Berks County parcel search: look up any property

Berks County's official property records search is free and shows the owner, assessed value, lot size, and sales history for every property in the county. No account or fee is required. The county retired its older GIS parcel search in September 2025; the old address now forwards to the new site.

The same county records are also searchable on BerksConnect, with no disclaimer step and a few things the county's site leaves out: search any Berks County property by address, owner, or parcel number and you get the assessed value, the estimated tax bill, the house, the sales history, the owner of record, and the lot outlined on an aerial photo, plus recent property sales for every town.

How to look up a property

1. Go to propertyrecords.berkspa.gov.
2. Read the disclaimer and agree to it. The site asks every visitor before it searches.
3. Search by street address, owner name, or parcel number (the 14-character ID printed on a tax bill). A map search is on the same page.
4. Open the result. You'll see the owner of record, mailing address, municipality and school district, land and building assessed values, property class, lot size, recent sale dates and prices, and a map view.

Owner-name search works in reverse, too: it lists every parcel a person or company owns in the county.

What people use it for

• Checking the assessed value that your county, municipal, and school taxes are calculated from. If it looks wrong, see how to appeal.
• Researching a house before making an offer: what the seller paid, when, and how the assessment compares to the asking price.
• Finding the owner of record for a neglected property, along with the tax mailing address.
• Tracking recent sales in a neighborhood.

Assessed value is not market value

Berks County has not run a countywide reassessment in decades, so assessments trace to a 1994 base year. A house worth $300,000 today might carry an assessed value near $100,000. That is normal, not an error. The state publishes an annual "common level ratio" for each county that converts between assessed and market value. What matters for fairness is whether your ratio of assessment to market value is higher than everyone else's; that comparison is the basis of a tax appeal.

Where to get the actual documents

• Deeds and mortgages: recorded with the Recorder of Deeds, Berks County Services Center, 633 Court Street, Reading, PA 19601. The Recorder's online search is free to use: look up a document by the owner's name, the document type, or (for records since 2013) the parcel number, and read the recorded image on screen. Plain copies are 50 cents a page plus a $2 fee; certified copies are $10 plus $2.
• Assessment questions: the Assessment office, 610-478-6262, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Delinquent taxes and tax sales: the Tax Claim office at the same address. The county added temporary staff in July 2026 to handle an increase in required tax-sale notifications.
• Bulk and mapping data: the Berks County Data Hub publishes GIS layers and open datasets. Anything built from them carries the county's line: "Information is based on geospatial data from the County of Berks."

FAQ

Is the Berks County parcel search free?

Yes. The county's property records search is public and free, with no account required; you agree to a disclaimer before each visit. Third-party sites charge for the same information.

Can I find out who owns a property in Berks County?

Yes. Search the parcel by address and the record shows the owner of record and their tax mailing address. You can also search by owner name to list everything that person owns in the county.

Why is the assessed value so much lower than the price I paid?

Berks County assessments are based on a 1994 base year, not current prices. A low assessed value relative to your purchase price is expected and does not mean your taxes are wrong.

How do I get a copy of my deed?

Deeds are recorded with the Berks County Recorder of Deeds at 633 Court Street, Reading. The property records search shows sale history; the deed itself is in the Recorder's online search, free to read on screen, and certified copies come from the Recorder's office.