United Kingdom · Scotland · October 24, 2026
ScotLIS Map Search: See Scottish Property Boundaries Free
A step-by-step guide to ScotLIS map search: find a Scottish title, read the indicative extent, use the Sasines layer, and when to pay £3.60.
Scotland's land registration has always been separate from England's. Its modern register, the Land Register of Scotland, started in 1981 and is built on the Ordnance Survey map. It is gradually replacing the General Register of Sasines, a register of deeds that dates back to 1617. Registers of Scotland (RoS) publishes the Land Register through ScotLIS, and anyone can browse it on a map without an account.
ScotLIS map search (Registers of Scotland) ↗
ScotLIS map search opened with no login when we checked on October 24, 2026.
Step by step
- Open ScotLIS map search with the button above and accept or reject the optional cookies. No sign-in is needed.
- Search. Use the search box on the map to type a postcode, street, town or place, or use your location.
- Zoom in until title extents appear as outlines.
- Click a title. The panel shows the title number, the type of property and, for registered titles, the last purchase price and date.
- Turn on the Indicative Sasines layer to see land that has not yet moved to the Land Register.
- Buy documents if needed. From the property summary, you can buy the title sheet and plan.
What is free and what costs money
| What | Cost |
|---|---|
| Map view, title extents, title number | Free |
| Last purchase price and date | Free |
| Title sheet and title plan | £3.60 including VAT |
| Search of the Sasine register by RoS | Paid service (ask RoS for the current fee) |
The title sheet is the core document. It has four sections: the property section (description and plan reference), the proprietorship section (the owner), the securities section (mortgages, called standard securities in Scotland) and the burdens section (conditions such as real burdens and servitudes).
The Indicative Sasines layer
Land that has not changed hands since the Land Register opened in its area may still be recorded only in the Sasine register. Sasine records are deeds, not maps, so this land used to be invisible on any map.
Between March 2021 and December 2024, RoS ran a project (Unlocking Sasines) to map the likely extents of Sasine titles. The results went live on ScotLIS on 31 March 2025 as the Indicative Sasines layer. RoS is clear that it is not a property register: it indicates likely ownership areas, and confirming ownership still means examining the Sasine search sheets, or paying RoS's property information team to do it. The business version of the layer has confidence levels; the public version shows the indicative extents.
Reading the map
Indicative extents. ScotLIS warns that the map view is indicative. The legal extent and any coloured lines, tints or hatching are explained in the title plan and title sheet you buy.
Shared areas. Tenements and some housing estates have common areas (back greens, stairs, roads) shared between several titles. The title sheet explains who owns what share.
Large estates. Rural estates can cover huge areas. Much of this land is still in Sasines, which is why the Indicative Sasines layer matters in the Highlands and Islands.
Crofting land
In parts of the Highlands and Islands, land may be under crofting tenure. Crofts are recorded in the separate Crofting Register, which RoS also keeps and which opened in 2012. A croft can be tenanted or owner-occupied, and crofting law adds rules about use and occupation. If a ScotLIS title looks larger than the house you are buying, or you see references to common grazings, check whether crofting applies.
When to buy the title sheet
Buy the title sheet when you need:
- the owner's name, for example to approach them about buying land,
- the burdens, such as restrictions on building or use,
- the securities, if you want to know whether the property is mortgaged,
- the title plan, to see the registered extent drawn properly.
At £3.60, it is cheap enough that there is little point relying on third-party sites. RoS has warned about sites that charge far more for the same documents.
A worked example
Say you are looking at a cottage with an extra field on the edge of a village in Perthshire.
- Search the postcode in ScotLIS and click the cottage. Note the title number and last price paid.
- Check whether the field is inside the same title extent. If it is a separate outline, it has its own title number.
- If the field shows no Land Register title, turn on Indicative Sasines to see whether it has a likely Sasine extent.
- Buy the title sheet for each title (£3.60 each) and read the burdens section for anything that limits use.
- Ask your solicitor to confirm any Sasine land.
Reading a title number
Scottish title numbers start with a code for the registration county, followed by a number. MID, for example, is Midlothian; you'll see others such as LAN (Lanark), GLA (Glasgow) and ABN (Aberdeen). The code reflects the old registration counties used by the register, not today's council areas. Write the full title number down; you'll need it to buy the title sheet or to talk to a solicitor about the property.
Using ScotLIS on a phone
ScotLIS map search works in a mobile browser. Standing at a property, you can use your location, find the title extent around you and compare it with fences, walls and hedges. Remember that both the map and your phone's GPS are approximate.
What ScotLIS doesn't show
- Planning. Zoning and planning applications are with the local council. Search the council's planning portal by address.
- Flood risk. SEPA publishes Scotland's flood maps.
- Core paths and access rights. Scotland's outdoor access rights and core paths are separate from ownership.
- Exact boundaries. The map is indicative; the title plan and, where needed, a surveyor settle the detail.
Business and public versions
Registers of Scotland runs a business version of ScotLIS for solicitors and other professionals, with extra tools. The public version is what this guide covers. For one-off personal searches, the public version and the £3.60 title sheet are usually all you need.
ScotLIS and buying a home
In Scotland, the seller provides a Home Report for most homes, and solicitors handle the title. ScotLIS doesn't replace either, but it lets you check the extent, title number and last price yourself before you make an offer. Looking at the last price paid for nearby titles is also a quick way to understand an area's market.
Common questions
Do I need an account for ScotLIS? Not to browse the map or see the last price paid.
How much is a title sheet? £3.60 including VAT, as RoS published it in October 2026.
Is ScotLIS the same as HM Land Registry? No. Scotland has its own register and fees.
Does ScotLIS cover all of Scotland? The Land Register does not yet cover all land. Unregistered land may appear on the Indicative Sasines layer.
Related guides
- Free land registry maps in the UK
- INSPIRE Index Polygons (England and Wales)
- Scotland parcel map page
Sources
- Registers of Scotland: ScotLIS and Land Register of Scotland.
- Registers of Scotland: Unlocking Sasines and ScotLIS: what's new.
- ScotLIS opened and checked October 24, 2026.