# Use Property Finder to identify specific properties in a Place This guide will instruct you to view and download a map and spreadsheet of properties of a specific type within a given Place in Cook County. This guide also has a video version; note that the video shows a previous version of Property Finder, as we add new features faster than we can create new videos. <iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/541766827" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> ## Two ways we organize data There are essentially two ways that Chicago Cityscape organizes data: - Property Reports - Place Reports, which aggregate information about and within "Places". That's what this article is about. Examples of Places include: community areas of Chicago, ZIP codes, legislative boundaries, and business improvement districts (called SSAs in Chicago). Both types of reports have Property Finder, and the same filters, but this article will largely consider using Property Finder within a Place Report. ## Find a Place First, select a Place. You can browse through thousands of Places in Cook County on [Places Explorer](/maps/). For this example, we'll use the [Woodlawn community area](/maps/index.php?place=communityarea-woodlawn). You can also [draw your own Personal Place](/draw.php) ([watch a video tutorial on how to draw a Personal Place](https://vimeo.com/441390977)). After the Place Report has finished loading, click on the "Property Finder" button below the map. A new table will appear, where details about the first 5 properties in the Place will be listed. The map will also show the 5 properties as parcel outlines. (If you have a Pro membership you can click on the "5" button to show more than 5 properties at a time.) ## Filter the properties There is an abundance of filters shown in the gray box between the map and the data table. This tutorial will address the following filters: 1. Property types & classes 2. Chicago-owned property 3. Proximity to transit 4. Properties near Proposed Projects 5. Properties being sold at a tax sale 6. Zoning (Chicago only) 7. Properties with recordings 8. Sort properties by number of units 9. Corner properties 10. Properties of a specific lot size 11. Property tax appeals 12. Show hidden properties 13. Building violations (Chicago only) 14. Tax bill differential 15. Incentives ### 1. Property types & classes To filter this table and map to show only one or more property types, based on Cook County Assessor classifications, click inside the "Property class" search field. A dropdown menu will appear; you can search this menu for the right classification by typing in a couple of letters for the property type you want. You can also search by the property classification number, if you know it, or you can scroll down the menu to review each of the classifications (you can also peruse the [full list of property classes](http://chicagocityscape.com/guides/propertyclasses.php) in a separate page). Common classifications include: - Apartment building with 2-6 units (2-11) - Condo (2-99) - Vacant land (1-00) Select the property type(s) you want and then click the "Filter properties" button below the "Property class" search field. A "Processing..." box will appear above the table, and a spinning symbol will appear above the map, to indicate that the table and map are being filtered for your property type(s) filter. Once the filter process completes, the map and table will show different properties than they did before, but still 5 at a time. If you'd like to view or download more than 5 properties, you can change this number. Change the number of properties shown in the map and table by clicking the "Show 5 entries" button and choosing a larger number. The maximum is 2,500 properties because if the map and table showed any more, it would slow down our server and your web browser. #### Split classifications At this time, Chicago Cityscape doesn't have data about properties with split classifications, but we have some additional information to provide below. Tip: Open the [full list of property classes](http://chicagocityscape.com/guides/propertyclasses.php) in a separate page while you read this section. - The Cook County Assessor's Office has information about properties with a classification of 3-18, the definition of which "was implemented in 2023 under Rule 25 of the Official Appeal Rules". - Properties with split classification will typically be 2-36 or 3-97 for the residential portion, and 5-17 (5-92 if more than one story) other other classifications in the "5" group. - Use the Cook County Assessor's Office "Datalets" website to determine if a given PIN has split classification. In Property Report, look for the heading, "Links to other Cook County databases" within the Property & Ownership info section. In the list, look for the "Datalets" link. (See *screenshot 1* below.)  *Screenshot 1 showing where to find the Datalets link* ### 2. Government-owned property Refer to these other articles to find government-owned property. - [[Chicago-owned property]] - [[Cook County Land Bank Authority]] ### 3. Proximity to transit *[See also our articles about transit-oriented development](/guides/index.php?category=transit)* Our "TOD Status" determination on every Property Report lookup in Chicago is a popular and exclusive feature, but how do you find the properties that are potentially eligible for Chicago's "Transit-Served Location" ordinance, more commonly known as the "TOD ordinance"? There is a Property Finder filter for this: 1. Look for "Filter by transit / TOD proximity" section in the filters 2. Click on "Within 1,320 feet". This is the maximum distance a property can be from a CTA station entrance, a Metra station entrance, or an eligible CTA or Pace bus corridor. 3. Then click the "Apply filters" button. If you know that the Place you're looking at has a "Pedestrian Street", you can click on "Within 2,640 feet" and Property Finder will search for properties that are within 1/2 mile of transit *and* are within several feet of a designated "Pedestrian Street". Recommendation: Pair this filter with one of the zoning filters to ensure you're finding properties that are in an eligible zoning district (B, C, D, and M). ### 4. Properties near Proposed Projects This filter helps you find developable property *near* where other developments are happening by showing only properties that meet your main criteria (like property class and whether it's government-owned land) and are within a certain distance of a "Proposed Project".  *Screenshot 2* In the Property Finder filters box: 1. Look for the "Nearby Proposed Projects" heading. 2. Choose from the options: Medium and Large projects (select one or both), and Residential and Non-residential projects (select one or both). Then choose a radius for the search; 1/4 mile is selected by default, but in some areas this may not be enough distance. 3. Then click the "Apply filters" button. Recommendation: Pair this filter with "Chicago-owned land (present)" or the "vacant land (1-00)" property class to find developable land in areas where others are developing. ### 5. Properties being sold at a tax sale Cook County has two types of tax sales: The Annual Tax Sale is held every year for properties that have at least one year of taxes unpaid beyond the deadline, and the Scavenger Sale which is held every other year for properties that have at least three years of unpaid taxes. Tip: Starting in 2023, due to a change in state law, a scavenger sale is held at the discretion of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. Chicago Cityscape has filters for both tax sales, even when the tax sales are not active. Find the dates for the current or next tax sale on the Cook County Treasurer's website. Find the tax sale filters under "Special filters" (see *screenshot 3* below). Only one special filter can be active at a time. Click the desired filter name and then click the "Apply filters" button.  *Screenshot 3* ### 6. Zoning Specify one or more Chicago zoning districts to find properties already zoned a particular way. #### How to use the zoning filter ##### You know which zoning district to search for 1. With Property Finder open, scroll to the filters and look for "Filter by Chicago zoning". 2. Click or tap into the search box. 3. Enter the letters, including the dash, of the zoning district you prefer and select it from the results. 4. Select the "Apply filters" button. 5. The map and data table will refresh to show properties in Chicago in that zoning district. ##### You don't know which zoning district to search for 1. With Property Finder open, scroll to the filters and look for "Filter by Chicago zoning". 2. Click or tap into the search box. 3. Enter a keyword from the list below that best matches your search criteria. Our "custom groupings" will appear at the top of the search results, which create a set of related zoning districts to search simultaneously. 4. Select the desired custom grouping from the results. 5. Select the "Apply filters" button. 6. The map and data table will refresh to show properties in Chicago in that zoning district. #### Zoning district keywords - residential [one or more residential types are allowed] - single [detached houses, condos, and townhouses & rowhouses are allowed] - multi [to find zoning districts where multifamily housing is allowed] - mixed [to find zoning districts where multifamily housing and commercial, retail, and office uses are allowed] - manufacturing - industrial - cannabis - TOD [to find properties that are in zoning districts that make it eligible for a Transit-Served Location ordinance benefit or bonus; distance parameters to transit facilities still apply but are measured using this filter] - downtown [selects all types of the Downtown zoning districts] - density [these options will select zoning districts that allow higher-density developments, usually allowing an FAR of 3.0 and higher] ### 7. Properties with recordings Every county in the United States has a recorder, or recorder's office, which keeps a record of property transactions, liens, and other legal actions that involve a parcel in that county. In Cook County, this responsibility was transferred from the Cook County Recorder of Deeds to the Cook County Clerk in 2020 after a referendum to merge the two offices and eliminate the elected recorder position. Chicago Cityscape gathers some information about the recordings associated with each parcel number, or PIN. These include mortgages, releases from mortgages, various types of deeds, liens, court documents, and lis pendens and lis pendens foreclosures. Use Property Finder's "Recordings" filter to locate properties with one or more of types of recordings. The filter is limited to recordings posted within the last 12 months. Based on member feedback we may extend this or add a date filter. ### How to find properties with specific recording types 1. In a Place Report's Property Finder, look for "Recordings" or enter "recordings" in the "Find a filter" search box to show relevant filters. 2. Select the "Show recording types" heading to reveal the list of recording types. 3. Select the desired recording type or group of recording types. For example, there is a "Quit claim deed" option which is the most common deed recorded after arms length sales between buyers and sellers, and there is an "All deeds" option which will look for properties with any of 11 types of deeds. 4. Select the "Apply filters" button and after a moment the map and data table will refresh. This filter can be combined with other filters; for example, you could limit the search to condos and 2-6 flat buildings by using "Filter by property class". <a id="units"></a> ### 8. Sort properties by number of units Chicago Cityscape has information about the number of units in a building from two different sources. Regardless of type, which are explained below, refer to the "Units" filter shown in *screenshot 4*.  *Screenshot 4* #### Data about properties with 2-6 units By default, the "units" column in Property Finder displays a value between 2 and 6 units based on information from the Cook County Assessor's Office, as those buildings are assessed as residential properties. Properties with 7 or more units are assessed as commercial properties and the CCAO does not collect unit count data for these. Tip: You can filter for property classifications that represent buildings with 7 or more units: 3-13, 3-18, 3-91, 3-96, 9-13, 9-96. The number of units will not appear because they are not known. #### Data about properties with more than 6 units It's possible to show data from an additional data source: property sales. When properties are bought and sold the buyer submits a form to the Illinois Department of Revenue and indicates on the form the number of units involved in the transaction. To show unit count from a property's most recent sales record, select the "Units" dropdown menu and choose "7+". Then select the "Apply filters" button. Finally, select the "Units" column heading to sort by the number of units. The first sort will be from small to large so select the "Units" column heading a second time to sort from large to small. Tip: Show more results in the datable, and then export the data table as CSV to show only the properties that have the range of units you're looking for. Note: This filter also includes properties with one of these classifications: 3-13, 3-18, 3-91, 3-96, 9-13, 9-96. <div style="padding:56.25% 0 0 0;position:relative;"><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/904212638?