Land Ownership: Parcels
Property records may also be referred to as parcel, cadastral, real estate or real property records. On this page, the term "parcels" is used, but the data and maps that are linked to can include the parcel polygon, associated tax assessment data and other information that pertains to the properties.
County data sources
Parcel boundary data, map viewers and ownership records are maintained at the county level, usually by the recorder's, assessor's or land surveyor's offices. Many Minnesota counties keep records in digital (computer-readable) format while others keep them as paper records.
Parcel boundaries shown on the maps and the GIS data sets are approximate. They are not substitutes for certified property surveys, legal property descriptions or detailed plat maps.
MnGeo does not maintain these county websites and does not provide property surveying services.
- County websites: For help using a county's online information (parcel map, downloadable data) or finding current or historic property records, contact the county directly by checking their webpages for contact info.
- Land surveying services and legal descriptions: See the Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors' website (choose "About Surveying" under the "Resources" menu).
Other Sources
If you know of other data sources that could be added to this section, please email us!
- County GIS contact information: Contacts and county mapping websites.
- Plat books: These books typically cover a county and show parcel boundaries, owner names and acreage along with other reference information such as roads and township section numbers. They are not intended for legal use in sales, trades or transfers of land. Plat books can be viewed at many libraries; they can also be ordered from the publisher, from map and book stores and from some county offices. Copyright restrictions may prohibit photocopying of recent books.
- Libraries:
- Borchert Map Library at the University of Minnesota
- Minnesota Historical Society, including several historic atlases that can be viewed online.
- Local libraries
- Private companies publish plat books for a number of Minnesota counties. Check their websites for current lists of available counties and for related cartographic, publishing or software services that the companies may provide.
- Counties
- Carlton County publishes its own plat book
- Cass County provides several options to access its online plat book, print individual pages, and purchase printed copies
- Cook County publishes its own plat book
- Lake County provides its 2014 plat book / land atlas online
- Lake of the Woods County provides its 2019 plat book / land atlas online
- Otter Tail County publishes a digital plat book
- Stearns County publishes its own plat book
- St. Louis County publishes its own plat book
- Todd County publishes its own plat book
- Libraries:
- Hunting land locations: Since hunters often ask about land ownership information, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has compiled a list of suggestions for finding public and private land ownership, including maps showing the boundaries of wildlife management areas, state and federal forests and national wildlife refuges.
Land records modernization efforts
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Parcels and Land Records Committee: This Minnesota Geospatial Advisory Council committee researches statewide issues surrounding the automation and mapping of land record transactions.
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Cadastral Data Content Standard: A standard endorsed by the Federal Geographic Data Committee.