# GISFinder

> GISFinder is a free directory of official government websites and offices for property, land and map questions across the United States: which county, city, town or township covers a place, which office assesses property, collects tax, records deeds, handles zoning, issues permits and runs the GIS map, with official links that are checked on a schedule.

GISFinder is a guide, not an authority. Every link comes from its directory and carries `official`, `verified_status` and `verified_at`. The office named for a job has the final say. Screening facts (flood, wetlands, soils, elevation, radon) are never an official determination. Results are the same for every caller; no office pays to appear or rank. Do not use GISFinder to look up people.

## API

- [Developer overview](https://www.gisfinder.com/developers): keys, limits, paging, errors, deprecation policy
- [API reference](https://www.gisfinder.com/developers/reference): every endpoint and field
- [OpenAPI 3.1 document](https://api.gisfinder.com/v1/openapi.json): machine-readable description
- Base URL: https://api.gisfinder.com/v1 (no key needed for light use)
- `GET /jurisdictions/resolve?lat=&lon=` or `?address=` or `?place=&state=`: the jurisdiction chain (Census GEOIDs such as `county:27053`) and the responsible office per function
- `GET /resources?jurisdiction_id=&topic=` or `?lat=&lon=&topic=`: ranked official resources for a topic
- `GET /places/{jurisdiction_id}`: the full directory for one place
- `GET /topics`: the topic vocabulary (parcel_map, assessor, property_tax_payment, recorder_deeds, zoning, floodplain and more)
- `GET /guides/{topic}?state=`: plain-language guide text and the state's rules
- `GET /screening?lat=&lon=`: point screening with sources, dates, caveats and the deciding office
- `GET /search?q=&state=`: places and resources by name

## MCP server

- Endpoint: https://api.gisfinder.com/mcp (remote MCP over Streamable HTTP, protocol 2026-07-28 and the earlier revisions; no sign-in; rate limited per network address)
- Tools, all read-only: `resolve_jurisdiction` (who handles what at an address, point or place), `find_official_resource` (the official page for a topic), `get_place_directory`, `search_directory`, `get_guide`, `screen_location` (flood, wetlands, soils, elevation and radon screening), `get_property_facts` (parcel facts from PublicGIS where it covers and has cleared the place, never owner names)
- Resource template: `gisfinder://place/{jurisdiction_id}`
- [How to connect from Claude, ChatGPT and other clients](https://www.gisfinder.com/developers#mcp)
- MCP Registry name: `com.gisfinder/directory`

## Optional

- [Guides](https://www.gisfinder.com/guides): parcel maps and surveys, finding a land owner, how deeds are recorded, how property taxes work
- [About GISFinder](https://www.gisfinder.com/about): how links are checked and how the directory is kept