§ I · What Parcelscope is
Parcelscope is a plain-English read of the public environmental record, rendered one parcel at a time.
We read the federal, state, and county records against a single address, and we tell you what the records say in plain English. Each finding shows its source and the date we pulled it. Each report costs forty-nine dollars and arrives in about a day.
We are a publication, not a database. The reports are editorial documents, not data dumps. The methodology is published, not proprietary.
§ II · What we believe
A few principles that shape the work.
We name our sources. Every finding in every report identifies the dataset it came from and the date we retrieved it. If you want to verify a number, you can. We do not paraphrase studies we have not read carefully, and we do not invent data.
We do not surface findings to alarm. A closed underground storage tank a quarter mile away is not a threat. It is a piece of historical context about the neighborhood. We render the record honestly without softening it for comfort or sharpening it for urgency. The reader is an adult, capable of weighing what the geometry means.
We are a publication. The reports are written. The website is written. The methodology is written. We treat language as part of the product. A finding that is technically accurate but poorly written is, to us, a defect.
We read the same records everywhere. Every report is the same careful read — the national record layers in full, the state's own registry on top, each finding measured and cited — at any address in the 48 states and the District of Columbia we score. Depth is the standard, not a regional exception.
We are skeptical of the comprehensive. Several products will sell you a "comprehensive property report" that mixes environmental data with crime statistics, property tax history, ownership records, roof condition, climate models, and a dozen other categories. We have looked at those products carefully. We have decided not to be one. Comprehensive is often shallow. Focused is often useful.
We are skeptical of fear. A lot of consumer due-diligence products lean into fear. "Find out what's wrong before you close." "Discover what they don't want you to see." We are not that. The reader is buying a property, not investigating a crime scene. Our job is to put the public record on the table cleanly and let the reader make their own decisions.
§ III · What we are not
It saves time to say this clearly.
Parcelscope is not a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment. ASTM E1527-21 governs Phase I work; that is the document and that is the standard, and Parcelscope does not satisfy it. If you are buying a commercial property, or a residential property where a Phase I is warranted, hire a licensed environmental consultant.
Parcelscope is not a substitute for a home inspection. The home inspector evaluates the building. We do not.
Parcelscope is not a substitute for a real estate attorney. Your state's disclosure law, deed history, and the legal mechanics of your transaction are properly handled by counsel.
Parcelscope is not a predictive risk model. We read what is in the public record. We do not predict what will be in the record next year, or what specific health or financial outcomes will follow from any given finding. The reader holds that interpretive work.
§ IV · What is next
Parcelscope scores 48 states and the District of Columbia. Arkansas and New Hampshire have their federal and national records read in full, but their state registries aren't scored yet — those two are next. Beyond them, the work is depth: mapped parcel boundaries in more states, recorded value in more counties.
We are not in a rush. Coverage deepens when the work is ready, not when growth pressure pushes us to make claims we cannot fulfill. The next state we bring to full depth will receive the same care as the current one.
If you live somewhere we do not yet score and you want us to get there, write to us. We are listening.
§ V · Contact
For report questions, methodology questions, or anything else: hello@getparcelscope.com
Press inquiries: hello@getparcelscope.com (we will route appropriately)
Why Parcelscope exists, in the founder’s own words: read the letter →
Parcelscope LLC · Nashville, Tennessee