Section 1	Identification Information
Originator	Washington County Department of Transportation and Physical Development
Title	Washington County Parcel Data
Abstract	This data set is a parcel cadastre. It contains map features similar to those previously shown on hand drawn tax maps. County Auditor's parcel descriptions were collected, interpreted and analyzed. Using coordinate geometry software the descriptions were correlated with survey controlled coordinate values of the Public Land Survey System (PLSS). The data structure includes point, line, polygon and text features, with each graphic symbol representing a data layer. Several layers may overlap; e.g., a lot line, easement boundary and right of way limit may coincide and appear as a single line on a hard copy plot. Similar features grouped as major theme categories are designed to collectively represent that theme as an independent unit. For example, municipal, county and state road features combined as a theme are functionally complete as an independent road or transportation layer.
Purpose	The parcel map base is vital in supporting property and land record operations of Washington County.
Time Period of Content Date
Currentness Reference	New plats, lot divisions and other updates of parcel boundary detail are entered based on their recording or official entry in the County record system. These changes are released for distribution on the first day of each month. When released, the data content is current through one day before the previous release date. For example, data released for distribution on August 1, 1999 is current through June 30, 1999.
Progress	Complete
Maintenance and Update Frequency	Monthly
Spatial Extent of Data	Parcels features are shown for the entire area of Washington County. Mapping limits on border rivers extend to shorelines of Dakota County and Wisconsin.
Bounding Coordinates	-93.017 -92.733 45.300 44.733
Place Keywords	Afton,Bayport,Baytown,Cottage Grove,Forest Lake,Grant,Mahtomedi,Lake Elmo,Lakeland,Marine,Newport,Oakdale,Oak Park Heights,Pine Springs,St. Marys Point,St. Paul Park,Stillwater,Willernie,Woodbury,Washington County,Minnesota
Theme Keywords	parcel, roads, easements, water, PLSS, centerlines, railroads, subdivisions
Theme Keyword Thesaurus	None
Access Constraints	The data set is available to anyone. Fees are charged according to Washington County pricing policy. Minimum charge is $100.00. Washington County municipalities and non-profit organizations are charged at 50% of the established fees. MetroGIS participants with jurisdiction outside Washington County can receive limited content data through MetroGIS at no cost.
Use Constraints	All users of the digital parcel data are licensees. Licensees agree to certain terms which define limitations on the use and handling of the digital parcel data. See license agreement for complete information. THE DIGITAL MAP IS FURNISHED ON AN AS IS BASIS, WITHOUT ANY SUPPORT WHATSOEVER, AND WITHOUT REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, INCLUDING BUT NOT IN ANY MANNER LIMITED TO FITNESS, MERCHANTABILITY AND COMPLETENESS. The information is neither a legally recorded map nor a survey and is not intended to be used as one. The information is a compilation of records, information and data from various city, county and state offices and other sources and should be used for reference only. No representation is made that the features presented accurately reflect true locations. Washington County or any other entity from which data was obtained assumes no liability for any errors or omissions herein. If discrepancies are found, contact the Washington County Survey and Land Management Division.
Contact Person Information	Mark Nieman, Senior Survey Technician Department of Transportation and Physical Development, Survey and Land Management Division 14949 62nd Street North, PO Box 6 Stillwater, Minnesota 55082 Phone: 651-430-6875 FAX: 651-430-6888 E-mail: surveyor@co.washington.mn.us
Browse Graphic File Name	none available
Browse Graphic File Description	none available
Associated Data Sets	Property ownership, tax records, digital aerial photography, digital 2-foot contours, administrative and political boundaries.
Section 2	Data Quality Information - - - - - - Go back to top
Attribute Accuracy	Point and line features are analyzed for completeness through the use of software programs. Line symbols incorrectly coded as points, point symbols incorrectly coded as lines, and any symbol used not matching the Washington County Automated Land Information System Manual of Standards and Procedures are automatically rejected by the program and manually revised. Parcel centroids, coded with geocode values are tested for match by total count per PLSS section and compared to the total count from the Washington County Tax System listing. Attributes from the Washington County Tax System database such as: taxpayer name, address, value amounts, district codes, etc., are not provided or managed by the Survey and Land Management Division. This information is acquired separately and any association with the parcel data set is the responsibility of the user.
