Title: What Is a Parcel Number? PIN, Parcel ID, and REID in NC | FOUND Description: What a parcel number is, why PIN, parcel ID, and REID formats differ by North Carolina county, and how to find the number that ties tax, map, and deed records. Canonical: https://lotsfound.com/insights/what-is-a-parcel-number/ # What is a parcel number, and how do you find one A parcel number is the identifier a county assigns to one parcel of land for its tax and mapping records. Find it on the tax bill, in the county tax search, or by clicking the parcel on the county GIS map. Its name and format change from county to county. [Check a parcel](/parcel-check/) In this article 1. [What a parcel number is](#what-a-parcel-number-is) 2. [PIN, parcel ID, REID, and account numbers](#pin-parcel-id-reid-and-account-numbers) 3. [Why the format differs by county](#why-the-format-differs-by-county) 4. [How the parcel number ties the records together](#how-the-parcel-number-ties-the-records-together) 5. [How to find a parcel number](#how-to-find-a-parcel-number) 6. [When a parcel number points to the wrong land](#when-a-parcel-number-points-to-the-wrong-land) 7. [What a parcel number does not tell you](#what-a-parcel-number-does-not-tell-you) 8. [Key recap](#key-recap) 9. [Questions](#questions) 10. [References](#references) > **Quick summary:** This guide explains what a parcel number is, why its name and format differ across North Carolina counties, and how to find the one for your land. It is for buyers, owners, and builders who need to look up a parcel in county records. The key takeaway: the parcel number links the tax card, the GIS map, and often the deed index, but only within one county and only in that county's format. ## What a parcel number is A parcel number is the identifier a county gives one parcel of land so its tax, mapping, and recording systems can find it. Counties call it different things: a PIN, a parcel ID, a REID, a tax map number, or a parcel identifier. The number identifies the parcel in the county's records. It does not describe the land. The deed's legal description does that, and a licensed land surveyor locates it on the ground. See [Metes and bounds: how to read a land description](/insights/metes-and-bounds/). A parcel number is unique only inside its county. The [state parcel schema](https://nconemap.maps.arcgis.com/sharing/rest/content/items/5cdbfd254c7140108919a68f0113caba/data) adds the state and county FIPS codes to the front of the local number to make a national parcel number. ## PIN, parcel ID, REID, and account numbers The common names point to different kinds of numbers. A county can use more than one at once. | Name | What it usually is | Example of the source | |---|---|---| | PIN (parcel identifier number) | A number tied to the parcel's location, often built from map coordinates | [Wake County property mapping](https://www.wake.gov/departments-government/geographic-information-services-gis/property-mapping) | | Parcel ID or tax map number | The county's main parcel key, sometimes built from map sheet, block, and lot | The county tax office or GIS office | | REID (real estate ID) | A tax record number kept separate from the PIN | [Wake County record layout](https://s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wakegov.com.if-us-west-1/s3fs-public/documents/2020-10/Record%20Layout.pdf) | | Account or bill number | A number for the tax bill or the owner's account | The county tax collector | **PIN.** Wake County builds its PIN from the easting and northing grid coordinates of the parcel's center. When the parcel's boundaries change, the PIN changes. **REID.** Wake County's real estate data file carries a 7-character Real Estate ID in one field and a 19-character parcel identification in another. The same record also holds the deed book, the deed page, and the deeded acreage. **Account numbers.** A tax bill can carry a bill or account number of its own. That number follows the bill, so do not use it to identify the land. ## Why the format differs by county The format differs because each county built its own land records system. State law sets limits but no single format. A county that indexes deeds by parcel number must use a system the Secretary of State approves under [G.S. 161-22.2](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_161/GS_161-22.2.html). That system meets these conditions, among others. - **Location.** Each number reflects the state plane coordinates of a point in the parcel, or is keyed to a map of the parcel. - **Uniqueness.** No two parcels in the county share a number. - **History.** A new parcel's number shows the number of the parcel it came from, and a combined parcel shows the numbers it joined. Within those rules, digit counts, dashes, spaces, and leading zeros vary. Some county searches accept only one format. > **The short version:** A parcel number works only in its own county and its own format. Before you trust a search result, confirm that the owner, the acreage, and the map shape match the land you mean. ## How the parcel number ties the records together The parcel number is the key that joins three county records: the tax card, the GIS map, and the register of deeds index. 1. **The tax card.** The tax record lists the owner, the mailing address, the deed book and page, the acreage, and the assessed value under the parcel number. 2. **The GIS map.** The county map draws the parcel shape and labels it with the same number. 3. **The deed index.** In a county with a parcel number index, the register indexes every instrument that affects a parcel under its number. [Each index entry](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_161/GS_161-22.2.html) holds the number, any block and lot, the instrument type, the parties, and the book and page. The state data set keeps the links too. Its [schema](https://nconemap.maps.arcgis.com/sharing/rest/content/items/5cdbfd254c7140108919a68f0113caba/data) carries the local parcel number, an alternate parcel number, a map reference such as plat book and page, and a source document reference such as a deed. To follow the deed to the owner of record, see [How to find the owner of a property](/insights/find-owner-of-property/). ## How to find a parcel number You find a parcel number from any record that already names the land. Start with the cheapest one. 1. **The tax bill.** The county tax bill usually shows the parcel number. 2. **The county tax search.** Search by address or owner name in the county's real estate search. 3. **The county GIS map.** Click the parcel. The pop-up shows the number and usually links the tax card. 4. **The state parcel layer.** [NC OneMap's parcel program](https://www.nconemap.gov/pages/parcels) combines data from all 100 counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians into one data set with standard fields. 