FAQs • Calvert County, MD • CivicEngage

My property lines and address appear in the base map, but my house does not.: This is most likely because the structure was built after 2003. Our building layer was created using aerial imagery captured in spring, 2003. Structures built after that time may not appear on the map, even though we have parcel lines and an address assigned. The county is currently undergoing a process to update this data based on the new 2011 imagery.

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County Maps

1. What is GIS: “GIS is a computerized geographic information system that allows us to view, understand, question and interpret geographically referenced information.” For a better idea of what this means, please view the document we have put together below. What is GIS Presentation

2. When I open the map, I see the header and zoom bar, but no map.: This may happen the very first time you try opening the map. Refreshing the page in your browser may resolve this.

3. Sometimes the map is slow. Can I do anything about it?: The greatest influence on speed of the map is the speed of your Internet connection. You may be able to speed things up a little by using the legend to turn off any layers you are not currently viewing. For example; if you are currently looking at the street map, then in the legend dialog box ensure that the 2007 aerial photography is turned off.

4. I'm turning on and off the 2011 aerial but nothing is happening. Why?: Base layers display in the map in the order they are listed in the legend dialog box. All other Base layers, which are listed above the aerial, must be turned off before the aerial can be seen in the map.

5. Why doesn't anything happen when I turn on a layer listed under Map Layers?: Make sure the group called "layers" is also turned on. If the group is not turned on, nothing below it will display even if the individual layer is turned on. Additionally, some layers are set to appear only when zoomed in past a certain level. Zooming in closer may make the data appear.

6. Why can't I find a street?: Only public roads, as well as private roads that are officially documented on plats or have gone through a planning board review process to become official, are shown on the map. If you believe there is an error, please contact us. We will research the issue.

7. Why can't I find my address?: While we strive to provide the most complete and accurate data in this mapping system, oversights and errors do occur. If you are unable to find your address, please contact us. Your feedback will help us improve the accuracy of this mapping system.

8. Why in the map is the address on my house different from the one listed on my tax record?: The Calvert County Department of Public Safety has the legal authority to assign addresses in Calvert County. The addresses assigned by Public Safety are the ones shown in the map. The County considers this address to be the official address, and this is the address 911 Operators look for in their dispatching tools. The addresses listed in the tax records are maintained by the State Department of Assessments & Taxation. While these should match the addresses used by the County, discrepancies occasionally occur. If there is a discrepancy between the address you use, and the one in the map, please contact us. Your feedback will help us improve the accuracy of this mapping system.

9. How accurate are the property lines?: These property lines are not survey grade, have no legal standing, and cannot be used in court. They are an approximation based on the State tax maps and the best available deeds and plats. Our parcel layer is provided as a planning tool and should be considered as such. If you are in need of property lines for legal reasons, please contact a Professional Land Surveyor. For more resources on researching property boundaries, please see our Other Resources page. Other Resources

10. Information on my tax record is incorrect. Can you fix it?: No, tax records are maintained by the State Department of Assessments & Taxation. If there is an error, you will need to contact the State office directly. State Department of Assessments & Taxation

11. My property lines and address appear in the base map, but my house does not.: This is most likely because the structure was built after 2003. Our building layer was created using aerial imagery captured in spring, 2003. Structures built after that time may not appear on the map, even though we have parcel lines and an address assigned. The county is currently undergoing a process to update this data based on the new 2011 imagery.

12. Is the aerial photography real time?: No, the imagery shown in our online maps was taken on previous dates. Consequently, anything constructed after the imagery capture date will not be visible in the imagery. Additional years of imagery can be seen in our "Historic Imagery" map.

13. What is Bird Eye View?: Bird Eye View is provided through Microsoft's Bing mapping services and can be seen in our Silverlight based maps. Bird Eye View is oblique imagery (captured at approximately 45 degree angle) which allows you to view the sides of buildings. Currently this oblique imagery is only available in a portion of northern Calvert County. Calvert County has no control over the coverage or availability of this product.

14. Is it possible to print a scaled map?: No, it is not possible with these maps. Our Topo Map Series is downloadable as scaled PDFs. If you are in need of a different scaled map product, please see our Data Distribution page. Topo Map Series

15. Is it possible to download the data in this map in a GIS or CAD format?: No, there is no way of exporting the data from the map. We do, however, make some GIS data available for download on our Data Download page. For any other data, please see our Data Distribution page. Data Download page