Catawba County News
Catawba County 101
Published: June 03, 2025
MAKING. LIVING. BETTER: Information Technology: Land Records
What is its mission/purpose?
Update GIS, to reflect the most current information based on deeds and plats.
How do you achieve your mission – what services are offered?
We take the recorded documents/plats (pertaining to land) and update the ownership, mailing addresses and deed references, to be reflected on GIS. We also update parcels and annotations based on new surveys (deed & plats), combine properties based on intention of document, and split properties based on descriptions in deeds/plats. There are also major subdivisions that are created based on plats. They are mapped/annotated and provided new PINs/LRKs.
Who does this department serve?
We serve other departments within the county, municipalities and citizens.
Addressing from the county and municipalities, uses our updated maps to ensure that they are placing addresses correctly. GIS Analysts use what we have provided to create large scale maps for different departments and analyze data. Planning (county/municipalities) has Land Records review plats before they are recorded, to ensure that the information can be mapped as intended. Attorneys contact us to review documents before recorded, to ensure that the deed will be processed as intended. Citizens usually come to us with issues pertaining to land. Involving but not limited to; access to a property, where the lines are located, updating ownership due to deaths, and understanding on how to read/interpret the map.
How and where are services delivered?
All of the information that we update using ArcPro and LR/Tax software, is directly reflected on GIS (real estate search). The map will provide the updated parcel lines and dimensions. The parcel report will show the ownership, mailing address, DB/Pg, PB/Pg (if applicable), and the calculated acreage. The parcel report also shows other information, that is updated by different departments.
How many staff members are involved in delivering services?
There are 4 full time employees and one half time employee. The level of exceptional work that is provided, couldn’t be completed without each and every one of them.
How does our community and/or organization benefit from these services?
Everyone seems to have a need to reference the maps that are provided. Whether that be internally using specific portals designed by GIS engineer/administrator, or the Catawba County Real Estate Search. Within our organization, Tax uses our information to create/update values and create tax bills for real property. The permit center needs to have the new PINS available so permits can be issued. Planning uses the maps to determine what can be done on a specific piece of property. Environmental Health has to determine when a property was originally created, in its current configuration, and will reach out to us for assistance. Attorneys/paralegals use our information to assist in title searches, and to obtain descriptions of the property. Citizens can obtain information about their property using the Real Estate Search, without having to come into the office.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
No two deeds are the same. We have to be part attorney, surveyor, fortune teller…not really. But it does take clarity, understanding of legal terminology, being able to read interpret a deed/map, and creating/reconfiguring land in relationship to surrounding parcels.
Catawba County currently has 91,428 active parcels. We will be adding 716 parcels, due to legislation involving Lincoln County. This will bring Catawba County to 92, 144 active parcels.
Real Estate Search website hits:
For this year we have received 2.1 million. For the past 12 months we have received 5.1 million.
Annual amount of documents that we receive from the ROD (pertaining to Land transactions)