Finding our plot of land

Submitted by bukwus t3_xvcaii in Maine

If there is a better place to ask this question, please let me know.

My family owns a small plot of land in a wooded area of Maine that we used to camp on when I was a kid. Since then, my father has passed and my mother and I have not been there in a long time.

I want to visit the plot, but neither of us have any memory of how to get there.

Where should I go or who should I call to get the exact location, borders, etc. (perhaps GPS coordinates)? My guess is a town office, but I don't know where to start.

Many thanks.

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kiwiwater7 t1_ir03srn wrote

If you know the town the plot resides in, contact the town hall and get the deed info.

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TurningTheAirBlue t1_ir03yun wrote

The town office would be the place to start. Ask to see the commitment book - many of which can be found online. If your family has not paid its taxes from many years you should not be surprised if the lot has been considered abandoned sold by the town.

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bukwus OP t1_ir052yu wrote

This is so helpful! Thank you.

Yes, we've been paying taxes on it so that should not be an issue.

I love it when reddit is actually helpful.

Thanks again.

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bukwus OP t1_ir058e2 wrote

Oh, and it's Union ME in Knox county.

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Candygramformrmongo t1_ir0712u wrote

While you’re at it, if you don’t have the deed in on your dad’s papers, use the deed info from the assessor to get a copy of the deed from the county registry of deeds. Should be able to do it online.

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78FANGIRL t1_ir09dwb wrote

Are you sure your family still owns it? You should be getting tax bills for the property.

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hike_me t1_ir0bjsc wrote

You might be able to do this online: Your tax bill may have a town tax map and lot number. For my town, all the tax maps are available online. Grab the map that matches the one listed on the tax bill, and then find your lot number on that map.

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mmaalex t1_ir0byvi wrote

Look up deed info in the county registry of deeds. Cross reference this with the town tax map. There will not be exact coordinates. But you should be able to get a good idea based on roads/adjacent properties.

You can also go thru MEGIS and there are GIS property maps for most towns in Maine. They're extremely approximate in rural areas, but it will get you in the ballpark if you know the tax map & lot number.

There is the option to export the town data to Google earth which makes it fairly user friendly. From there you can export the corners of the lot to your phone. Like I mentioned about it is aprpximate and may be off by several hundred feet depending on the area. I believe it is based on tax maps which are frequently a guess, especially when they use natural landmarks as a boundary.

Google earth can also be helpful for finding old property lines as you can see the difference in tree ages. Flip thru the different image date options and one may be more helpful than others.

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Guygan t1_ir0f2wd wrote

Replying to bukwus (#27,496)

The town tax map will give you a decent idea of the location, though it’s not an actual accurate “survey” and it’s not legally binding.

In my experience, towns are willing to email or text you a picture of the relevant tax map page if you call and ask.

Source: real estate lawyer.

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bukwus OP t1_ir0haso wrote

UPDATE

I found a lot number for reference on a tax map, but every search I do for Union ME tax maps brings me to a page with no links to a map. Any suggestions?

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Guygan t1_ir0hoc1 wrote

Replying to bukwus (#28,130)

Call the town assessor and ask them to send you a copy of the map page. They are usually willing to do that if you’re nice and they aren’t too busy.

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Various-Mushroom-811 t1_ir0zb3q wrote

Be sure to check for squatters periodically.
"In Maine, if a person uses a part of another person's property for a period of at least 20 years and satisfies all of the other requirements for adverse possession, they can attain ownership of that part. Adverse possession is sometimes referred to as 'squatter's rights'."

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PuzzleheadedMine2168 t1_ir1av51 wrote

Union is pretty small people-wise (like 2000), so the town office can likely sort you out. My sis & BIL live there.

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Dorrbrook t1_ir2hlzn wrote

You can probably access the deed information online via the county registry of deeds. That will give the specific layout of the plot in conjuction with the town tax map. Will probably still require a survey, unless there are pins or specific features to describe the boundaries.

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CyberJay03 t1_ir2lh05 wrote

You can't get there from here.

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gadabyte t1_ir6av66 wrote

Replying to bukwus (#27,496)

to further what /u/Guygan said, here is an online map of many/most of the parcels in maine. it can be a bit arcane, translating the locality tax map number and parcel number into the number used by the statewide parcel viewer, but it's usually relatively straightforward once you figure out the typical patterns they follow.

for many of the towns/territories that are not on the above map, googling '<TownName> tax map' will lead you to pdfs of the tax maps.

there are some localities where tax maps are not available via either of the 2 methods above, but they are pretty rare in my limited experience.

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