Title Search vs Parcel Search: Which One to Use
Updated 3 November 2026 · Land & Property editorial team
Run a title search on the UgNLIS portal when you have the title's numbers: a volume and folio, or the county, block and plot shown for that land. Run a parcel search when you know where the plot is but not the title numbers: the county, municipality or town council, then the block or road and the plot. Each search costs UGX 10,000 as of November 2026.
- Title search needs
- Volume and folio, or county, block and plot (as the system indicates)
- Parcel search needs
- County, municipality or town council; block or road; plot
- Fee
- UGX 10,000 per search (MLHUD poster)
- Mailo land usually found by
- County, block and plot
What is the difference between a title search and a parcel search?
A title search asks the system about a specific certificate of title. A parcel search asks about a piece of land at a location. The Ministry of Lands poster for the public portal puts it this way: for a title search, enter the details of the title, meaning the volume and folio numbers or the county, block and plot numbers as the system indicates for that land. For a parcel search, enter the details of the plot, including the county or municipality or town council, and the block or road and plot number where the parcel is.
Both cost UGX 10,000 per search, as of November 2026, paid by crediting a registered account. If you are new to the portal, read UgNLIS land search first. This page helps you choose the right search and avoid wasted fees. The legal background is in our Uganda land law guide.
What is a volume and folio?
Volume and folio are the address of a title in the Register Book. The Registration of Titles Act (section 38) says each certificate of title is a separate folium, or page, of the Register Book. Section 46 says a certificate is registered once the registrar marks on it the volume and folium, or the block and plot number. So a volume and folio is like a book and page number.
An MLHUD procedure sheet on searching a land title, dated March 2011, lists what to give the registry for each tenure: county, block and plot for mailo land, and the register volume and folio for leasehold and for freehold. Section 38(5) and (6) of the Act explain why: where the register is kept in parts by area, each certificate carries the block and plot number, and references to volume or folium are read as references to that block or plot. So on a mailo title you may see block and plot where a freehold title shows volume and folio. See How to Read a Certificate of Title in Uganda for a tour of the document.
Which search should I use, given what I have?
| What you have | Search to run | What to enter |
|---|---|---|
| A copy of a freehold or leasehold title | Title search | Volume and folio from the title |
| A copy of a mailo title | Title search | County, block and plot from the title |
| Only a location and a plot number from a seller | Parcel search | County, municipality or town council, then block or road, then plot |
| A sale agreement with a block and plot but no title copy | Parcel search, then ask for the title | County, block and plot as written; compare the result with what the seller shows |
| A transaction receipt from a Ministry Zonal Office | Transaction status search | The transaction number on the receipt |
If both are possible, a title search is more direct because it goes to the certificate itself. A parcel search is useful when the seller is vague, or when you want to check whether the plot they describe really corresponds to the title they hold. Neither search replaces a registry search letter, which is signed by a Registrar of Titles. See how to read land search report.
What do county, block and plot mean on mailo land?
On the Third Schedule land register form in the Registration of Titles Act, a parcel is identified by its county or town, its block number and its plot number, together with the district and the area in acres. Block and plot go together: a plot sits within a block within a county. A plot number alone does not name a title, because the form uses all three. For the numbering in detail, read Mailo Block and Plot Numbers Explained and Mailo Land Explained for Buyers.
In Land & Property listings, Nov 2026, 18 of the 21 plot listings state mailo tenure, one states freehold and two give no tenure. That is why most of our buyers will use county, block and plot. A listing that does not state tenure is a reason to ask the seller for the title details and run both searches.
What are the common errors?
- Swapping block and plot. Typing the plot where the block should go can return another parcel or nothing.
- Dropping the county. The county is part of the address on the register form, so enter it as the portal asks.
- Using the estate name. A developer's name for an estate is not a register reference. Ask which title the estate sits on, and see how to verify land title Uganda.
- Mixing tenures. Using volume and folio for a mailo plot, or block and plot for a freehold title, when the title says otherwise.
- Transposed digits. One wrong digit may return a valid but different title. Always compare the proprietor and area against the seller.
- Condominium units. Apartments can have their own condominium certificate separate from the master title. The ministry's May 2025 MZO schedule lists issuing condominium certificates as a separate service. See condominium title vs master title.
- Trusting a search without a date. Record the date and search again before paying.
Can I search with only a plot number?
Usually not. The statutory register form ties a plot to a block and county, and the poster asks for the location, block or road and plot in a parcel search. If a seller gives only a plot number, ask for the block, the county and the title copy before you spend money. Do not guess. A wrong guess may return a real title for someone else's land, and you might think you have a match.
When you have the right numbers, you can order a title check, or browse plot listings to see how sellers describe tenure and location.
Frequently asked questions
What is a volume and folio?
A volume and folio is the address of a title in the Register Book: the volume is the book and the folio the page. Each certificate of title is a separate folium. On mailo land the register may instead use county, block and plot, which the law treats as the same kind of reference.
Can I search with only a plot number?
Usually not. The register form identifies land by county, block and plot together, and a UgNLIS parcel search asks for location, block or road, and plot. Ask the seller for the block, county and a copy of the title before paying for a search.
Which search should I run for mailo land?
Mailo land is normally found by county, block and plot. If you have a copy of the title, run a title search with those numbers. If you only have a location, run a parcel search and then ask for the title to compare.
How much does each search cost?
The Ministry of Lands poster says UGX 10,000 for each search in the public portal, whether it is a title search or a parcel search. Fees are credited to a registered account through the Uganda Revenue Authority.
What if the search finds nothing?
Check the digits and the tenure type first. If the numbers are right, the title may not be digitised, so ask the registry for a search letter. Do not pay the seller until you have confirmed the title exists and matches.
Sources
- How to conduct an online search using the Lands Public Portal (UgNLIS poster), MLHUD (accessed 2026-11)
- How to carry out a physical search on a land title (MLHUD Transactions Procedures Series 1), MLHUD (accessed 2026-11)
- Registration of Titles Act (Cap. 230 text; section numbers to be checked against the revised edition), Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development (MLHUD) (accessed 2026-11)
- MZO Service Costs (2 May 2025), MLHUD (accessed 2026-11)
- UgNLIS: Uganda National Land Information System, MLHUD (accessed 2026-11)