HomeMy Public PortalAboutMSD Accela ACA Searching Tip SheetMSD Accela Citizen Access (ACA) Searching Tips
2-5-2019
In addition to general development review project information, ACA stores information on all MSD easements
and easement vacations. There are several other types of records the system also stores. See the table on
the following page for information on all the record types stored in ACA.
The ACA URL can be saved as a favorite in your browser or as a shortcut on your desktop:
https://aca3.accela.com/STLMSD/Default.aspx
On the login screen, login then select the MSD tab. A search screen will appear.
(You may need to scroll down to get to the search screen.)
General info on wildcard characters in General Search section of ACA: * or % can be used
o * or % at end of a string will find anything beginning with that string (val* returns valley as well as
valentine)
o * or % at beginning of a string will find anything ending with that string (%ary returns Gary as well as Mary)
o * or % at beginning and end of a string will find anything containing that string (%vet* returns veterans as
well as Olivette)
o % can be used in the middle of a string; it will only return results beginning with the part of the string before
the %, but will return items with text beyond what is listed after the % (river%peres will return River Des
Peres & Woodson Channel Relocation; iver%des returns nothing)
TO SEARCH PROJECTS:
• Change the year in the start date of the search to 1950
• Select Record Type = Project
• Enter search criteria under Record Number or Project
Name
o P-number format P001234500
o Accela job format YYMSD-12345
(YY is year the project was created)
If more than one record is returned, select the record number you wish to view. On the screen that appears,
the Record Info tab provides access to detailed info about the project:
• Images of plans, reports and correspondence are under
Attachments
Select the file name to open the file
Tip: if searching multiple projects for which you know the exact project number or project name, you can
initiate subsequent searches from the box at the top right of the screen. Note: you cannot use wildcard
characters in this search box. See screenshot below:
To return to the initial search screen, select the MSD tab. (same tab you selected at the start)
TO SEARCH EASEMENTS:
• Change the year in the start date of the search to 1950
• Select Record Type Easement
• Recommend searching by Parcel Number; results from using Address are not as reliable
• To search for all easements on a certain project, use the project number as the Project Name
Sample results follow. Select the Record Number to open the file.
FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF THE VARIOUS RECORD TYPES THAT CAN BE ACCESSED USING ACA:
Record ID Naming convention
ID Record Type
MSD Project Record
EASMT Easement
ENCRO Encroachment
VACAT Vacation
MAINT Maintenance Agreement
FLPLS Floodplain Study
CNCPB Basic Conceptual Project Record
CNCPD Detailed Conceptual Project Record
INFOR Info File
BMPUA BMP Permit
BLDST Build Structure Permit
CONCT Connection Permit
MODST Modify Structure Permit
REACH Reach Permit
SPECI Special Item Permit