How GroundRules handles public records.

GroundRules retrieves publicly available records for a given property address, including assessor data, GIS parcel geometry, zoning source documents, hazard layer overlays, and jurisdiction identifiers.

Each data point is tied to a named source with a retrieval date. The report shows the source, what it says, and whether it agrees with other sources for the same property.

Records are retrieved, not interpreted. GroundRules shows what public sources say — it does not interpolate, extrapolate, or fill gaps with assumptions.

Source links and retrieval dates are included so you can verify findings independently. If a source is unavailable, that is noted as unknown rather than silently excluded.

A contradiction is flagged when two or more authoritative public sources report different values for the same fact about a property.

Contradictions are surfaced near the top of the report because they often indicate the source-of-record question has not been resolved yet.

Unknown means a value could not be retrieved from available public sources at the time of the screen.

This is not the same as the value not existing. It means GroundRules did not find it in the sources it checks, or the source was unavailable. Unknown is shown explicitly rather than omitted.

Public records change. A zoning designation, hazard overlay, or parcel boundary that was correct six months ago may have been updated. Source links let you go to the authoritative source directly. Retrieval dates tell you when GroundRules last checked.

If a retrieval date is stale, GroundRules flags the finding as needing verification rather than presenting it as current.

• —GroundRules does not claim to provide permit approval or pre-approval.
• —GroundRules does not claim to provide legal, zoning, architectural, engineering, or survey advice.
• —GroundRules does not claim to certify buildability or development feasibility.
• —GroundRules does not claim to issue a zoning determination or planning department opinion.
• —GroundRules does not claim that its findings are error-free. Public records themselves contain errors.
• —GroundRules does not replace professional title review, legal counsel, or engineering due diligence.

When a property is flagged — because of contradictions, missing sources, hazard flags, jurisdiction ambiguity, or overlay constraints — a human reviewer checks the source-backed findings before the packet is delivered.

The human review step is meant to catch cases where an automated contradiction flag needs additional context, or where sources need to be cross-referenced before the finding is presented. The reviewer does not resolve contradictions by assuming an answer — they call out what the records say and what still needs verification.

Human-reviewed packets are available for $149 per property, ordered after the initial batch screen identifies a property worth a closer look.