catastrales

Catastrales is an adjective used to describe matters related to the cadastre, a public system that inventories land and property for official purposes. The term is commonly applied to the data, boundaries, parcels, and values associated with real estate as recorded by government authorities. In many contexts it also appears in phrases such as valores catastrales (cadastral values) or parcelas catastrales (cadastral parcels).

A cadastre is an official register and mapping framework that captures the location, extent, and attributes of land parcels. Its primary purposes are taxation, land use planning, and spatial management. Typical elements include a parcel identifier, geometric boundaries, area, land use or classification, building information when applicable, and a cadastral value used for tax assessments. Cadastral data are often maintained in geographic information systems and may be accessible to the public to varying degrees.

Catastral data are usually distinct from land registry records. The cadastre focuses on location, size, value, and use, whereas the land registry (where it exists) records ownership, transfers, and liens. Although related, ownership evidence and legal title are not always determined by cadastral records alone. The exact scope and legal weight of cadastre information vary by country, with some jurisdictions placing significant taxation and planning authority on cadastral data and others providing more limited use.

Applications of catastrales data include property taxation, urban and rural planning, real estate transactions, and risk assessment. Because cadastral values often differ from market values, they are typically used for fiscal purposes rather than as a sole indicator of property price.