Guide
Overview
Property records are the most open public records in the country because ownership has to be provable. Every county keeps three sets: the recorder or register of deeds holds the deeds, mortgages, liens and releases in a grantor and grantee index, the assessor holds the valuation of every parcel with the owner's name and the property characteristics, and the tax collector or treasurer holds the tax bills and payments. Most counties put the assessor's search online free, many put the recorded documents online, and the tax records follow.
A property search by address or owner name in the assessor's database gives the owner, the assessed value, the lot size, the building details and the sales history. The deed itself, with the legal description and the price, comes from the recorder, and a title search reads the chain of deeds and the liens against the parcel back through the index.
Official sources on this page were checked on September 25, 2026.
Guide
Deeds & Title Records
- BLM General Land Office Records Federal land records, patents, surveys, and historical land office documents from the Bureau of Land Management.
- MERS Servicer Identification Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems database for identifying loan servicers and mortgage holders.
Guide
Property Search Tools
- IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search Search nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations registered with the Internal Revenue Service.
- EPA Envirofacts EPA's database of environmental information including air, water, and toxics data tied to property locations.
Guide
Assessor, recorder and tax collector
The assessor's parcel search is where to start. It is free in nearly every county, searched by address, owner or parcel number, and it shows the assessment that the tax bill is based on. The recorder's index is searched by name and shows the documents recorded against the person or the parcel, with the images online in many counties and on microfilm at the courthouse elsewhere. The tax collector's search shows whether taxes are paid and whether the parcel is headed for a tax sale. The county directory on this site lists all three offices for every county.
Guide
Deeds, mortgages, liens and title
A deed transfers ownership and is recorded to give notice to the world, and the recorded mortgage, the release when it is paid and any lien filed by a contractor, a tax agency or a judgment creditor all sit in the same index. A title search reads the chain of ownership back for decades and lists the unreleased liens, and a title company insures the result. The Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems lookup shows the servicer of a mortgage registered with MERS. Foreclosures are recorded as a notice of default or a lis pendens and then a trustee's or sheriff's deed.
Guide
Federal land and environmental records
The Bureau of Land Management's General Land Office records hold the original federal land patents, surveys and homestead records for the public land states from 1788 onward, searchable by name and location, which is where a chain of title begins in the West and Midwest. The Environmental Protection Agency's databases show regulated sites, spills and Superfund listings by address, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency's flood maps show the flood zone of any parcel.
Straight answers
Property Records Search, questions
How do I find out who owns a property?
Search the county assessor's parcel database by address, which is free in nearly every county and shows the owner, the assessed value and the property details. The deed with the full legal description comes from the county recorder.
Are deeds and mortgages public?
Yes. Deeds, mortgages, releases and liens are recorded with the county recorder or register of deeds in a public index, and many counties put the document images online.
What is a title search?
A reading of the chain of recorded deeds and the liens against a parcel, usually back 40 to 60 years, to confirm the owner can convey clear title. Title companies perform them and insure the result, and anyone can do a basic one in the recorder's index.