Logical Consistency	Each symbolic layer is individually examined for completeness. An independent manual check of the parcel data was made at the time of its initial development whereby all geocoded parcel legal descriptions in a PLSS section were reinterpreted and examined for accuracy and completeness on the hard copy check plot. As each new plat or lot division occurs a similar process is repeated for the new additions during the maintenance period. Multiple lines of ownership indicating ambiguity in property line location are merged into a single line if falling within 3 feet of each other. Gaps or overlaps in these situations are not shown. In some cases where two lines converge; e.g., where at one end the two lot lines are within 0.50 feet of each other and at the other end they are within 6.00 feet of each other they may be merged because the average discrepancy is 3 feet or less. Where gaps or overlaps exist in excess of approximately 3 feet in width they are shown with text notation indicating APPARENT GAP or AREA OF DISCREPANCY. All parcel polygons have a geocode for a label code. Polygons appearing as gaps and overlaps have a separate label code designation. Vacated street right of way adjoining parcels is included in the parcel polygon for those cases where the tax system description refers to it and/or where a recorded document is available. Road right of way polygons are created with designation of road intersections assigned to the highest road authority. At intersections of roads where there is a single road authority, individual polygon limits extend up to but not including the intersection with a separate polygon created for just the intersection area. All road, trail and railroad right of way polygons have a separate label code designation. Polygons were created for all waters and wetlands that have been designated as protected areas by the State Department of Natural Resources. Every water and wetlands polygon has a label code. Details on polygon label codes for gaps, overlaps, right of way, and water can be found in Section 5, Entity and Attribute Information. Measurements of linear features in the parcel database may vary slightly depending on the data format delivered. The parcel database is in an unmodified, raw condition in drawing file formats such as DXF or DWG. However, a composite coverage of all CAD layers delivered in Arc/Info export file format may reflect minor differences due to software incompatibilities.
Completeness	Entire County is complete.
Horizontal Positional Accuracy	Digitized features tested 8 feet horizontal accuracy at the 95 % confidence level using National Standard Spatial Data Accuracy (NSSDA). All other features are generated by coordinate geometry and based on a framework of accurately located PLSS corner positions used with public information of record. Computed positions of parcel boundaries are not based on individual field surveys. Although tests of randomly selected points may show high accuracy between field and parcel map content, variations between boundary monumentation and legal description of record can and do exist. Caution is necessary in use of land boundary data shown. Contact the Survey and Land Management Division for more information.
Vertical Positional Accuracy	n/a
Lineage	Parcel boundary locations are derived from subdivision plats, registered land surveys, condominium plats, certificates of survey, right of way plats and Washington County Tax System parcel descriptions for metes and bounds ownership. These documents range in date from the late 1840's to the present. The PLSS coordinate control used to support the COGO analysis originated from an in place, survey controlled network of the PLSS corners on NAD27. Prior to the commencement of creating this digital information, these NAD27 values were rotated, transformed and least squares adjusted using the NGS program LEFTI to the NAD83 datum. These adjusted (NAD27 to NAD83) values were used for the digital parcel base mapping and were termed, 'Preliminary NAD83 Coordinates'. Field verification of discrepancies found in deed analysis for parcel mapping is not performed. Information is strictly based on documents of record in the Government Center.
