parcel-gis-mcp-server

Third connector in the Hutton SIR Research Agent suite (alongside the FEMA NFHL and Municode connectors). Exposes county/state parcel data and GIS layer identify queries by hitting public government ArcGIS REST services directly — the same "bypass the JS portal, query the service underneath" pattern that made the FEMA connector work.

No API keys. Every upstream source is a public endpoint.

What it solves

The single most consistent failure class in SIR runs: Tier-1 parcel portals (qPublic/Schneider, pbcpao.gov, OCPA, LOJIC apps) are JS-rendered or token-blocked, and the only Tier-2 mirror (FloridaParcels) is FL-only and unreliable. This server resolves the SIR §0A primary key — the parcel identifier — against the open ArcGIS layers those portals sit on top of, and adds point-in-polygon lookups (zoning district, land use, WMD, city limits) plus USGS elevation.

Tools

Tool	Purpose
parcel_lookup	Parcel by identifier (§0A primary key) → attributes + WGS84 centroid. Exact → LIKE → alias-field fallback.
parcel_search_by_address	§0A(5) fallback path when no identifier was supplied.
gis_layer_identify	Point-in-polygon against a registered layer or any ArcGIS layer URL — zoning district, land use, municipal boundary, WMD split checks.
gis_elevation_at_point	USGS EPQS/3DEP ground elevation (SIR topography path 1, Quality Rule 8).
gis_raw_query	Escape hatch (mirrors municode_raw_get): list services, read layer schemas, hand-built queries — how new jurisdictions get onboarded.
gis_registry_list	Show all registered sources/layers with verification status.

The centroid from parcel_lookup chains directly into the FEMA connector (fema_flood_zone_lookup) and gis_elevation_at_point — parcel ID in, flood zone + elevation out, with coordinates carried per Quality Rule 8.

The registry (src/registry.ts)

Coverage grows by adding a registry entry, not writing code — the code-side mirror of the Jurisdiction Portal Registry. Every entry carries a verified date or false (= ⟨verify at run⟩). Shipped seed:

• fl-statewide — FGIO/FDOR cadastral, all 67 FL counties (✅ verified 2026-08-17; schema confirmed: PARCEL_ID, OWN_NAME, PHY_ADDR1, LND_SQFOOT, DOR_UC, S_LEGAL, SALE_*, JV)
• ky-jefferson — LOJIC open OpenDataPVA parcels (✅ verified 2026-08-17 — the open server at gis.lojic.org, not the token-blocked apps.lojic.org one; geometry + PARCELID/PIN/LRSN only)
• ky-state-pva-pattern — kygisserver per-county PVA template (⟨verify at run⟩; Webster confirmed present, Jefferson/Scott confirmed absent)
• tn-statewide-tdec — TDEC statewide parcels mirror for the Chattanooga market (⟨verify at run⟩; returned 403 to one non-browser client 2026-08-17)
• Identify layers: ky-jefferson-landuse (✅ listed), fl-wmd-boundaries + fl-municipal-boundaries (URL to pin at first use)

Onboarding a new jurisdiction: gis_raw_query the county's /rest/services directory → find the parcel/zoning layer → read its field schema (f=json on the layer root) → add a ParcelSource/IdentifyLayer entry → commit → Render auto-deploys.

Local development

npm install
npm run build
npm start                      # listens on :3000, MCP endpoint = POST /mcp
node test/live-test.mjs        # smoke test against localhost

Note: from inside a sandboxed/proxied environment outbound calls may be blocked; run the smoke test against the deployed URL instead:

node test/live-test.mjs https://YOUR-SERVICE.onrender.com/mcp

Deploy (GitHub → Render)

Same process as the FEMA and Municode connectors — see DEPLOYMENT.md for the full step-by-step. Short version: push this repo to GitHub → Render "New Web Service" from the repo → build npm install && npm run build, start npm start → connector URL is https://<service>.onrender.com/mcp.