MassGIS - Digital Parcel Grants Program

The Official Website of the Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS)

Availability of Digital Assessors Parcel Maps in Massachusetts

** Data Now Available for Download -- See Parcels Metadata page for details **

One of the more common data requests we receive from a variety of sources is for digital parcel data covering some or all of Massachusetts' 351 municipalities. In Massachusetts and other New England states, government functions, including assessor parcel mapping, that occur elsewhere in the United States at the County level, are the responsibility of cities and towns. Thus, each of Massachusetts' 351 municipalities is responsible for creating and maintaining its respective parcel maps. The quality of existing parcel mapping is highly variable from town to town; it ranges from conventional mylar maps, to CADD files, to shape files of varying quality and consistency, to files that comply with the MassGIS Parcel Standard Level II. There is no state requirement that these maps exist in a digital format. What we know about the status of digital parcel mapping on a community-by-community basis can be found on the digital parcel status map. MassGIS does not have a comprehensive catalogue of all the available digital parcel data.

Digital assessor mapping is, of course, extremely useful for MassGIS and other state and regional agencies. Encouraging development of a statewide digital parcel mapping data set has been and remains a top priority for MassGIS. As funding permits, we offer a competitive grant program to partially subsidize development of standardized digital parcel mapping at the municipal level. When data conforming to the MassGIS standard exists, it can be aggregated into a larger regional or statewide data set. However, completing our goal of standardized data statewide is at least several years away.

MassGIS does have copies of many municipal parcel data sets. We have collected these data sets over many years as the opportunity arose or as there was a project-specific need. Most of our holdings are out-of-date, sometimes by as much as five years. The best source for the most current data is the individual municipalities themselves; usually the Assessor is the steward. However, as of August, 2007, MassGIS is now making available a public version of the Level II and "Level 0" (non-Level II-compliant) digital parcel data, without ownership information, as shapefiles and through OLIVER. See the Parcels datalayer description page for details.

Note to municipalities: In exchange for receiving a freshly updated copy of a community's parcel data at least annually, MassGIS will distribute your parcel data via our web site. Then, communities need simply refer those requesting their parcel data to the MassGIS web site.

There have been two rounds of digital assessors parcel mapping grants, the following entities have received the grants:

The first awards were made in fiscal year 2002

Awards to Planning Agencies Working on Behalf of Towns ("Community Partners"):

The Merrimac Valley Planning Commision (MVPC) will create digital parcels on behalf of the Towns of Groveland and Salisbury, for which it will receive grants of $4,500 and $8,000 respectively.
The Northern Middlesex Council of Governments (NMCG) will create digital parcels on behalf of the Towns of Dracut, Tynsgborough, and Westford, for which it will receive grants of $20,800, $11,000, and $16,544, respectively.
The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) will create digital parcels on behalf of the Town of Easthampton, for which it will receive a grant of $12,547.

Awards to Towns:

TOWN		AWARD
AMHERST		$13,000
BEDFORD		$8,000
BELLINGHAM		$10,000
BOLTON		$2,548
BROOKLINE		$12,000
CHELMSFORD		$15,000
COHASSET		$7,000
EAST LONGMEADOW		$8,000
EASTHAM		$13,800
FALL RIVER		$22,000
FALMOUTH		$25,000
GLOUCESTER		$15,000
GROTON		$8,500
HOLYOKE		$14,500
HULL		$6,000
LOWELL		$25,000
MARLBOROUGH		$15,051
MASHPEE		$12,000
MEDWAY		$10,482
NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH		$17,000
NORTHBOROUGH		$5,609
PLYMOUTH		$25,000
READING		$12,000
SALEM		$15,000
SANDISFIELD		$2,000
SHREWSBURY		$17,000
WALTHAM		$20,000
WEST SPRINGFIELD		$5,000

The second round of grants was awarded in fiscal year 2006

Awards to Community Partners on Behalf of Towns:

Bristol Registry of Deeds, Northern District, acting as a community partner for the Towns of Dighton, Easton, Norton, and Rehoboth: $42,706

Old Colony Planning Council, acting as a community partner for the Town of Halifax: $10,857

Awards to Towns:

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH		$ 4,000
TAUNTON		$20,000
RAYNHAM		$10,000
MANSFIELD		$12,000
SOMERSET		$13,000
DUXBURY		$12,800
HANOVER		$13,558
SWANSEA		$17,378
NEW BEDFORD		$30,000
EAST BRIDGEWATER		$11,701

Last Updated 8/24/2007
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