An Assessor's Parcel Number, or APN, is a number assigned to parcels of real property

Real property

In English Common Law, real property, real estate, realty, or immovable property is any subset of land that has been legally defined and the improvements to it made by human efforts: any buildings, machinery, wells, dams, ponds, mines, canals, roads, various property rights, and so forth...

 by the tax assessor of a particular jurisdiction

Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...

 for purposes of identification and record-keeping. 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 plat map.

In the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, APNs are typically assigned by the local taxing authority, such as the city or county within which the property is located. Many taxing authorities will provide property tax

Property tax

A property tax is an ad valorem levy on the value of property that the owner is required to pay. The tax is levied by the governing authority of the jurisdiction in which the property is located; it may be paid to a national government, a federated state or a municipality...

information to the public, indexed by APN.

Alternative terms with the same meaning include:

• Assessor's Identification Number (AIN)
• Property Identification Number (PIN)
• Property Account Number
• Tax Account Number
• Sidwell Number

The term or terms used in any particular jurisdiction are as determined by the authority assigning the numbers.