What it looks like
A parcel ID is 16 letters and digits. The county writes it in five groups, like this one for an office tower downtown:
0002-E-00038-0000-00
You will also see it run together as 0002E00038000000, or with spaces where the dashes are. They all mean the same parcel.
Reading the parts
The number comes from the county's tax maps, which is why people call it the lot and block.
- The first four digits are the map sheet. In the example, sheet 2.
- The letter is the block on that sheet. Here, block E.
- The next five digits are the lot within the block. Here, lot 38.
- The last six characters are zeros for most properties. In the county's current file, about 19 of every 20 parcels end in six zeros. Most of the rest are condominium units, where the extra characters tell apart the units that share one lot.
That is why the short form works. People in real estate will say "2-E-38" and everyone knows which lot they mean. The county's own search fills in leading zeros if you leave them off, and so does Parcel Finder.
Three places to find yours
Your county tax bill prints it, labeled as the parcel ID or lot and block. So does the deed to the property, usually near the legal description.
The quickest way is to search the address. Type it into the box below, open the property, and the parcel ID appears under the photo. Tap it once to copy it.
When you will need it
The parcel ID is how the county tells properties apart, because addresses are messier than they look. Corner lots have two, vacant land often has none, and street names repeat across municipalities. Expect to be asked for it when you file an assessment appeal, apply for the homestead exclusion, pay a tax bill online or record a deed.
Sources
- Real Estate Portal help page, for the display format and leading zeros
- Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center: Allegheny County block areas, for the map sheet and block
- Counts of parcels ending in zeros are from the county's assessment file as of October 30, 2026