Free parcel data in Alabama
Alabama has no single free statewide parcel layer we could verify, but many counties publish their own. Basesheet currently uses 3 Alabama county services: Jefferson, Mobile, Shelby.
County layers
Jefferson County
| Layer | Jefferson County Parcels |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Jefferson County Commission, ITS GIS Division (jccgis.jccal.org) |
| Coverage | All of Jefferson County (Birmingham and Bessemer divisions) |
| Data vintage | Static layer regenerated nightly from county assessor data |
| Terms | Public, no token; Jefferson County disclaimer (use at own risk, AS IS, hold harmless) |
| Fields | parcel number (PID, PARCELID, APP_PID); site address (ADDR_APR); owner (OWNERNAME); plat reference; legal description; subdivision |
| Not published | deed references |
| REST endpoint | https://jccgis.jccal.org/server/rest/services/Basemap/Parcels/MapServer/0 |
| Last verified | 2026-10-20 with a live point and parcel-number query |
MapServer layer (no FeatureServer). PID is a 16-digit string with no separators, e.g. '2200362022001000'; ParcelNo holds the formatted form '22 00 36 2 022 001.000' (strip spaces and dots to get PID). APP_PID differs from PID on condo/joint sub-accounts. Many text fields are space-padded (OWNERNAME, ADDR_APR, Plat_Book), so trim. Property_City is the situs city; CITY is a tax-district label like 'BIRMINGHAM-30'. Stacked duplicate polygons exist for joint accounts. No deed book/page fields.
Mobile County
| Layer | Mobile County Revenue Tax Parcels |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Mobile County Commission GIS (gis.mobilecountyal.gov) |
| Coverage | All of Mobile County |
| Data vintage | Revenue Commission parcels, current tax year (RecordYear 2027 at verification) |
| Terms | Public, no token; no license or use constraints stated on the service |
| Fields | parcel number (Parcel_Number, PID, Account_Number, KeyNum); site address (PropAddr1); owner (Name1); subdivision |
| Not published | deed references, plat references |
| REST endpoint | https://gis.mobilecountyal.gov/server/rest/services/CountyServices/Municipal_Addressing/MapServer/3 |
| Last verified | 2026-10-20 with a live point and parcel-number query |
Layer 3 of the county's Municipal_Addressing MapServer (the 'Revenue Tax Parcels' layer in the Development service does not allow spatial queries). Parcel_Number is the 13-digit parcel plus a 3-digit suffix after a dot, e.g. '2906400011117.000'; PID is the same without the dot ('2906400011117XXX' style, X suffixes on some); ParcelNo is the formatted, space-padded '29 06 40 0 011 117.XXX'. Account_Number is an 8-digit zero-padded revenue account ('00762464'), KeyNum the unpadded form. Text fields are heavily space-padded, so trim. Book1/Page1 are lot/map references, often blank, not deed book/page. Mobile is in State Plane AL West (EPSG 26930); requesting AL East returns negative eastings.
Shelby County
| Layer | Shelby County Parcel Boundary (Cadastral_Current) |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Shelby County, Alabama GIS / Property Tax (maps.shelbyal.com) |
| Coverage | All of Shelby County (about 108,500 parcels) |
| Data vintage | Current cadastral layer for the county GIS website, updated yearly after October 1 per AL DOR rules |
| Terms | Public, no token; no license or use constraints stated on the service |
| Fields | parcel number (Assess_Num); subdivision |
| Not published | owner names, deed references, plat references |
| REST endpoint | https://maps.shelbyal.com/gisserver/rest/services/LegacyServices/Cadastral_Current/MapServer/91 |
| Last verified | 2026-10-20 with a live point and parcel-number query |
MapServer layer 91 'Parcel Boundary'. Assess_Num is the formatted assessor parcel number with spaces and a dot, e.g. '21 7 26 1 001 043.000'; it is stored only in that form, so a run-together '217261001043000' will not match (try reinserting spaces as 2-1-2-1-3-3.3 digits). Geometry only: no owner or situs address on this layer (Elem_Addr is empty). The joined C_PARCEL layer in CaptureServices/PropertyTaxOfficeBase has owner/situs but its tax roll join is stale (RecordYear 2023), so it was not used. No deed fields; MapBook1/MapPage1 are filled on only ~2% of parcels.
How to use it
- QGIS: Layer > Data Source Manager > ArcGIS REST Server, add a connection with the service URL (the endpoint above without the
final
/0), then add the layer. Filter to your area before exporting. - ArcGIS Pro: Add Data > Data From Path, paste the endpoint.
- Direct query: append
/query?geometry=LON,LAT&geometryType=esriGeometryPoint&inSR=4326&spatialRel=esriSpatialRelIntersects&outFields=*&f=geojsonto get the parcel at a point. - CAD: see getting a parcel into AutoCAD or Civil 3D.
Assessor parcel lines are for taxation and are often 5 to 50 ft off the legal boundary. Why.
Basesheet uses this to draw the parcel line on a base plan for any Alabama address, with LiDAR contours, soils, flood zones and wetlands.
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