U.S. Territories · American Samoa · October 24, 2026
American Samoa Land Records: Why There Is No Parcel Map
Why American Samoa has no public parcel map, how communal land and the matai system work, and what the one-half Samoan blood rule in A.S.C.A. 37.0204 says.
American Samoa is the only inhabited U.S. territory without a free public parcel map. That isn't an oversight. Land in American Samoa is mostly communal family land, held under the matai system and protected by law from being sold to outsiders. This guide explains how land works there, what the law actually says, and where records are kept.
How land is held
Land in American Samoa falls into a few categories:
- Communal (native) land. Land held by an extended family ('aiga) and controlled by its matai, the family's chief. Most land in the territory is communal. The matai assigns its use to family members.
- Individually owned land. Native land owned by an individual rather than a family.
- Freehold land. A small amount of land that was granted as freehold, mostly before the U.S. administration began. It is the main exception to the sale restrictions.
- Government land.
Because most land is communal and isn't bought and sold on an open market, there's little demand for a public parcel map of the kind U.S. counties publish.
What the law says
The key provision is A.S.C.A. § 37.0204, Restrictions on alienation of land. In plain terms:
- (a) A matai who controls communal family land can't alienate (sell or otherwise transfer) it to anyone without the written approval of the Governor.
- (b) It's prohibited to alienate any lands except freehold lands to any person who has less than one-half native blood. If a person has any non-native blood, native land can't be alienated to them unless they were born in American Samoa, are a descendant of a Samoan family, live with Samoans as a Samoan, have lived in American Samoa for more than five years, and have officially declared their intention of making American Samoa their home for life.
- (c) Children of two people who both have any non-native blood can't inherit land unless they're at least one-half native blood.
- (d) Transfers to the U.S. Government or the American Samoa Government for governmental purposes, and (with the Governor's approval) to a recognised religious society for a church or pastor's house, are allowed.
The courts have applied the restriction to individually owned land too, since it covers "any lands except freehold lands". They have also held that "Samoan" here includes Samoans from independent Samoa, not only American Samoans.
So can outsiders buy land?
Generally, no, apart from freehold land, which can be sold to anyone. People without the required ancestry can sometimes lease land, and leases of native land are regulated under American Samoa law, including approval requirements. Anyone considering a lease should get advice from an American Samoa attorney.
Where records are kept
The Office of the Territorial Registrar records land titles, leases and other land documents. Disputes over communal land and matai titles are heard by the Land and Titles Division of the High Court of American Samoa, which has a long body of decisions on land.
Why this matters for maps
Without an open land market, there's no tax-driven parcel layer like a U.S. county's. Land boundaries are recorded through registered surveys and court decisions, and family knowledge of land is central. Our American Samoa page explains this and has no green button, because there's no free official parcel viewer to link to.
Comparison with the CNMI
The Northern Mariana Islands also restrict land ownership, but differently. There, Article XII of the CNMI Constitution limits freehold and leases of more than 55 years to people of at least one-quarter Northern Marianas Chamorro or Carolinian descent. American Samoa's rule is based on one-half native blood and applies to all land except freehold. See CNMI land rules.
Common questions
Is there an online parcel map for American Samoa? There's no free public parcel viewer.
Can a U.S. citizen buy land in American Samoa? Not land other than freehold, unless they have at least one-half native Samoan blood (and, for native land, meet further conditions if they have any non-native blood).
Who controls family land? The family's matai, subject to the Governor's approval for any alienation.
Who keeps land records? The Office of the Territorial Registrar.
Related guides
Sources
- A.S.C.A. § 37.0204, Restrictions on alienation of land (American Samoa Bar Association annotated code), including case notes (Craddick v. Territorial Registrar; Moon v. Falemalama).
- American Samoa Code chapter on alienation of land (FAOLEX).