Cadastral reference: what it is and how to find your property's
The cadastral reference is the code the provincial cadastre uses to identify and locate each parcel. Tap your property on the map and we'll show you its reference.
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It works in the 18 provinces that publish their cadastre. For the rest, see below where to get it.
What each part means
The cadastral reference is hierarchical: each level sits inside the previous one, like an address that goes from the province to the farm gate. In Buenos Aires province, for example, the levels are:
| Partido | The first-level administrative division of Buenos Aires province; in the rest of the country it is called departamento. |
|---|---|
| Circunscripción | The first cadastral division within the partido or departamento, usually with a Roman numeral. |
| Sección | The subdivision of the circunscripción, almost always with a letter. |
| Chacra | A rural or semi-rural subdivision of the sección, several hectares in size. |
| Quinta | A smaller subdivision of the chacra, typical of the outskirts of towns. |
| Fracción | A large rural subdivision of the sección. |
| Manzana | The city block surrounded by streets. |
| Parcela | The specific property: the plot with its own boundaries. |
Not every parcel uses every level: a farm property usually has partido, circunscripción, sección and parcela, and leaves manzana and quinta empty, since those belong to urban areas and their outskirts.
A real property in Pergamino, as published by ARBA:
Cadastral reference
Partido 82 · Circ. 14 · Parcela 1798M
Partido
82
Pergamino
Circunscripción
XIV(14)
Parcela
1798M
Full code, as published by ARBA. Each color is a level; the grey parts are levels this parcel does not use.
08214000000000000000000000000000000179800M
Cadastral reference and tax roll number are not the same
The cadastral reference says where the parcel is. The tax roll number (partida) is the account the province uses to collect property tax: it is what appears at the top of the bill. A property has both, and if it is subdivided both change.
Depending on the province, the tax roll number has another name: in Corrientes it is called Adrema, in Jujuy and Tucumán padrón, in Córdoba número de cuenta and in Salta número de catastro.
Where to find it
- In the title deed, in the section that describes the parcel, together with its measurements and boundaries.
- On the provincial property tax bill, next to the tax roll number.
- On the survey plan and in the cadastral report or certificate issued by the provincial cadastre.
- Or by tapping the property on the map above, if the province publishes its cadastre.
How it works in each province
Each province keeps its own cadastre, and each builds the cadastral reference its own way. These are the fields in each one:
| Province | Fields of the cadastral reference |
|---|---|
| Buenos Aires | Partido · Circunscripción · Sección · Chacra · Quinta · Fracción · Manzana · Parcela · Subparcela |
| Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires | Sección · Manzana · Parcela · Unidad funcional |
| Catamarca | Matrícula · Padrón · Manzana · Lote |
| Córdoba | Departamento · Pedanía · Pueblo · Circunscripción · Sección · Manzana · Parcela · PH · Hoja · Parcela rural |
| Corrientes | Sección · Chacra · Manzana · Lote |
| Chaco | Departamento · Circunscripción · Sección · Chacra · Quinta · Fracción · Manzana · Parcela |
| Chubut | Departamento · Ejido · Circunscripción · Sector · Macizo · Parcela · Unidad funcional |
| Entre Ríos | Departamento · Distrito · Localidad · Sección o zona · Grupo o sector · Manzana · Parcela · Subparcela |
| Formosa | Departamento · Circunscripción · Sección · Fracción · Manzana · Parcela |
| Jujuy | Departamento (letra) · Circunscripción · Sección · Manzana · Parcela · Unidad funcional |
| La Pampa | Circunscripción · Sección · Fracción o lote · Manzana · Parcela · Subparcela |
| La Rioja | Departamento · Circunscripción · Sección · Manzana · Parcela |
| Mendoza | Departamento · Distrito · Sección · Manzana · Parcela · Subparcela |
| Misiones | Departamento · Municipio · Sección · Chacra · Manzana · Parcela · Subparcela |
| Neuquén | Departamento · Circunscripción · Sección · Parcela · Subparcela |
| Río Negro | Departamento · Circunscripción · Sección · Unidad característica · Manzana · Parcela · Unidad funcional |
| Salta | Departamento · Catastro · Localidad · Sección · Manzana · Parcela |
| San Juan | Departamento · Sección · Coordenadas |
| San Luis | Departamento · Partido · Circunscripción · Sección · Manzana · Parcela · Subparcela |
| Santa Cruz | Circunscripción · Sección · División · Manzana · Parcela |
| Santa Fe | Departamento · Distrito · Sección · Polígono · Manzana · Parcela · Subparcela |
| Santiago del Estero | Departamento · Localidad · Sección · Manzana · Parcela · Subparcela |
| Tierra del Fuego | Departamento · Sección · Chacra · Quinta · Macizo · Fracción · Parcela |
| Tucumán | Departamento · Municipio · Circunscripción · Sección · Lámina · Manzana · Parcela |
- Buenos Aires
- Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires
- Catamarca
- Córdoba
- Corrientes
- Chaco
- Chubut
- Entre Ríos
- Formosa
- Jujuy
- La Pampa
- La Rioja
- Mendoza
- Misiones
- Neuquén
- Río Negro
- Salta
- San Juan
- San Luis
- Santa Cruz
- Santa Fe
- Santiago del Estero
- Tierra del Fuego
- Tucumán
Can be looked up on the map.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cadastral reference (nomenclatura catastral)?
It is the code the provincial cadastre uses to identify and locate a parcel. It reads from general to specific: partido or departamento, circunscripción, sección, and so on down to the parcela, which is the specific property.
What does the cadastral reference mean?
Each part is a level of the territorial division: the circunscripción and the sección are large divisions; the chacra, quinta, fracción and manzana are smaller subdivisions; the parcela is the plot with its own boundaries. Together they say exactly where the property is.
What is my property's cadastral reference?
It appears on the title deed, on the property tax bill and in the cadastral report. If the property is in one of the 18 provinces that publish their cadastre, you can also see it by tapping it on the map on this page.
Is the cadastral reference the same as the tax roll number (partida)?
No. The cadastral reference says where the parcel is; the tax roll number (partida) is the account used to collect property tax. A property has both, and procedures usually ask for both.
Where does the cadastral reference appear on the title deed?
In the description of the property, almost always after the measurements and boundaries, with a wording such as «Nomenclatura catastral: Circunscripción II, Sección B, Chacra 12, Parcela 4».
Is it the same in every province?
No. Each province has its own cadastre and format: Buenos Aires uses partido, circunscripción, sección, chacra, quinta, fracción, manzana and parcela; Córdoba adds the pedanía; Jujuy identifies the department with a letter. The format for each is below.
Want the short definition? Cadastral reference in the wiki
Sources
The cadastral reference and tax roll number shown by the finder are those published by each provincial cadastre. For any official procedure, the official cadastral report is what counts.