Los Angeles County Property Search | Assessor Portal & Maps

Key Property Search Resources in Los Angeles County, California

The Los Angeles County Assessor's Office provides online tools to look up assessment information and basic characteristics for real property across the county, while the Recorder/County Clerk manages the official chain of recorded documents. This independent guide explains how to use those government resources and where they fit within California Public Records.

Before you search, it helps to have the Assessor Identification Number (often called an AIN) from a tax bill or notice, or at least the full street address. Online data can lag behind recent recordings, parcel splits, or fire-related reassessments, and this page does not offer legal, tax, or financial advice—always confirm critical details directly with county offices.

Los Angeles County Assessor Property Search Overview

Los Angeles County property search tools focus on assessment records for real property. Through the Assessor’s public resources you can look up a parcel using an Assessor Identification Number (AIN) or address and review assessment information used to calculate property taxes, along with basic property details drawn from county records.

The Assessor’s real property pages explain that property taxes in California are based on assessed value and that state law limits most assessment increases, with reappraisals when ownership changes or new construction is completed. Online search results typically highlight land and improvement values, but they are built for tax assessment purposes and will not match a private appraisal or current market price in every case.

Assessment records and recorded documents serve different roles. The Assessor’s Office maintains values and descriptive information about real property, while the county’s recording office—through the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk—handles the official recording of deeds, liens, reconveyances, and other real estate documents going back to the 1850s. An AIN and property description from the Assessor search are often the starting points when you later request copies of recorded instruments from that recording office.

The Assessor also highlights special programs, such as disaster-related “misfortune and calamity” relief and homeowner exemptions, which may affect how a property is assessed in certain situations. Details of these programs, including eligibility and application procedures, are managed by the county’s tax and assessment agencies themselves, and any questions about qualifications should go directly to those offices rather than this guide.

Where to Start Your Los Angeles County Property Lookup

For most users, the best starting point is the Assessor’s dedicated property search page, which links directly to the county’s Property Search Tool for homeowners and real property. From there you can initiate a basic lookup and reach information about assessments, mailing address changes, changes in ownership, new construction, exemptions, and related topics that affect how a parcel is valued.

When you need more detailed assessment information, the Los Angeles County Assessor Portal offers a broader entry point with Basic Search, Legal Search, and Map Search options. These tools are designed to show property and assessment details, while a separate Property Tax Portal (linked from Assessor pages) is used to review billing information and tax payment details handled by the county’s tax collection agencies.

Recorded real estate documents—such as deeds, reconveyances, certain liens, and other instruments—are managed by the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. That office indicates that real estate records for Los Angeles County are available from 1850 onward once they have been recorded, but images and indexes are not posted online. Instead, you can request copies using online request options, in-person visits, fax, or mail as described on their real estate records information page, often using the property address or party names along with assessor information.

Before searching, gather the most precise identifiers you have. The AIN from a property tax bill is usually the most reliable starting point, followed by the full street address including city. Names alone are not always enough for property searches, and formats for parcel numbers vary, so you should follow whatever examples or format hints the official search pages display rather than guessing.

You can also begin an online lookup directly by going to the Assessor’s property search page and using it to start an online property search before moving into more detailed portal functions if needed.

Facility Name Physical Address Phone Number
North District Office 13800 Balboa Boulevard, Sylmar, CA 91342 (View on Google Maps) (818) 833-6000
East District Office 1190 Durfee Avenue, South El Monte, CA 91733 (View on Google Maps) (626) 258-6001
Beverly Hills Courthouse Office 9355 Burton Way, Suite 400, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 (View on Google Maps) (310) 665-5300
South District Office 1401 E. Willow Street, Signal Hill, CA 90755 (View on Google Maps) (562) 256-1701
West Regional Office 6167 Bristol Parkway, Suite 100, Culver City, CA 90230 (View on Google Maps) (310) 665-5300
Lancaster Regional Office 251 E. Avenue K-6, Lancaster, CA 93535 (View on Google Maps) (661) 940-6700

Within the Assessor’s online system, searching by Assessor Identification Number is usually the most direct way to locate a parcel. When you see a field labeled “Search by AIN or Address,” enter the AIN exactly as it appears on your tax bill or notice, including any leading zeros or separators shown in the example format, and avoid re-formatting the number unless the site explicitly instructs you to do so.

If you do not have the AIN, you can generally use the property’s street address in the same search area. Enter the street number and name along with the city information as prompted by the site. In large buildings with multiple units, the system may return several results for the same street address, so it is important to confirm you are selecting the correct unit or parcel by reviewing details on the results page.

The Assessor Portal also describes Basic Search and Legal Search. Basic Search is built for straightforward lookups using identifiers such as AIN or address, while Legal Search is intended for users who have more technical information such as legal descriptions or map references. If you are unfamiliar with legal descriptions, it is usually simpler to rely on the AIN or address rather than attempting to interpret those fields.

In some cases, different parts of the Assessor’s site may present similar search options. You might begin with the homeowner-focused Property Search Tool linked from the main property search page and then follow its prompts into the broader Assessor Portal to see additional detail, links to real property information, or options relating to exemptions, mailing address changes, or assessment review.

If your search does not return a result you expect—for example after a recent purchase, inheritance, or completion of new construction—the property may not yet be fully processed under its new base-year value or may have been assigned a new parcel number. When that happens, the safest course is to contact the Assessor directly using the numbers listed on the site instead of guessing at alternative parcel formats.

