The Arlington County tax map is available free online through the county’s GIS Mapping Center, where an interactive application called AC Maps lets you look up any parcel by street address or Real Property Code and view its boundaries, assessment data, and land-use designation.1Arlington County Virginia Government. GIS Mapping Center The same records feed the county’s annual assessments, so what you see on the map is what the Department of Real Estate Assessments is working from when it sets your taxable value.
What the Tax Map Shows for Each Parcel
Every parcel carries a Real Property Code, or RPC, which is the unique identifier Arlington uses for assessment and taxation. The RPC links to the parcel’s full assessment history, ownership records, and land-use designation, and it appears on your annual assessment notice and on any recorded deed for the property.2Arlington County Property Search. Arlington County Property Search – Real Property Code Help
Beyond the RPC, the map displays lot dimensions, property boundaries, and neighborhood codes that group parcels into geographic areas for valuation. Land-use designations follow the county’s General Land Use Plan, which categorizes each property as residential, commercial, mixed-use, or another designation and guides future development decisions.3Arlington County Virginia. General Land Use Plan The Land Use Map, a component of the GLUP, shows these designations at the parcel level.4Arlington County Virginia Government. Land Use Plans and Studies Easement locations and setback lines are visible too, which matters if you are weighing an addition, a fence, or any improvement that could run up against a restriction you did not know about.
How to Search for a Property
Searching by RPC is the fastest route. If you do not have the code at hand, pull up your most recent assessment notice or real estate tax bill; the RPC is printed on both, and a recorded deed also contains it. When the RPC is unavailable, the street address works as an alternative search term through the Arlington County Property Search portal.5Arlington County. Arlington Property Search
When searching by address, use standard abbreviations for street types (“St,” “Rd,” “Blvd”) rather than spelling them out, and include directional prefixes like “N” or “S” if they are part of the mailing address. A small formatting mismatch can return zero results even when the property is in the system, so matching the format on your tax bill is the safest approach.
Using the AC Maps Application
Once AC Maps loads, enter an address or RPC in the search bar. The map centers on the location and highlights the parcel boundaries. From there you can switch between a standard basemap and aerial imagery, which is useful for seeing structures, driveways, or tree cover that a line drawing alone does not reveal.
Clicking a highlighted parcel opens a detail window with links to assessment records, zoning documents, and related county data. You can pan to compare neighboring lots, zoom to inspect individual lot lines, or use built-in measuring tools to estimate distances between points. The GIS Mapping Center also hosts static PDF maps and a searchable gallery of thematic maps covering parks, public facilities, and zoning overlays.1Arlington County Virginia Government. GIS Mapping Center The Mapping Center lists the ability to print maps among its services, and the interactive application also lets you generate basic printouts from your browser; for a map intended for a legal proceeding or a permit application, contact the GIS Mapping Center directly through the county website to confirm the current process and any fees.
Downloading Raw GIS Data
Title researchers, surveyors, and developers who need parcel data in a workable format can pull downloadable datasets from Arlington County’s Open Data portal. All datasets are live links to the county’s production database, so the information stays current rather than reflecting a single snapshot date.6Arlington County, Virginia. GIS Open Data – Arlington County, VA Official GIS Data for Download Data is maintained in Virginia State Plane North (NAD 83, US Feet).
What the Tax Map Does Not Tell You
The tax map shows what the county believes the boundaries and value of a parcel are. It does not show the full chain of title or every encumbrance on the land. The Circuit Court’s Land Records office handles recorded deeds, liens, and other documents that affect title.7Arlington County Virginia Government. Land Records Services If you are buying, refinancing, or resolving a boundary dispute, you will likely need both the GIS tax map data and the recorded documents from Land Records. The deed and survey recorded with the court tell you what was legally conveyed; the tax map tells you how the county has drawn and valued it.
Appealing the Assessment on the Map
If the assessed value on the tax map looks higher than what your property would actually sell for, there are two levels of appeal, each with a firm deadline.
The first step is an administrative appeal filed directly with the Department of Real Estate Assessments. For 2026, the deadline is March 2, and applications must be postmarked by that date.8Arlington County Virginia Government. Assessment Appeals Instructions and deadlines are printed on the assessment notice mailed each January, so open that envelope promptly even if you assume the number is correct.
If you have not received a decision on your administrative appeal by early April, file with the Board of Equalization by April 15, 2026, to preserve your right to a second-level review. All supporting evidence, including recent comparable sales, an independent appraisal, or documentation of property defects, must reach the Board by that same April 15 deadline.8Arlington County Virginia Government. Assessment Appeals Missing the Board of Equalization window closes your appeal path for the year, so treat the administrative and board filings as a paired process rather than sequential steps.