The four blue buttons above the map window are navigational controls that allow the user to zoom in and out, pan in any direction and retrieve parcel data. The active map control is set by left-clicking on the desired button. Yellow text indicates which control is active.

Zoom In - This control can be used in one of two ways. A left mouse click will zoom in and re-center the map window on the cursor position. The user can also click and hold down the left mouse button and drag the mouse to create a box. The map window will then zoom in and re-center to the area defined by the zoom box.

Zoom Out - A left mouse click when this control is active will zoom out and re-center the map window on the cursor position. Note: This control is a mouse-click feature only - attempting to draw a box while this control is active will result in a server error message.

Pan - A left mouse click will re-center the map on the cursor position without zooming in or out.

Identify - Retrieve parcel database information by positioning the cursor over the desired map feature and clicking with the left mouse button. At this time, tax map parcels are the only selectable features.

The "Return to Full Extent" link below the map displays the full county map and resets the default layers.

This section consists of two lists and allows the user limited control over the visibility of the map data layers available in this GIS application. The map layers in the first list are point and line features that can be viewed simultaneously in any combination. The area features in the second list can be viewed one at a time with any combination of point features. After making selections, click the update button.

Certain labeling features such as road names and parcel numbers are designed to be visible only at closer zoom levels in an effort to reduce clutter. Additionally, as labels become visible, they may compete for space with other features. It may be necessary to pan in different directions or experiment with different zoom levels to properly label your area of interest.

The parcel database can be searched by parcel number or owner name, but you must select the appropriate search type from the drop down list. If no search type is selected, the system will attempt to perform a parcel number search.

The search form accepts the entire parcel number with the mapping components (inserts, double-circles, lot numbers, etc.) separated by spaces, hyphens or parentheses. It is also acceptable to enter the parcel number as an unbroken string with no separation between components.

The individual components that comprise a parcel number are explained in further detail in the next section.

An alternate search method is available which requires the components to be entered in separate fields. This is useful if you are missing information or have been given an incorrect parcel number. If you enter incomplete search data, you may be required to select from a list of similar parcel numbers.

You have the option of displaying the parcel database information without displaying an area map of the subject parcel. The processing time will usually be faster using this option.

From time to time, you may perform a search which results in a "Parcel Not Found" error message. Parcel maps are periodically compared to the parcel information database specifically to identify and correct discrepancies between the two data sets, but due to frequent changes in property ownership records, it is difficult to maintain a perfect one-to-one relationship. If you encounter this, or any other type of error, please contact the Commissioner of the Revenue, (804) 462-7920 for assistance.

Occasionally, you may also see references to "attached parcels". This term is used to describe parcels that are mapped separately, but combined for taxation purposes, with other parcels. If your search returns an attached parcel, the database record for the "parent" parcel will appear with a list of all attached parcels.

When performing owner name searches, you should enter the last name first and omit any punctuation marks (commas, periods, apostrophies, etc.). If you are having trouble getting the desired results, try searching by last name only.

While many other localities have migrated to GPINs and other geographical designations, the parcel number (AKA tax map or tax ID number), continues to provide the unique identification for land parcels in Lancaster County.

A parcel number may consist of as many as six components:

Map Number (Map) - The main map sheet

Insert (Ins) - A supplemental map sheet which shows a smaller section of the parent map sheet in greater detail. Typically used in towns and subdivisions. In most record-keeping formats, the map number and insert are combined.

Double Circle (Dc) - A numeric designation which represents a portion of a town or subdivision.

Block (Blk) - An alphabetical or numeric designation which represents a smaller section within a double-circle.

Lot - A designation given to an individual land parcel.

Sublot - A supplemental alphabetical designation assigned to a parcel when it is split off, or subdivided, from a larger parcel. For most practical purposes the lot number - sublot combination is considered the lot number.

The town of Kilmarnock is divided into four parts and further subdivided into double-circles and blocks. In the land records database, the "part" designation is combined with the double-circle.