It's easy to mistake these for postal codes because they often appear right next to city and state names in database headers. While the true ZIP code system was designed in 1963 to speed up mail delivery, these longer identifiers are designed for administrative and legal precision.
Below is a blog post exploring the common confusion between long identification numbers and ZIP codes, using the real estate context of "038350" as an example. Decoding the Digits: Is 038350 a ZIP Code?
Beyond listings, these digits often appear as or Assessor's Parcel Numbers (APNs) .
It's easy to mistake these for postal codes because they often appear right next to city and state names in database headers. While the true ZIP code system was designed in 1963 to speed up mail delivery, these longer identifiers are designed for administrative and legal precision.
Below is a blog post exploring the common confusion between long identification numbers and ZIP codes, using the real estate context of "038350" as an example. Decoding the Digits: Is 038350 a ZIP Code?
Beyond listings, these digits often appear as or Assessor's Parcel Numbers (APNs) .