New York State Property Tax Parcel GIS Shapefile Documentation

This document describes the structure, attributes, and standards for property tax parcel GIS shapefiles in New York State. These shapefiles contain geometric and tabular data representing individual tax parcels used for property assessment and taxation purposes.

Shapefile Components

Required Files

• [County]_Parcels.shp – Main shapefile containing parcel geometries
• [County]_Parcels.shx – Shape index file
• [County]_Parcels.dbf – Attribute database file
• [County]_Parcels.prj – Projection information file
• [County]_Parcels.cpg – Code page file (UTF-8 encoding)

Optional Files

• [County]_Parcels.xml – Metadata file
• [County]_Parcels.sbn/.sbx – Spatial index files

Coordinate Reference System

Recommended Projection: New York State Plane Coordinate System (NAD83)

• EPSG Codes by Zone:
  • Long Island: EPSG:2831 (NAD83 / New York Long Island)
  • East Zone: EPSG:2830 (NAD83 / New York East)
  • Central Zone: EPSG:2829 (NAD83 / New York Central)
  • West Zone: EPSG:2828 (NAD83 / New York West)

Alternative: NAD83 / UTM Zone 18N (EPSG:26918) for statewide applications

Attribute Schema

Core Required Fields

Field Name	Data Type	Length	Description
SWIS	Text	6	State/County/Town code (6-digit identifier)
PARCEL_ID	Text	20	Unique parcel identifier within jurisdiction
PRINT_KEY	Text	25	Tax map section-block-lot identifier
SBL	Text	20	Section-Block-Lot number
LOC_STREET	Text	50	Street address or location
LOC_CITY	Text	30	Municipality name
LOC_ZIP	Text	10	ZIP code
SCHOOL_DST	Text	30	School district name/code

Property Classification

Field Name	Data Type	Length	Description
PROP_CLASS	Text	3	NYS property class code (100-900 series)
CLASS_DESC	Text	50	Property class description
LAND_USE	Text	4	Land use code
USE_DESC	Text	40	Land use description

Assessment Values

Field Name	Data Type	Length	Description
FULL_VAL	Double	–	Full market value estimate
ASSESS_VAL	Double	–	Assessed value for taxation
EXEMPT_VAL	Double	–	Total exemption amount
TAXABLE_VAL	Double	–	Net taxable assessed value
ASSESS_YR	Integer	–	Assessment roll year

Property Characteristics

Field Name	Data Type	Length	Description
ACRES	Double	–	Total acreage
FRONTAGE	Double	–	Road frontage in feet
DEPTH	Double	–	Lot depth in feet
SQFT	Double	–	Total square footage
YR_BUILT	Integer	–	Year primary structure built
BEDS	Integer	–	Number of bedrooms
BATHS	Double	–	Number of bathrooms
STORIES	Text	10	Number of stories

Ownership Information

Field Name	Data Type	Length	Description
OWNER1	Text	50	Primary owner name
OWNER2	Text	50	Secondary owner name
MAIL_ADDR	Text	50	Mailing address line 1
MAIL_CITY	Text	30	Mailing city
MAIL_STATE	Text	2	Mailing state
MAIL_ZIP	Text	10	Mailing ZIP code

Administrative Fields

Field Name	Data Type	Length	Description
DEED_BOOK	Text	10	Deed book number
DEED_PAGE	Text	10	Deed page number
SALE_DATE	Date	–	Last sale date
SALE_PRICE	Double	–	Last sale price
UPDATE_DATE	Date	–	Last update date
DATA_SOURCE	Text	20	Data source agency

NYS Property Class Codes

Residential (100-199)

• 100 – Residential vacant land
• 110 – One family residence
• 115 – Mobile home
• 120 – Two family residence
• 130 – Three family residence
• 140 – Four family residence
• 150 – Five family residence
• 160 – Six family residence
• 170 – Seven or more family residence
• 180 – Seasonal residence
• 190 – Residential manufactured housing park

Commercial (200-299)

