Frequently Asked Questions

General Information

  • How does ParcelQuest compare to other services?

    Actual California county assessor data
    Our California parcel data is verified county assessor data, not derived from recorded documents that have been keyed overseas. Creating databases by farming out unverified recorded documents to data entry plants in foreign countries is common among title insurance-based data services. However, our ability to build direct relationships with all of the county assessors and their staff throughout California ensures the data we provide is created by local experts intimately familiar with California properties.

    Less expensive than most services
    With a subscription to either of our two monthly services, Navigator or Aviator, there are no hidden fees or additional costs, making our subscription-based service extremely affordable.

    Accurate, error free, & standardized
    Because our data sets always match the county assessors’ records, our data is their data. In fact, the data from the county assessors are uploaded directly into our system—eliminating the chance for human error. We then standardize all of the data across the entire state into an easy-to-use format so that our customers don’t have to deal with 58 different data formats or variations.

    Verified by the assessor’s office
    Our ownership data is updated and in sync with county tax records. We do not display new owner names until they are officially verified by the assessor’s office. This eliminates errors in legal notifications and mailings that are common when using data keyed from unverified recorded documents.

    Updated with unparalleled frequency
    While other sources get assessor updates once a year, our data sets are updated daily from more than 35 counties, and weekly or monthly from most of the others. No other company’s data is updated from the assessor’s office as frequently as ours.

  • Can I find owner names and addresses?

    With a ParcelQuest Online subscription, you’ll be able to see primary owner names and addresses for all 13 million properties in California. Our software will enable you to identify the owner of each parcel – both individuals and legal entities – as well as provide you with all relevant information regarding each property, including property use type, land value and property characteristics.

  • Can I use ParcelQuest to get sales comps?

    Yes. You can instantly pull accurate comparable sales using ParcelQuest’s extensive sales history and property characteristics database.

  • Can I define and save custom areas of interest to me?

    Absolutely. You may draw and save any custom shape, line or point, choose your buffer distance, and ParcelQuest Online will find all the properties around or within your custom selection.

  • What additional support will I receive when I sign up?

    Call us at 916-817-2211. We’re here Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm P.D.T. User guides and tutorial videos are also available upon request.

Data Information

  • Where do you get your data from?

    ParcelQuest data is verified county assessor data and not derived from recorded documents keyed overseas. We’re the sole provider of daily updated California  county assessor data and the only company that builds relationships with county departments in order to provide the most current data and parcel maps available.

  • Does your data set contain phone numbers of the property owners?

    Because county assessors don’t collect and maintain phone numbers associated with specific properties or property owners, ParcelQuest Online does not include phone numbers in our data set.

  • Does your data set contain tenant names of rental properties?

    The county assessor’s office collects and maintains property ownership information as part of their data set. In the case of rental property (which may include a single unit dwelling, duplex, or apartment complex), the information available is limited to the actual owner of the property and does not include information related to rental tenants.

  • How often is your data updated?

    ParcelQuest data is directly updated daily from over 46 California county assessors’ offices, and weekly or monthly from most of the others. Click here to view our map that shows the data update frequencies from specific counties and when it was last posted on the ParcelQuest site.

  • Does ParcelQuest offer more than just assessor data?

    Yes. ParcelQuest can answer your most pressing questions, because we offer critical property information from a wide variety of trusted government sources. For example, we get fire hazard data from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF/CalFire), topography data from the US Geological Survey (USGS), soil data from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and much more.

  • Doesn't everyone have assessor data?

    No. Compared to ParcelQuest, other products contain very little assessor data. But everyone knows the assessor is the best source of reliable property data, that’s why every company claims to have it. ParcelQuest is the only company getting daily updates of ownership, sales data, and property characteristics directly from assessors. Every other product on the market gets its data from a title insurance-based source. Title companies buy tons of recorded document images for their title businesses. Since they’ve already spent so much money on the documents, they don’t want to spend even more buying high quality assessor data. So, they key data from the documents in their overseas data entry facilities instead. Needless to say, this doesn’t give you the most reliable data. Typically, the only assessor data these companies buy is an annual file containing new parcel numbers and maybe a characteristics file every 3-5 years. That’s why the assessors don’t use products from these companies. Assessors use ParcelQuest.

Maps and Location Information

  • How current are your parcel maps?

    The majority of our parcel maps are updated on a monthly basis, while others are updated at least annually. Click here to view our APN Map Frequency Update Schedule by county.

  • Will I have access to more than my county?

    A subscription to either of ParcelQuest’s service options will provide you with unlimited searches to all county assessor data for all 13 million properties in all 58 California counties.

  • Do you have other states' data?

    We take pride in the fact that we truly know California. Our California-only focus allows us to cover every parcel in every county in the state. (What can we say, we’re a little biased.)

Subscriptions and Fees

  • How much does the service cost?

    ParcelQuest Online subscriptions are available in two service levels: Aviator and Navigator. Detailed information regarding ParcelQuest’s Online service subscriptions can be found here. If you’re unsure about which subscription service best fits your needs, call us at 916-817-2211 and we’ll be happy to answer all of your questions.

  • Are discounts available for buying multiple accounts?

    Yep. For special group rate information, please contact us toll-free at 916-817-2211.

  • Can I subscribe on a month-to-month basis?

    Yes you can. The charges will be billed to your credit card on a monthly basis. Annual customers will be billed by invoice (which is also required to qualify for multiple account discounts).

  • Are there any other fees?

    Nope. While there are additional features that may cost extra – such as recorded documents – subscriptions to Navigator or Aviator allow access to all of the features contained within each of the service programs. There are no hidden fees. For a detailed list of the features that are specific to each subscription service, click here.

Technical Information

  • Can I do a mailing list from your service?

    You betcha. ParcelQuest offers a variety of tools to help you create mailing labels or export names and addresses for a mail merge, using either property address or the mailing address. ParcelQuest can be used for legal notifications, variances, use permits, and other notification purposes.

  • What's the difference between Navigator and Aviator?

    ParcelQuest Navigator allows access to unlimited text-based searches, extensive property information, APN, aerial and street maps, extensive visual layers, and 1,000 monthly report exports.

    ParcelQuest Aviator includes all of that, plus unlimited property tax bill and finance data, transaction histories and 10,000 total monthly report exports.

  • How many users can be on at once?

    Only one user is allowed per account. For additional user access or for special group rate information, please call us toll-free at 916-817-2211.