Free Public Deed Records: Your Search Guide and Expert Tips

Cindy Ellis - April 4, 2023

Accessing public deed records is something that many individuals find they need to do from time to time. However, the process of finding free public deed records may seem daunting and confusing, especially if you’ve never done it before.

Our search guide for free public deed records aims to help you understand how to access the public deed records you need, understand any fees associated with these records, and find the information you need with ease.

Read on to learn everything you need to know about free public deed records.

What Are Public Deed Records?

Public deed records are those records that detail the ownership of property and how it changes hands throughout the years.

Officially speaking, these documents show a transfer of the property’s title between a grantor and a grantee, something that keeps a record of the property and its sale and ownership history. If you have a deed to a property and you are listed on it, you are either the seller or the owner depending on your situation.

Property and deed records are considered public records by most states, but you should check with your specific jurisdiction to see the laws and regulations surrounding deed records. You may be able to have full access to free public deed records in your state, or you may need to complete a few different processes and pay fees to access these records. Learning this information is the best first step in finding the information you need.

Reasons to Find a Public Deed Record

There are many reasons why you might be searching for a public deed record. We list some of the most common reasons for this search below:

• You may be looking to see the owner of a property because you are interested in purchasing.
• You want to see the history of a property you own or one that you are researching for sale.
• You need to check property records to see if there are any liens or unpaid taxes on a property, as these can cause issues in the future after you purchase or attempt to sell a property.
• You want to be sure that there are no easements on your property that could interfere with your ownership or sale of it.

This list isn’t comprehensive, so you may have another reason for finding public deed records. As long as you aren’t using the information you’ve learned illegally, any reason for researching these records is valid.

Can You Access Public Deed Records for Free?

You may be able to access public deed records for free, but this depends on your state and the regulations surrounding the records.

Most public records are, as the name suggests, available to the public, but some records offices, tax offices, and other state courts do charge fees so you can access them. These fees are designed to help with the upkeep of records and the staff that it takes to keep all of the public deed records filed.

Whether you visit a records office online or in person, keep in mind that you may need to pay a minimal fee to access the full version of a report.

Ways to Access Public Deed Records

If you are looking for public deed records, you will, fortunately, find several different easy ways to access them. Keep in mind that these methods might vary slightly due to your state’s specific regulations. Always perform a more detailed search with your state’s records offices for the exact process you will need to follow to access this information.

Search Tax Records

Tax offices are often where property deeds and property ownership information are kept, as every property owner must pay taxes on their property. These tax offices may have other data about the property such as lien and debt information. You may also be able to access information about easements with the tax office.

For this search method, go online to your jurisdiction’s tax offices (this is typically handled on a county level) or the tax offices in the county where the property you are researching is located. From there, type in the address of the property you are searching for in the search bar where applicable. You should be able to see information about the property and access its records.

If you need to go in person to your county’s tax records office, speak to a staff member about what you are looking for. Be prepared to provide the name of the property you are researching and other identifying information about yourself before you are granted access to a property deed.

Access County Property Records

Another great place to search is county records offices, courthouses, and dedicated property records offices. These offices typically hold deed records and other types of property information that might be helpful in your search to learn the history of a property or prepare a property for purchase.

To find out which office in the property’s jurisdiction holds these records, perform a quick internet search with the phrase “property deed records” and the state or specific county you are searching in. You will then be able to access online records websites if they are available or locate the address to go in person to a county records office or courthouse for more information.

Much like tax records, you may be required to pay a fee to obtain copies of property deeds or other public property records when using this search method.

Use an Online Search Tool

An online search tool is an easy way to speed up your property deed search and gather all the important information about a property, such as ownership and property history, in one place. For this search method, you will need to use an online public record search tool like the one on Information.com.

Input the address that you are researching into the search bar, run the search, and allow the online tool to provide you with a compiled report of all of the publicly available information about the property. You will then be able to do further research on the property owners and the history of the property as needed.

Free Public Deed Records FAQs

When you are searching for free public deed records, you may have a few important questions. Review our answers to the most frequently asked questions about free public deed records for clarification.

Is It Legal to Search for Deed Records?

Yes, it’s legal to search for deed and property records, even if they don’t belong specifically to you, because these records are generally considered public information. You will need to double-check with your state’s rules and regulations regarding what counts as public record and the specific processes for accessing public deed records in your property’s jurisdiction.

What if I Can’t Find a Public Deed Record?

If you can’t find a specific public deed record, there may be a few reasons why. To start with, the address you are searching for might be misspelled or inaccurate. If you are searching via name, the name you have might be different from the name that the person uses to pay their property taxes or has listed on their deed.

Any troubles with finding a public deed record should be directed to the staff at the tax office, courthouse, or county records office so you can get clarification and situation-specific help.

Are There Fees for Public Deed Records?

In most cases, you will need to pay a fee to access public deed records. These fees are typically required by county records and tax offices, and they contribute to the cost of upkeeping the records and processing the records that you are requesting to access.

That being said, whether or not you can access free public deed records or not depends on your state’s regulations and the specific records you are trying to access. Check with state tax offices and other records offices for more information.

What Other Types of Public Records Can I Search?

Deed records are not the only type of public record you may be able to search when it comes to looking up information about a specific property. You may also be able to find property records such as tax records, histories of liens or debt tied to a property, information about easements, and other important property history information.

Check which records are considered public in your state or county to find more information on what you can and cannot legally access as a member of the public.

Gathering the Record Information You Need

When it comes to looking for deed records, you may be overwhelmed by the concept of searching through property records and tax offices to find valuable information. However, this process doesn’t need to be as confusing as you may think, and there are three great ways you can get started searching for free public deed records.

Make sure you keep in mind that every state has varying processes for accessing this information, so you should double-check with your state’s regulations at the very beginning of your search. Once you do this, you will easily be able to find the public deed record information you need.