California APN Lookup: Find Your Parcel Number Free (2026)

Updated October 2026. Tax rules checked against the California Board of Equalization this month.

As of October 2026, the fastest way to find a California APN (Assessor’s Parcel Number) is to look at the top of your county property tax bill. You can also look it up for free by street address on your county assessor’s website. There is no single state database. Once you have it, the APN shows your Prop 13 base value, which can rise by no more than 2% a year.

Jump to: 🪜 Find your APN · 🏠 Read the number · 💲 Prop 13 · ⏱️ Due dates · 📍 County links · ❓ FAQ

How do I find the APN for a property in California?

You have four free ways to find it. Start with whatever paper you already have.

1. Your property tax bill. Counties mail secured tax bills by November 1. The APN sits near the top, often labeled “Assessor’s Parcel Number” or simply APN.
2. Your county assessor’s website. Type the street address into the parcel search. You’ll get the APN, the assessed value and any exemptions on file.
3. Your deed or title report. The grant deed, the preliminary title report and your closing papers all list the parcel number.
4. The assessor’s parcel map. Find the lot on the county map, click it, and the APN pops up.

Looking up a home you don’t own yet? The address search works the same way. Assessor records are public in California, so you can check any parcel before you make an offer.

Los Angeles County has one of the largest portals. You can search it at portal.assessor.lacounty.gov by address or by its own parcel ID. Other big counties are listed further down.

How do you read a California APN?

An APN points to a spot in the assessor’s map books. San Diego County puts it plainly: each parcel number “corresponds to a location on a page in a book of maps” kept by the assessor’s office. That’s why most APNs come in three chunks.

The number of digits and the dashes change from county to county. San Francisco, for example, works with a block and lot. Copy the number exactly as your county shows it. A missing dash can make a search come back empty.

The APN is not the same as your legal description. The deed’s lot, block and tract come from the recorded subdivision map. Title companies use both, so keep them together when you sell.

Why is my assessed value lower than market value? (Prop 13)

California voters passed Proposition 13 on June 6, 1978. It changed the tax from a market-value system to a purchase-price system. Here’s what it does, in the Board of Equalization’s own terms.

• The basic tax rate is limited to 1% of assessed value, plus the rate needed to pay voter-approved bonds.
• The assessed value, called the base year value, can rise by no more than 2% a year.
• The value resets to market only when the property changes owners or new construction is finished.

So two identical houses on the same street can carry very different bills. The owner who bought in 1998 pays on a value that has crept up slowly. The buyer who closed last month pays on today’s price. The BOE says longtime owners “tend to have markedly lower tax liability than recent purchasers.”

Here’s a simple example. You buy a home for $800,000. The 1% base tax is $8,000 a year. Local bonds and special assessments come on top, so your real bill will be higher. Check the bill for the parcel before you buy.

What is a supplemental tax bill?

This one catches new buyers off guard. When you buy, the county reassesses the home right away instead of waiting for the next January 1. It then sends a prorated supplemental bill for the rest of the fiscal year.

If you close between January 1 and May 31, you’ll get two supplemental bills. One covers the rest of the current year, and one covers the whole next year. A higher value means a bill. A lower value means a refund. Plan for them in your first-year budget.

Which exemptions can cut my bill?

The Homeowners’ Exemption takes a one-time filing with your county assessor. At the 1% base rate, $7,000 off your value saves about $70 a year. It’s small, but it’s free money, and the claim deadline is February 15.

Prop 19 took effect in 2021. Under it, an owner who is 55 or older can move their taxable value to a replacement home anywhere in California, up to three times. The new home must be bought within two years of the sale. It also narrowed the parent-to-child break to family homes used as the child’s main home, with a value cap.

How do I appeal my assessed value?

File an Assessment Appeal Application with your county’s appeals board. The regular window opens July 2 and closes September 15 or November 30, depending on your county. For a supplemental assessment, you have 60 days from the date the notice was mailed.

Bring proof. Recent sales of similar homes near January 1 are the strongest evidence. Photos of damage or needed repairs help too.

When are California property taxes due?

The fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. Secured tax bills go out by November 1, and you pay in two equal parts.

Miss a deadline and the county adds a 10% penalty. Pay online through your county tax collector, by mail with a postmark on time, or in person. Your APN is the account number you’ll type in.

Why your APN matters when you sell

When you sell, the APN ties every paper to the right lot. Title orders, escrow instructions, disclosure forms and the MLS listing all use it. If you list your home yourself, put the APN in your listing file on day one. It saves a round of back-and-forth with escrow.

Beycome lists California homes on the MLS for a flat fee. Basic is $99 upfront with $0 due to Beycome at closing, and you keep control of price, showings and offers. Our guide to listing a California home on the MLS by owner walks through the steps. When you’re ready, you can start a flat fee MLS listing online.

Taxes also shape your closing statement. Prorated property tax is one of the lines you’ll see. Here’s who pays which closing costs when you sell. If a buyer finds you directly, our page on writing a California FSBO purchase contract covers the forms. To see how other flat fee services price California listings, read our California flat fee MLS comparison.

California county parcel search links

Each county runs its own free search. Here are the largest ones. For any other county, use the map above.

• Los Angeles County: LA County assessor parcel portal.
• San Diego County: sdarcc.gov, assessor property records.
• Orange County: ocassessor.gov/search.
• Riverside County: Riverside County assessor search.
• San Bernardino County: arcpropertyinfo.sbcounty.gov.
• Santa Clara County: sccassessor.org property search.
• Alameda County: acassessor.org parcel viewer.
• Sacramento County: Sacramento County assessor portal.
• Contra Costa County: contracosta.ca.gov property information.
• San Francisco: SF Planning parcel information map.

Looking up a parcel in another state? Our guides cover the Michigan parcel ID and the folio number used in Florida.

California APN FAQ

Reviewed by Beycome Brokerage Realty Inc., a licensed California real estate brokerage. Licenses are listed at beycome.com/faq/how-to/are-you-a-licensed-broker/.