Guide · sources read Nov 9, 2026
How to read a North Carolina parcel number
When a register of deeds indexes deeds by parcel number, North Carolina law requires that the number reflect the State plane coordinates of a point in the parcel or be keyed to a map showing where it lies, and that no two parcels in the county share a number. Counties lay their numbers out differently (three below).12
Also called the PIN (parcel identifier number).
County by county
Wake County
Wake County's PIN is built from the easting and northing grid coordinates of the center of the parcel, and it changes when the parcel's boundaries change.3 On Groundwork a Wake PIN prints as 10 digits.2
Example: 0656159967. On Groundwork: 06561599672.
Buncombe County
Buncombe County's PINs carry 15 digits; a county record prints one as 9648-125918-00000.4 Groundwork prints it without dashes and finds it with or without them.2
Example: 9762-55-1201-00000. On Groundwork: 9762551201000002.
Mecklenburg County
Mecklenburg County's parcel IDs print as 8 digits on Groundwork, a different layout from Wake's and Buncombe's.2
Example: 03142142. On Groundwork: 031421422.
Look up a North Carolina parcel number
Type the number the way the county prints it. A county not shown here may lay its number out differently; its assessor's site has the layout.
Questions
What is a parcel number in North Carolina?
When a register of deeds indexes deeds by parcel number, North Carolina law requires that the number reflect the State plane coordinates of a point in the parcel or be keyed to a map showing where it lies, and that no two parcels in the county share a number. Counties lay their numbers out differently (three below).
How do I look up a North Carolina parcel number on Groundwork?
Type it in the map search the way the county prints it. Example from Wake County: 0656159967. Groundwork shows it as Parcel 0656159967.
Sources
- N.C. General Statutes 161-22.2 (parcel identifier number indexes). Read Nov 9, 2026.
- Groundwork map search: each example on this page was searched and returned that parcel first. Checked Nov 9, 2026.
- Wake County GIS: Property Mapping. Read Nov 9, 2026.
- Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, April 2, 2024: Exhibit A (property description). Read Nov 9, 2026.