Is this a substitute for a land survey?

No. Unfenced states clearly that it is an analysis of publicly available boundary data — not a survey and not a listing service. Buyers should obtain a professional survey before purchase.

Unfenced is a project of Other Waters Studio, a design studio in Philadelphia. Parcel data is provided by Realie and imagery comes from USGS The National Map.

Unfenced — Land for sale that borders public land

Unfenced is a searchable directory of land for sale in the United States that borders public land — national forests, game lands, wildlife management areas, and wilderness. Rather than trusting listing descriptions, it measures each parcel's boundaries against USGS PAD-US 4.1 public-land boundary data, showing exactly how many feet of measured shared boundary a property has. It currently tracks 13,626 properties identified from 695,439 active listings across 49 regions (all states except DC and ND), with data refreshed about weekly.

Key Features

Measured boundary verification

Every property's shared boundary with public land is measured from actual parcel boundaries against USGS PAD-US 4.1, not taken from listing descriptions. Listings display the exact footage (e.g., 5,240 ft of measured boundary).

Map-based browsing

An interactive national map lets you zoom, drag, and tap or click any state to see its measured properties, or search for land within 100 miles of your location.

State-by-state browsing

Browse properties by state, with coverage counts per state — e.g., Colorado (1,396), California (836), Utah (645), Arizona (642), and Washington (638).

Adjacent public land identification

Each listing shows which public land unit a parcel touches, such as the Medford Grants Pass Field Office, Cliff Pitts Wildlife Management Area, or Buffalo National River.

Weekly data refresh

The database of 695,439 active listings is re-analyzed approximately every week, keeping the 13,626-property index current.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Boundary claims are independently measured against official USGS PAD-US data instead of trusting listing descriptions
Large coverage: 13,626 verified properties drawn from 695,439 active listings across 49 states
Shows precise measured footage of shared public-land boundary for each property
Free to browse with an interactive national map, location-based search, and state browsing
Transparent methodology — openly states it is an analysis of public boundary data, not a survey

Cons

Who It's For

Best for

Hunters, hikers, and outdoor enthusiasts looking for land with direct walk-out access to public forests, game lands, or wilderness
Rural land buyers who want verified public-land adjacency rather than unverified listing claims
Anyone researching land purchases by state or within 100 miles of a specific location

Not ideal for

Buyers seeking a full-service real estate brokerage or listing transaction platform
People who need a guaranteed legal boundary determination — the site is a data analysis, not a land survey
Buyers located in or targeting North Dakota or Washington, DC, which currently have no measured properties

Use Cases

Finding rural land or acreage where you can walk directly from your property onto national forest, wildlife management areas, or other public land

Comparing properties by how much public-land boundary footage they share rather than relying on listing claims

Researching land purchases in a specific state or within 100 miles of your location using the interactive map

FAQ

What does Unfenced actually measure?

It measures each for-sale parcel's boundary against official USGS PAD-US 4.1 public-land boundary maps to determine whether and how much of the property directly borders public land such as forests, game lands, and wilderness — the footage shown (e.g., 5,240 ft of measured boundary) comes from parcel boundary data, not listing descriptions.

How many properties and listings does it cover?

As of October 12, 2026, Unfenced has measured 13,626 properties bordering public land from a search of 695,439 active listings, covering 49 regions. The data is refreshed about every week.

Which states are covered?

49 US regions are covered, with the most measured properties in Colorado (1,396), California (836), Utah (645), Arizona (642), Washington (638), Hawaii (631), and Oregon (611). There are currently no properties in DC or North Dakota.

How do I search for land near me?

Unfenced