• 200 – Commercial vacant land
• 210 – One family residence with commercial use
• 220 – Two family residence with commercial use
• 230 – Three family residence with commercial use
• 240 – Commercial – office building
• 250 – Commercial – store/restaurant
• 260 – Commercial – garage/service station
• 270 – Commercial – warehouse/factory/mill
• 280 – Commercial – multiple use
• 290 – Other commercial

Vacant Land (300-399)

• 300 – Vacant land not classified elsewhere
• 310 – Residential vacant land
• 320 – Commercial vacant land
• 330 – Industrial vacant land
• 340 – Agricultural vacant land
• 350 – Vacant land zoned for specific use

Agricultural (400-499)

• 400 – Agricultural property
• 410 – Livestock property
• 420 – Poultry property
• 430 – Orchard/vineyard/nursery
• 440 – Crop raising
• 450 – Agricultural buildings

Industrial (500-599)

• 500 – Industrial vacant land
• 540 – Light manufacturing
• 550 – Heavy manufacturing
• 560 – Utility property
• 570 – Mining/quarrying/oil/gas

Public Services (600-699)

• 600 – Public service vacant land
• 610 – Telephone property
• 620 – Electric company property
• 630 – Gas company property
• 640 – Water supply property
• 650 – Railroad property
• 660 – Air transportation property
• 670 – Other transportation property
• 680 – Mass communication property

Recreation/Entertainment (700-799)

• 700 – Recreation/entertainment vacant land
• 710 – Golf course/country club
• 720 – Resort property
• 730 – Amusement park
• 740 – Outdoor recreation facility
• 750 – Indoor recreation facility

Community Services (800-899)

• 800 – Community service vacant land
• 810 – Hospital/infirmary
• 820 – School property
• 830 – Religious property
• 840 – Charitable/benevolent institution
• 850 – Cemetery
• 860 – Correctional institution

Public Property (900-999)

• 900 – State property
• 910 – County property
• 920 – Municipal property
• 930 – School district property
• 940 – Special district property
• 950 – Village property
• 960 – Other local government

Data Quality Standards

Geometric Requirements

• All parcel polygons must be closed and valid
• No overlapping parcels (except in cases of vertical ownership)
• Gaps between adjacent parcels should be minimized
• Coordinate precision: 0.01 feet (0.003 meters)
• Topology rules enforced for polygon validity

Attribute Requirements

• SWIS code must be valid 6-digit code registered with NYS
• PARCEL_ID must be unique within the dataset
• Assessment values must be non-negative
• Dates must be in MM/DD/YYYY format
• Property class codes must conform to NYS standards

Completeness Standards

• Core required fields: 100% populated
• Assessment fields: 95% populated for taxable parcels
• Address fields: 90% populated for improved parcels
• Property characteristic fields: 80% populated for improved parcels

Metadata Requirements

Temporal Information

• Data collection date
• Assessment roll year
• Last update date
• Publication date
• Data currency statement

Spatial Information

• Coordinate system definition
• Horizontal accuracy statement
• Data source scale
• Processing methods
• Known limitations

Contact Information

• Data producer organization
• Contact person and title
• Phone number and email
• Mailing address
• Website URL

Data Distribution

File Naming Convention

[COUNTY]_[YEAR]_Parcels.[ext]

Example: ALBANY_2024_Parcels.shp

Compression

• Shapefiles should be compressed using ZIP format
• Include all component files in the archive
• Maximum file size: 2GB uncompressed

Documentation

• Include README.txt file
• Provide metadata in FGDC or ISO 19115 format
• Include data dictionary
• Specify any known issues or limitations

Usage Notes

Legal Disclaimer

This parcel data is provided for general reference and mapping purposes only. Property boundaries shown are approximate and should not be used for legal descriptions, property transfers, or precise measurements. Users should consult official records and surveys for legal purposes.

Update Frequency

• Annual updates recommended following assessment roll completion
• Quarterly updates for high-change areas
• Real-time updates for major subdivisions or consolidations

Quality Assurance

• Coordinate with county assessor’s office for validation
• Cross-reference with tax roll data
• Perform geometric topology checks
• Validate attribute completeness and accuracy