Start with the parcel map before making an offer
Compare the tax-parcel outline with any driveway, detached structure, fence, or other visible feature. Because GIS geometry and aerial imagery have limitations, apparent alignment or overlap is a prompt for further review, not a boundary determination.
The deed and title materials contain transaction-specific property information. A recorded plat and licensed boundary survey provide additional evidence alongside the Washtenaw County parcel layer.
What a land parcel map shows
A parcel is an administrative unit used in property and assessment records. The county geographic information system draws an approximate outline and associates it with identifying and assessment fields. A surveyor locates field corners; local zoning records establish setbacks; recorded and title documents address acreage and ownership.
Use the parcel ID to match the map with assessor and tax records. Other layers may show adjacent parcels, roads, or mapped features; check the source and disclaimer for each. The plat-map guide explains how recorded subdivisions are documented.
Use the aerial view for orientation only. Aerial imagery and parcel geometry may have different capture dates or alignment, so an apparent encroachment must be verified from the underlying records and, when material, a survey.
Washtenaw County parcel records
Washtenaw County provides MapWashtenaw for parcel research and publishes limitations on its data. Cities and townships administer their own zoning and building requirements, including setbacks and project review.
If the parcel shape, acreage, access, jurisdiction, or land-use information differs from the listing or title material, retain the discrepancy as an open question. Ask the office or professional responsible for the underlying record which source is current.
Find the parcel map for an address
Start with MapWashtenaw and use the search methods it currently provides. Confirm that the selected parcel matches the street location and available deed or title material, then record the parcel ID, taxing jurisdiction, displayed acreage, and source date or disclaimer.
If an address search fails to locate the parcel, obtain the parcel ID from the assessor, tax record, deed, or title material. Avoid selecting a nearby outline by appearance.
- Open the Washtenaw County Parcel Map Viewer.
- Search by address, parcel ID, or street name.
- Toggle the aerial imagery layer for orientation, while accounting for possible alignment and date differences.
- Open the linked record fields that are available and note their source and date.
- Cross-check the parcel ID against the deed or title work before closing.
Add city and township records
For parcels inside Ann Arbor, Dexter, or another municipality, use the responsible jurisdiction's current zoning resources. If an easement or shared driveway matters, locate the recorded document through the title file or Register of Deeds and ask the appropriate professional to explain it; a GIS layer may be incomplete.
Floodplain maps, wetland information, soil records, and recorded drainage easements are separate lookups. Check each relevant source before drawing conclusions about site conditions or buildability from the parcel map.
When a decision depends on field corner locations or the position of improvements, ask a Michigan-licensed surveyor what survey is appropriate. A legal dispute or title question may require separate professional advice.
Before relying on the parcel outline
Confirm acreage and easements through the recorded documents, boundaries through a survey when needed, and a proposed use with the local municipality.