Interpreting Real Property Assessment Results

Once you open a specific Los Angeles County property record, the Assessor’s data typically centers on the parcel identifier, the situs address used for assessment purposes, and core classification details about the land and any assessable improvements. Many assessment pages also include land and improvement values, ownership information drawn from recorded documents, and references to the tax year or base-year value used for calculation.

The Assessor’s real property guidance explains that property taxes are based on assessed value and that state law generally limits annual increases in that value, except when there is a change in ownership or completion of new construction. Assessment pages are built for tax administration, not for appraisal, and it is normal for an assessed value to differ from recent listing prices or private estimates of market value. For information on how assessed value interacts with tax bills and payment options, you can consult county resources such as the California-wide California Property Tax information or the county’s own property tax portal mentioned on Assessor pages.

Real property content from the county also describes how reappraisals work. When there is a recorded change in ownership or completed new construction, the Assessor establishes a new value as of the relevant event date, and later-year assessments are typically derived from that figure subject to statutory limits. Records connected with a change in ownership may show different value lines, and property owners who disagree with an assessment are directed to the county’s appeal and value review processes explained on the Assessor’s site.

Under California law, certain events trigger supplemental assessments that capture the difference between the prior and new assessed values for the remainder of the fiscal year and in some cases the following year. The online property search will help you see the values that underlie those calculations, but supplemental tax bills themselves are issued by the county’s fiscal offices and are in addition to the regular annual bill.

Assessment records are not a substitute for a full title search. They usually do not display the full text of deeds, liens, or other recorded instruments, and they may not show every historical transfer affecting a parcel. For a comprehensive view of ownership history, encumbrances, or recorded maps, you would use information from the Assessor search—such as the AIN and situs address—to request specific documents from the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s real estate records division.

Assessor Portal Map Search and Alternatives in Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County’s Assessor Portal includes a Map Search feature that functions as an online geographic information system (GIS) viewer. When you open Map Search, you can pan and zoom around the county, use search fields to locate a specific area by address or other reference, and then click on parcels displayed on the map to see summary information tied to the Assessor’s records.

The map interface includes tools to move left, right, up, and down, along with controls to zoom in, zoom out, and return to a home view. It may also offer an option to use your current location or to enter a search term before zooming to that area. Once the map is centered on the neighborhood you are interested in, clicking on an individual parcel typically brings up information about that property and may link you back into the detailed assessment view in the Assessor Portal.

Reference layers listed in the county’s mapping tools include Assessor parcels themselves as well as boundaries for supervisorial districts, cities, communities, ZIP codes, school districts, tax rate areas, mobile home parks, and other thematic layers such as zoning for unincorporated areas, map books, field books, and oil and gas fields. Base layers include both street maps and multiple years of aerial imagery, along with specialized overlays for recent events such as the Palisades Fire 2025 and Eaton Fire 2024, so you can compare current parcel information with imagery from different years.

The map viewer is most useful when you need to confirm exactly which parcel corresponds to a street frontage, understand how parcel boundaries relate to visible landmarks, or see which jurisdictional boundaries (such as city or school district lines) intersect a property. It can also help you double-check that you are working with the correct AIN where addresses are similar or where a property spans multiple parcels.

If you are unable to use the map viewer—because of device limits, accessibility needs, or connection issues—you can still rely on the text-based searches in the Property Search Tool and Assessor Portal. For detailed zoning determinations or planning approvals beyond the informational zoning layer in Map Search, you would ultimately need to work with the appropriate city or county planning agencies, as the Assessor’s map layers are intended as reference only.

Limits of Online Property Records and Next Steps in Los Angeles County

Online property search tools in Los Angeles County are designed for convenience, but they do not replace direct communication with the Assessor or Recorder when you are dealing with time-sensitive or complex issues. Assessment data on the web may lag behind newly recorded deeds, building projects, or disaster-related reassessments, and it may not reflect supplemental assessments or pending corrections that have not yet been fully processed.

The Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s real estate records information makes clear that while any member of the public can search and request real estate records, full indexes and document images are not available online because of state privacy laws governing home addresses for certain officials. Instead, the recording office provides options to submit requests online, in person, by fax, or by mail using the procedures described on its site, and those requests rely on accurate property identifiers that you can gather from the Assessor’s tools.

Assessor materials also describe disaster-related relief such as the Misfortune and Calamity Program, which may temporarily adjust assessments for properties that have been damaged or destroyed by events like wildfires or severe windstorms. Because these programs involve specific eligibility rules, deadlines, and forms, property owners who think they might qualify should work directly with the Assessor’s staff, using the phone numbers and offices listed above, rather than relying solely on what they see in an online property search.

As you move beyond a basic lookup, it can help to think about which office is responsible for each question. Questions about how a parcel is valued, changes in ownership, new construction, or possible errors in assessed value should go to the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office or one of its district offices. Requests for copies of deeds, trust transfers, certain liens, or other recorded documents should go to the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk using its real estate records request options, and questions about tax bills, payment status, or penalties are handled through the county’s tax collection resources rather than through the property search screens.

  • Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk – Real Estate Records: Property records and document copy requests for recorded real estate documents across Los Angeles County.
  • Phone: (800) 201-8999
  • Email: RRCCFireAssistance@rrcc.lacounty.gov

Can anyone search Los Angeles County real estate records?
Yes. The Recorder-County Clerk indicates that any member of the public may search for and request copies of Los Angeles County real estate records once they have been recorded, but detailed indexes and document images are not provided online and must be obtained through the office’s request options.

How current are Los Angeles County property assessments shown online?
Online assessment information comes from the Assessor’s records, which are updated as changes in ownership, new construction, and supplemental assessments are processed, so there can be delays and you should verify any assessment, tax amount, or program eligibility directly with the county before relying on it.