The Arlington County tax map is a free interactive tool that lets you view parcel boundaries, assessment values, and land-use designations for any property in the county. You can reach it through the county’s GIS Mapping Center, which hosts the AC Maps application, or through the separate Arlington County Property Search portal.1Arlington County Virginia Government. GIS Mapping Center2Arlington County. Arlington Property Search Both draw from the same underlying county records, so the parcel you pull up online reflects what the assessor’s office has on file.
How to Look Up a Property
The fastest search uses the Real Property Code, or RPC, a unique identifier the county assigns to every parcel. Your RPC appears on the annual assessment notice mailed each January, on your real estate tax bill, and on any recorded deed for the property.3Arlington County Property Search. Arlington County Property Search – Real Property Code Help
If you do not have the RPC, the street address works too. A few formatting habits will save you frustration. Use standard abbreviations for street types, so “St,” “Rd,” and “Blvd” rather than the spelled-out versions. Include directional prefixes like “N” or “S” when they are part of the mailing address. Matching the exact format on your tax bill is the safest way to avoid a zero-result search on a property that plainly exists.
What the Map Shows Once You Find the Parcel
Click a highlighted parcel and a detail window opens with links to assessment records, zoning documents, and other county data tied to that lot. The map itself displays lot dimensions, property boundaries, easement locations, and setback lines. Those last two matter if you are thinking about an addition, a fence, or any improvement that could run into a restriction you didn’t know was there.
Every parcel also carries a land-use designation from the county’s General Land Use Plan, which classifies property as residential, commercial, mixed-use, or another category and guides future development decisions.4Arlington County Virginia. General Land Use Plan The Land Use Map, a component of the GLUP, shows those designations at the parcel level.5Arlington County Virginia Government. Land Use Plans and Studies Neighborhood codes group parcels into geographic areas the assessor uses for valuation.
Inside AC Maps you can toggle between a standard basemap and aerial imagery. Aerial view is useful for spotting structures, driveways, or tree cover a line drawing doesn’t reveal. Built-in measuring tools estimate distances between points, and you can pan across the map to compare neighboring lots or zoom in on individual lot lines. The GIS Mapping Center also hosts static PDF maps and a searchable gallery of thematic maps covering parks, public facilities, and zoning overlays.1Arlington County Virginia Government. GIS Mapping Center
If you need a printed map for a permit application, site planning, or a legal proceeding, the interactive app will generate a basic printout from your browser. For anything more formal, contact the GIS Mapping Center through the county website to confirm the current process and any fees.
Downloading Raw Parcel Data
Title researchers, surveyors, and developers who need parcel data in a workable format can pull it from Arlington County’s GIS Open Data portal. The downloads are live links to the county’s production database, so the data stays current instead of reflecting a single snapshot date. Files are maintained in Virginia State Plane North (NAD 83, US Feet).6Arlington County, Virginia. GIS Open Data – Arlington County, VA Official GIS Data for Download
What the Tax Map Doesn’t Show
The tax map is the county’s view of a property: boundaries, assessed value, land use, zoning links. It is not a substitute for the recorded title. Deeds, liens, and other documents that affect ownership sit with the Circuit Court’s Land Records office, not with the assessor.7Arlington County Virginia Government. Land Records Services If you are buying, refinancing, or working through a boundary dispute, you will need both the GIS data and the recorded documents. The tax map tells you what the county thinks the boundaries and value are; the deed and survey tell you what was legally conveyed.
If the Assessment on the Map Looks Wrong
Pulling up a parcel sometimes surfaces an assessed value that seems higher than what the property would actually sell for. Arlington gives you two levels of appeal, each on a firm deadline.
The first is an administrative appeal filed with the Department of Real Estate Assessments. For 2026, the deadline is March 2, and applications must be postmarked by that date.8Arlington County Virginia Government. Assessment Appeals The instructions and deadlines are printed on the assessment notice mailed each January, so open that envelope promptly even if you assume the number is right.
The second is a filing with the Board of Equalization, due April 15, 2026. All supporting evidence, including recent comparable sales, an independent appraisal, or documentation of property defects, must reach the Board by that same April 15 deadline.8Arlington County Virginia Government. Assessment Appeals If you have not received a decision on your administrative appeal by early April, file with the Board anyway to preserve your right to a second-level review. Miss that window and the appeal path closes for the year.