Source Scale Denominator	1200
Section 3	Spatial Data Organization Information - - - - - - Go back to top
Native Data Set Environment	ARC/INFO version 8.2, Arcview version 3.2, AutoCAD Map R6
Geographic Reference for Tabular Data	Parcel reference: the property geocode, a code based on the Public Land Survey (see Section 5, Entity and Attribute information for subset variations of the parcel reference) Parcel polygon gap reference: PLSS based, unique number per section quarter-quarter Parcel polygon overlap reference: combination of concerned parcel geocodes Road r/w polygon reference: road authority group Water polygon reference: MnDNR Protected Waters and Wetland number
Spatial Object Type	Point
Vendor Specific Object Types	'arc' 'area' 'cell' 'column' 'network' 'node' 'label' 'line' 'point' 'polygon' 'row'
Tiling Scheme	Public Land Survey System section
Section 4	Spatial Reference Information - - - - - - Go back to top
Horizontal Coordinate Scheme	County Coordinates
Ellipsoid	GRS80
Horizontal Datum	NAD83
Horizontal Units	Feet
Distance Resolution	Less than 0.01 feet
Altitude Datum	Not applicable
Altitude Units	Not applicable
Depth Datum	Not applicable
Depth Units	Not applicable
County Coordinate Zone Identifier	44
Coordinate Offsets or Adjustments	Washington County GPS Control Network, 1988 Adjustment
Map Projection Name	Traverse Mercator
Map Projection Parameters	False Northing in meters = 30481.2751 False Easting in meters = 152406.3759 Central Meridian = -92 50 00 Latitude of Grid Origin = 44 44 45 Grid Scale Factor at Central Meridian = 1.000039836799 State Plane Zone = 4326
Other Coordinate System's Definition	n/a
Section 5	Entity and Attribute Information - - - - - - Go back to top
Entity and Attribute Overview	The data set contains a variety of features including parcel lines, parcel geocodes, parcel dimensions, subdivision plat boundaries, road centerlines, road right of way lines, documented major public utility easements over 20 feet in width, railroads, lakes, wetlands, rivers and streams. Washington County Tax System records (acquired separately) can be attached via the parcel geocode.
Entity and Attribute Detailed Citation	Additional files which can help identify entity and attribute information for our parcel database can be viewed or printed from the Washington County web site. A short description of each file and the web address are listed below. The AutoCAD data dictionary gives a detailed explanation of each layer used in our parcel database. AutoCAD data dictionary The ArcView Shapefile data dictionary gives a brief description of the shapefile names used for identifying features within the parcel database. ArcView Shapefile data dictionary A list of County Assessor's field names used to identify information within the parcel database. (if acquired as a separate data set) County Assessor's field names
Section 6	Distribution Information - - - - - - Go back to top
Publisher	Washington County Department of Transportation and Physical Development, Survey and Land Management Division
Publication Date	Periodically revised
Online Linkage	http://www.co.washington.mn.us/mgmtsrvy/metdoc.htm
Contact Person Information	Mark Nieman, Senior Survey Technician Washington County Department of Transportation and Physical Development, Survey and Land Management Division 14949 62nd Street North, PO Box 6 Stillwater, Minnesota 55082-0006 Phone: 651-430-6875 FAX: 651-430-6888 E-mail: surveyor@co.washington.mn.us
Distributor's Data Set Identifier	Digital parcel map
Distribution Liability	THE DIGITAL MAP AND ANY ASSOCIATED REFERENCE MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED ON AN AS IS BASIS, WITHOUT ANY SUPPORT WHATSOEVER, AND WITHOUT REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, INCLUDING BUT NOT IN ANY MANNER LIMITED TO FITNESS, MERCHANTABILITY AND COMPLETENESS. SEE LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR COMPLETE LIABILITY INFORMATION.
Transfer Format Name	Arc/Info export, ArcView shapefile, DXF, and AutoCAD formats
Transfer Format Version Number	Arc/Info 8.2
Transfer Size	Varies
Ordering Instructions	Send a written request to the distributor identifying PLSS sections required, including the desired media type and file format. Once a license agreement has been signed and returned (original form required), the data will be shipped within 7 to 10 days. Areas not defined relative to the to PLSS system or subsets of parcel map database will be prepared subject to added hourly labor charge.
Section 7	Metadata Reference Information - - - - - - Go back to top
Metadata Date	03/10/2003
Contact Person Information	Mark Nieman, Senior Survey Technician Washington County Department of Transportation and Physical Development, Survey and Land Management Division 14949 62nd Street North Stillwater, Minnesota 55082 Phone: 651-430-6875 FAX: 651-430-6888 E-mail: surveyor@co.washington.mn.us
Metadata Standard Name	Minnesota Geographic Metadata Guidelines
Metadata Standard Version	1.2
Metadata Standard Online Linkage	http://www.lmic.state.mn.us/gc/stds/metadata.htm

Go back to top