what is apn in real estate

An Assessors Parcel Number (APN) is a unique number assigned to parcels of real property by the tax assessor of a particular jurisdiction for purposes of identification and record-keeping. The APN is useful for record-keeping and is often used in valuation assignments to identify the subject property. The assigned number is unique within the particular jurisdiction, and may conform to certain formatting standards that convey basic identifying information such as the property type or location within the plot map. In the United States, APNs are typically assigned by the local taxing authority, such as the city or county within which the property is located. Many taxing authorities provide property tax information to the public, indexed by APN. The APN is based on formatting codes depending on the home's location, and the local government uses APNs to identify and keep track of land ownership for property.