PLEASE NOTE:

Our office does not determine the permitted use of property.

Our office does not determine the legal ownership of property.

For questions regarding permitted use, property owners should contact the city where the property is located or the Planning and Development Services Department for unincorporated communities. To determine current legal ownership of property, individuals should contact a real estate attorney or title company. Official Public Records can also be searched.

The data and maps provided by the San Diego County Assessor’s Office are maintained for internal use only for property identification and the determination of property value for property taxation purposes. While the office strives to maintain the accuracy of the content of its data files, it makes no claims, promises, or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of the files.

The County of San Diego assumes no responsibility arising from the use of this information. No warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of this merchantability and fitness for any particular purpose is made. It is the responsibility of the data recipient to determine that the level of accuracy meets the need of their application prior to making any judgments or decisions based on this information.

Obtaining copies of maps:

Assessor Parcel Maps can be bought online, in person, or by mail.

Note: Certified copies may only be obtained of complete documents and not for individual pages. 

Copies

Fee
Document Copy (Sizes up to and including 11” x 17”) 

 $2 first page

 + $0.05 ea add’l page 

Map Copy (Sizes exceeding 11” x 17”)

 $13 first page

+ $0.50 ea add’l page

Certification

$1 per document

Obtaining copies by Mail:

To request copies of Assessor Parcel Maps by mail, please include the following:

  • Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN) or Map Number
  • Check or money order payable to: San Diego Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk

Mail the request to the following address:

San Diego Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk
Attn: Mapping Division
P.O. Box 121750 
San Diego, CA 92112-1750

In person:

The Parcel Combination Request and Parcel Segregation Request form can be obtained in person at any one of our available office locations.

By mail:

Send completed form or request to:

Assessor's Office
Mapping Services
1600 Pacific Highway, Suite 103
San Diego, CA 92101

By email:

Email completed form or request to: arccmappingcustomerservice.fgg@sdcounty.ca.gov

By fax:

Fax completed form or request to (619) 531-5303.

An Assessor's parcel is an area of land delineated on a map by the County for the sole purpose of collecting taxes on property. Each assessor’s parcel is assigned a number (the Assessor’s parcel number or APN) that corresponds to a location on a page in a book of maps maintained by the Assessor’s office.

There are more than 33, 517 Assessor’s maps, showing almost 1,011,214 parcels of land. These maps cover the county, including all the cities as well as the unincorporated areas. ​

The parcel maps show the Assessor’s parcel numbers, recorded dimensions, acreage, street widths, parcel and lot boundaries, adjoining parcels and recorded map information.​

This office receives information from government maps, recorded maps, subdivision maps, record of surveys and road surveys.​

No. However, the map will show an Assessor’s parcel number which can be used to obtain ownership and address information.

Yes. In most instances, the dimensions are noted in feet and any acreage of one-half acre or more is shown on the maps. ​

You may obtain an Assessor's parcel map by one of the following options:

Purchase a copy at the County Administration Center, 1600 Pacific Highway, Room 103, in downtown San Diego or go to the Online Parcel Map Search ​​

Please read the guide that explains how lots were created, what a legal lot is, and what steps you may be able to take to resolve any legal discrepancies regarding your lot.

County Planning & Development Services Policy G-3 Determination of Legal Parcel provides additional guidelines that can be used to determine if a lot is legal.