Blog · October 8, 2026 · Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Landowner Map: Who Owns the Hunting Ground?
Find who owns hunting land with a free Pennsylvania landowner map: county parcel viewers, deeds, leases and permission tips.
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Whether you hunt near Waynesburg or out past Lock Haven, the Pennsylvania landowner map is how you put a name on the ground you want to hunt. This guide covers the free county maps, reading the parcel record, written permission and leases, and how Pennsylvania deeds describe land.
How the Pennsylvania landowner map works county by county
Pennsylvania has 67 counties covering roughly 44,739 square miles of land, by Census Bureau figures. Lycoming County is the biggest Pennsylvania county by land area, followed by Bradford County and Clearfield County. Platbookmapper's directory lists a free, login-free parcel map for 65 of the Pennsylvania counties. 13 Pennsylvania counties rely on a statewide parcel viewer. The Pennsylvania directory links every listed county, from Bucks County to Lackawanna County.
Aerial and topo layers in Pennsylvania county viewers
Turn on the aerial layer in the Northampton County viewer and a list of owner names becomes a scouting map. If the county viewer has a topo or elevation layer, add it to spot benches, saddles and drainages on Pennsylvania ground. Older imagery can miss recent logging or construction in Pennsylvania, so treat the photo as a starting point.
Reading a Pennsylvania parcel record
Open any tract on the Bedford County map and you'll see the owner, mailing address, acreage and parcel number. The mailing address is how you reach an absentee owner of Pennsylvania ground, and the parcel ID is what you put in your letter so there's no confusion about which tract you mean. Scan the adjoining parcels. If one family owns all the ground around a spot near Towanda, that's one letter instead of five.
Getting it in writing
For a lease near Montrose, write down the parcel numbers, the dates and who may hunt; it protects both sides. Outline the hunting area on a printed Pennsylvania parcel map and sign it along with the agreement.
How Pennsylvania describes land
In a Pennsylvania county like Clinton County, a rural boundary might run from a stone to a creek to a neighbor's corner; that's metes and bounds, and painted lines in the woods matter. Tax-map lines in Pennsylvania can be off by several feet or more; a survey is the only legal answer.
Public land versus private land
Public ground in Pennsylvania includes places such as Allegheny National Forest and Allegheny National Recreation Area. Near Allegheny National Forest, the county parcel layer shows exactly which bordering tracts are private. Read the rules for Allegheny National Forest or any other area; they can differ from the statewide Pennsylvania regulations.
Getting permission to hunt Pennsylvania private land
Pick a spot near Lock Haven, click every parcel it touches, and list the owners; in Pennsylvania farm country one family may hold several adjoining tracts. Landowners near Scranton may hear from other hunters in the fall, so ask in spring or summer and name the exact tract. For Pennsylvania regulations, go to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Our landowner permission guide has sample wording you can adapt for Bradford County.
Common Pennsylvania landowner map mistakes
The most common mistake with a Pennsylvania landowner map is trusting the line more than the ground, since Pennsylvania county parcel layers are drawn for tax purposes and a boundary can sit several yards off the real fence. Watch for Pennsylvania owners listed as trusts, LLCs or estates; the person you need may be a trustee or family member, not the tenant on site. Ownership also changes; Pennsylvania parcel data is refreshed on a schedule, so a recent sale may not show yet, and the record may list a data date.
Pennsylvania land records
Land records in Pennsylvania are kept county by county, so a tract in Greene County and one in Clinton County are recorded in different offices. Check each Pennsylvania county's website for the office that handles deeds and plats. With the parcel number from the Clinton County map in hand, a records clerk can find the deed far faster.
Apps versus the official Pennsylvania county map
If an app shows a different owner than the Greene County map, go with the county record. Before the season, save the map view for the area you'll hunt, since cell service in rural Pennsylvania can be spotty.
County guides to start with
These Pennsylvania pages link straight to official parcel maps:
- Northumberland County parcel map
- Washington County GIS map
- Lackawanna County plat map
- Somerset County plat map
- Fulton County plat map
- Lycoming County (1,229 sq mi of land)
- Bradford County (1,147 sq mi of land)
- Clearfield County (1,145 sq mi of land)
Before you walk in
Walk the lines of a Bedford County tract in daylight before the season and save the corners as waypoints. Posted signs and painted marks count as notice in many places, so read Pennsylvania's trespass rules.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official Pennsylvania landowner map?
No. In Pennsylvania, each county, from Greene County to Clinton County, keeps its own parcel map, and our directory links the free ones.
Who sets hunting seasons in Pennsylvania?
The Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Is unposted land in Pennsylvania open to hunting?
Not automatically. Ask the Pennsylvania landowner first, posted or not.
Do hunting apps use the same data as the Pennsylvania county maps?
They generally repackage Pennsylvania county parcel records; the county map is the original.
How can I tell who owns a field in Pennsylvania?
Every listed Pennsylvania county map, Bradford County included, shows the owner of record when you click a tract.
Open the Pennsylvania county GIS directory
Not a survey. County GIS and tax parcel maps are assessment and planning layers. They are not a substitute for a recorded plat, deed, or licensed survey, especially for fences, setbacks, or boundary disputes.