People interested in property information can now access a web-based tool that will make their lives a lot easier. MDP FINDER Online, developed by the MDP, simplifies the way that Maryland's 2800 tax maps and 2.2 million parcel records are searched and viewed.

If you use property maps and parcel information in your day-to-day business and have access to the Internet, FINDER Online is the solution you've been waiting for.

Visualize Property Data and Tax Maps in Powerful, New Ways
MDP FINDER Online is a visual database that allows you to interact with the State’s tax map and parcel information using your web browser. Subscribers select from nine, multi-jurisdiction regions made of all the tax maps, parcel records and map overlays for the counties or Baltimore City contained in the region. Simple and easy-to-use search tools enable you to zoom in to an area of interest on a property map and display the parcel records of interest.

Powerful Tools That Make Finding Parcels Easy
Performance and timesavings are increased through FINDER Online’s tools, a series of straightforward buttons and tabs that simplify locating properties and navigating maps. You can easily search a property by owner name or address then display a parcel map, print it, generate a report and verify the most current information about it on the Internet.

See the Big Picture
In no time you will be working with Maryland property data geographically seeing patterns you could not see before. FINDER Online’s Advanced Search can be used to select and display properties on the map that meet specific criteria. For example, you can generate a map display showing the locations of properties in a given area that are residential, less than one-half acre in size, have an assessed value of the improvement greater than $100,000 and were built after 2000. And with a few clicks of the mouse, generalized zoning, flood plains, sewer service areas or 11 other overlays can be added to the map display.

A parcel record (also known as property, ownership or assessment record) is a comprehensive set of information about individual real property that incorporates parcel ownership and address information, parcel valuation information and basic information about land and structures associated. In Maryland, the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) maintains parcel records. Individual records for each of the 2.2 million parcels in the state make up the parcel database.

In FINDER Online a series of green smart points represent the locations of all parcels. These smart points are linked to the records in the database for each parcel and, among other information, contain the address, owner name, tax account number and map and parcel numbers necessary for your searches in FINDER.

In addition to the green smart points for all parcels, FINDER Online includes a series of blue smart points that represent the most recent 12 months of sales and transfers of parcels. The records associated with these points are refreshed in FINDER Online every month.

MDP FINDER Online includes the following maps:

Maryland Tax Maps - Electronic versions of the boundary location maps maintained by MDP. These maps are updated on an annual basis for Maryland's 2700+ parcels

Property Points - Represented by a series of smart points that are linked to the locations of the parcels on the maps. The smart points contain the address, owner name, tax account number and map and parcel numbers necessary for your searches in FINDER.

Sales Points - Represented by another series of smart points that are linked to the 12-month Arms-Length Sales Database. A new 12-month file can be downloaded from our Subscriber Website each month.

Tax Map Grid - An overlay giving you a visual reference to the tax maps covering the county.

Latest Maryland State Highway Administration Road Maps- A variety of current road maps that include all Interstate, State and public roads.

CAMA Data Points - Detailed housing unit characteristics for properties with residential improvements.

2002 Land Use/Land Cover - 2002 land use/land cover classifications for a county or Baltimore City. The data are classified using the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Anderson classification scheme.

U.S. Census Tract and Block Group Boundaries - 1990 and 2000 census tract and block group boundaries and selected census small area attribute data for a county or Baltimore City.

Priority Funding Areas (PFAs) - current boundaries for Priority Funding Areas (PFAs) defined and developed based on Maryland 1997 Smart Growth legislation. PFAs include areas designated by each jurisdiction consistent with the criteria set forth in the legislation.

2002 Legislative and Congressional District Boundaries - 2002 congressional and legislative district boundaries developed based on the 2000 census.

Flood Plains, 100- and 500-year - locations of 100- and 500-year floodplains according to the official FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM).

Generalized Zoning - a general representation of each jurisdiction zoning category at a state scale. The map is generalized into three categories: Resource Protection, Residential Zoning, and Other. Each jurisdiction is responsible for its own zoning. For more specific information on individual zoning districts, contact the local planning office.

Protected Lands - a representation of lands preserved by various programs: (1) Federally-owned lands, (2) lands owned by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, (3) county park lands, (4) privately owned conservation lands, (5) Maryland Environmental Trust easements, and (6) Maryland Department of Agriculture easements.

Sewer Service - a representation of county sewer service areas.

Click here to read the METADATA

Tax maps (also know as assessment maps, property maps or parcel maps) are a graphic representation of real property showing and defining individual property boundaries in relationship to contiguous real property. The primary purpose of these maps is for the tax assessor to determine or state value for assessing and taxing purposes. Tax maps are also used by federal, State and local government agencies as well as private sector firms for a variety of analyses and decisions.

Example of a Tax Map

The Computerized Parcel Mapping Unit, part of MDP's Planning Data Services (PDS) division, is responsible for maintaining electronic tax maps for the 23 counties in Maryland. The State's 2800+ tax maps are maintained in a Computer Aided Design environment and updated on an annual cycle using new property plats and deed changes obtained from the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT). These maps form the foundation for many of MDP's products and services, including those in FINDER Online.

The tax maps found in FINDER Online are linked in an intelligent way to parcel data obtained from SDAT. When these data are combined with the power of GIS, a broad spectrum of economic, public policy and commercial analyses are possible.

Access to Finder Online is purchased through an annual subscription. The price for a single-user license is $99 per region, or $495 for the entire state. The Finder Online regions are shown below

Region	Counties
1	Garrett, Allegany, Washington, Frederick
2	Frederick, Carroll, Montgomery, Howard
3	Montgomery, Howard, Prince Georges, Anne Arundel
4	Prince Georges, Anne Arundel, Charles, Calvert, St. Mary
5	Carroll, Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Howard, Anne Arundel
6	Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Harford, Cecil, Kent
7	Kent, Queen Annes, Talbot, Caroline, Dorchester
8	Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset, Worcester
9	Anne Arundel, Kent, Queen Annes, Talbot, Caroline