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" title="Chicago Cityscape: Sort by units count in Property Finder"></iframe></div><script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script> ### 9. Corner properties Property Finder can locate properties in Cook County at or very close to the intersection of two streets. 1. Look for "Additional filters" in the Property Finder filters and select the link "reveal additional filters". 2. Tick the checkbox labeled "At an intersection or corner lot". 3. Select the "Apply filters" button. 4. In a moment, the map and data table will refresh to show properties at or very close to the intersection of two streets. This filter can be combined with all other filters. The more filters there are the fewer properties that will be in the results. ### 10. Properties of a specific lot size Property Finder can locate properties in Cook County that have a lot size within a specified range of area (in square feet). 1. Look for the filter called "Filter by lot area" in the Property Finder filters. 2. Type in a minimum lot area, a maximum lot area, or both. If you are searching for a specific lot size (like 3,125 s.f., the standard lot size in Chicago), enter a small range to accommodate for variations in parcel data accuracy. We recommend about 5%; for a 3,125 s.f. lot, enter 3,000 in the minimum field and 3,300 in the maximum field. 3. Select the "Apply filters" button. 4. In a moment, the map and data table will refresh to show properties with a lot area that is more than or equal to your entered minimum and less than or equal to your entered maximum. If a minimum or maximum field is left blank, then it is ignored. For example, if you enter a minimum and not a maximum, then any parcel that's equal to or larger than the entered minimum will be shown in the results. This filter can be combined with all other filters. The more filters there are the fewer properties that will be in the results. ### 11. Property tax appeals It's possible to include only properties that have had a property tax appeal or to include only properties that have not had a property tax appeal. Refer to the instructions in [[Features for appraisers]]. ### 12. Show hidden properties By default, Property Finder hides condos, outdated parcels, and certain properties that are not developable. These include: - Former properties that are now part of an expressway or highway - Railroad properties - Waterways - Shared driveways and parking lots at townhouse, rowhouse, and condo developments - Other roadways and boulevards - CTA 'L' track parcels - Divided parcels (we try to keep as many historic PINs and parcel boundaries as we can) - Other parcels as we identify them Here's how to include hidden properties in your search and to show them on the map: 1. Open Property Finder and scroll down to the Property Finder filters. (This will work in both Property Reports and Place Reports.) 2. Within the Property Finder filters look for "Filter by property class" (See *screenshot 5* below.) 3. Uncheck the checkboxes next to the items you would like to include and show in the results. 4. Select the "Apply filters" button and after a moment the map and data table will reload to include the hidden properties.  *Screenshot 5 showing the filter to include hidden properties* ### 13. Building violations (Chicago only) Filter for properties that or don't have building violations within the last three years. Here's how to use this filter: 1. In the Property Finder filters, search for "violations" in the "Find a filter" search box at the top of the filters. 2. In the Building violations dropdown menu, select from one of the options. 3. Options include: three options to find properties with building violations within the last 12, 24, or 36 months; three options to find properties without a building violation within the last 12, 24, or 36 months; and one option to find properties without a building violation. 4. After selecting one of the options, select the "Apply filters" button. ### 14. Tax bill differential Use this filter to find properties that had their tax bills change a certain percentage between the two most recent years of data. The filter will explain which years will compare. Enter a positive number to find properties that had an increase equal to or greater than that percentage, and enter a negative number to find properties that had a decrease equal to or less than that percentage. For example, to find properties where the tax bill increased by 5% or more, enter "5" in the "Tax bill differential" field (see *screenshot 6* below) and select the "Apply filters" button.  *Screenshot 6 showing the tax bill differential field.* ### 15. Incentives Property Finder allows filtering by choosing one or more select incentives. (Not all incentives are available here, and incentives in our database may be added upon request.) 1. In the Property Finder filters, look for the row with the heading, "Incentives & developable land filters". 2. Then, look in the leftmost column that has the heading, "Select incentives & opportunities" (see *screenshot 7* below). 3. Review the options in the list, tick the checkboxes next to the incentives of interest. 4. Select the "Apply filters" button. 5. After a moment, the map and data table will refresh to show the properties that have overlap with all of the incentives checked.  *Screenshot 7 showing the incentives filter within Property Finder* ## Related articles - [[Download property data from Property Finder]] - [[Tax-exempt properties|Understanding & finding tax-exempt properties]] - [[Cook County Land Bank Authority|Read the Knowledge Base article about finding CCLBA properties]] - [[Exporting for GIS]] - [[Exporting to spreadsheet]] - [[Property data notes]] - information about data sources and update schedule - [[Incentives Checker]]