5. **The deed.** Find the deed by owner name at the register of deeds. A newer deed may print the parcel number near the top. Use the state layer as a backup. NC OneMap asks each county to upload and transform its parcel data at least quarterly. The update frequency depends on the county, and the state does not edge-match lines between counties. See [Every search starts at the county tax office](/insights/county-records-first/). ## When a parcel number points to the wrong land A parcel number points to the wrong land when its format, its county, or its date is wrong. We have seen each of these. - **A wrong format.** A search entered a parcel number in a format the county system did not expect. The system matched a different parcel, and every finding after that described the wrong land. - **Two numbers, one county.** A parcel carried both a parcel number and a separate map number, and the county search accepted only one. - **An old number.** A split or a combination retired the number. In a county like Wake, the PIN changes when the boundaries change. - **A stale layer.** The state layer had not yet received the county's latest change. > **Watch for:** A search result whose owner, acreage, or address does not match the land you mean. Stop there. A wrong parcel at the first step makes every later answer wrong. > **Take action:** Send an address, an owner name, or a parcel number with its county, and get the parcel confirmed against county records first. Start with [Is your parcel FOUND?](/parcel-check/) ## What a parcel number does not tell you A parcel number does not establish the boundary, the title, or the right to sell. The county map is drawn for taxation. A licensed land surveyor locates the boundary, and a real estate attorney confirms title and who can sign. See [Title search for land: what it finds and who does it](/insights/title-search-for-land/) and [Start with the right parcel](/what-we-check/parcels-and-boundaries/). ## Key recap - A parcel number is the identifier a county gives one parcel for its tax, mapping, and recording systems. - PIN, parcel ID, REID, and account numbers are different kinds of numbers. A county can use several at once. - Formats differ because each county built its own system. A number is unique only inside its county. - The number joins the tax card, the GIS map, and, in a parcel number index county, the deed index. - Confirm the owner, the acreage, and the map shape before you trust a result. A wrong parcel makes every later answer wrong. ## Questions ### What is a parcel number? It is the identifier a county assigns to one parcel of land for its tax and mapping records. Depending on the county, it is called a PIN, a parcel ID, a REID, or a tax map number. ### Is a PIN the same as a parcel ID? Sometimes. In some counties the PIN is the main parcel ID. In others, the county keeps a PIN and a separate record number, as Wake County does with its PIN and its REID. Check which one the county search asks for. ### How do I find the parcel number for my property? Look at your property tax bill, search the county's real estate records by address, or click the parcel on the county GIS map. Each shows the number in the county's own format. ### Does a parcel number ever change? Yes. A split, a combination, or a remapping can retire a number and create new ones. Wake County's PIN, for example, changes when the parcel's boundaries change. ## References Primary sources cited on this page, in APA style. - N.C. Gen. Stat. ยง 161-22.2 (2025). [https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_161/GS_161-22.2.html](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_161/GS_161-22.2.html) - NC OneMap. (n.d.). *Parcels*. Retrieved October 3, 2026, from [https://www.nconemap.gov/pages/parcels](https://www.nconemap.gov/pages/parcels) - North Carolina Integrated Cadastral Data Exchange. (2019, April). *Core parcel data element definitions: Master schema (Appendix A)*. NC Parcel Data Transformer. [https://nconemap.maps.arcgis.com/sharing/rest/content/items/5cdbfd254c7140108919a68f0113caba/data](https://nconemap.maps.arcgis.com/sharing/rest/content/items/5cdbfd254c7140108919a68f0113caba/data) - Wake County. (2019, January 14). *Wake County real estate data: Record layout as of 1/14/2019*. [https://s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wakegov.com.if-us-west-1/s3fs-public/documents/2020-10/Record%20Layout.pdf](https://s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wakegov.com.if-us-west-1/s3fs-public/documents/2020-10/Record%20Layout.pdf) - Wake County. (n.d.). *Property mapping*. Geographic Information Services. Retrieved October 3, 2026, from [https://www.wake.gov/departments-government/geographic-information-services-gis/property-mapping](https://www.wake.gov/departments-government/geographic-information-services-gis/property-mapping) ## Buying land: records, survey, and title - [One parcel. Everything the record says, in order.](/services/parcel-brief/) - [Start with the right parcel](/what-we-check/parcels-and-boundaries/) - [Every search starts at the county tax office](/insights/county-records-first/) - [A land due diligence checklist for North Carolina](/insights/land-due-diligence-checklist/) - [ALTA survey vs boundary survey: what each one shows](/insights/alta-survey/) - [Plat map: what it is and how to read one](/insights/plat-map/) - [How to find property lines](/insights/how-to-find-property-lines/) - [Land survey cost: what drives the price](/insights/land-survey-cost/) - [How to find the owner of a property](/insights/find-owner-of-property/) - [Title search for land: what it finds and who does it](/insights/title-search-for-land/) - [Acreage that holds up after the survey](/services/land-and-acreage/) - [How to buy land](/insights/how-to-buy-land/) - [Land loans: how financing raw land works](/insights/land-loan/) - [Metes and bounds: how to read a land description](/insights/metes-and-bounds/) - [Topographic survey: what it shows and when you need one](/insights/topographic-survey/) - [Restrictive covenants: what they are and how to find them](/insights/restrictive-covenants/) - [Easement by necessity: access for landlocked land](/insights/easement-by-necessity/) - [Prescriptive easement: how long use becomes a right](/insights/prescriptive-easement/) Send the requirements. We reply with how we would run the search. [Check a parcel](/parcel-check/) ## Tell us what the project needs Load, acreage, counties, and timeline. We reply with how we would run the search and where we would start. [Start a site search](/contact/) [Try the calculators](/tools/) Transactions are handled through a licensed North Carolina real estate brokerage.