How to Get a Title Search on a Property
Meta description: Learn how to get a title search on a property, where to find public records, what a title company checks, and how to review liens and ownership issues.
A property title search checks public records to identify the property’s owners and reveal recorded claims or restrictions that could affect a sale, refinance, or transfer. A buyer can request one through a title company, real estate attorney, or, in some areas, a county recorder’s office. The right option depends on the transaction, local recording practices, and how much risk the search needs to address.
What a Property Title Search Does
A title search is a review of documents recorded in public land records. These may include deeds, mortgages, tax liens, court judgments, easements, and other documents connected to a property. The search helps establish who holds title and whether recorded interests could limit ownership or create financial or legal obligations.
In a typical real estate transaction, a title professional searches records using the property’s legal description, parcel number, address, and names of current and prior owners. The search period varies. A professional may trace ownership back through a series of transfers—often called the chain of title—or examine records for a period determined by local practice and the transaction.
A title search is not a guarantee that a property has no problems. Public records can contain errors, documents may be missing or misindexed, and some claims or risks may not appear in the records searched. A search also differs from title insurance, which may provide coverage for certain covered losses under the policy’s terms and exclusions.
When to Get a Title Search
Title searches are commonly ordered during a home purchase or refinance. They may also be useful before accepting an inherited property, buying land, transferring ownership, or resolving a dispute about ownership. A lender generally requires a title review and lender’s title insurance when financing a purchase, but that does not automatically mean the buyer has an owner’s policy.
For a purchase, the search is often part of the closing process. The buyer’s lender, real estate agent, attorney, or closing professional may coordinate it, depending on state practice. Buyers should ask who ordered the search, what records and time period it covers, and whether an owner’s title insurance policy is being offered.
For a private transaction or an early-stage investigation, a person can contact a title company or real estate attorney directly. A self-directed public-record search can help locate documents, but it may not provide the same analysis as a professional title examination.
How to Get a Title Search on a Property
1. Gather the Property Information
Start with the property’s street address and, if available, its parcel identification number, tax map number, or legal description. The legal description identifies the land in a way that is more precise than a mailing address. It may appear on a deed, tax record, survey, or prior closing document.
Gather the current owner’s full legal name and, if possible, the names of prior owners. Names alone can be unreliable because different people may share the same name, and records may use initials, former names, or variations in spelling. A parcel number and legal description help narrow the search.
2. Choose Who Will Perform the Search
The most practical choices are a title company, a real estate attorney, or the local office that maintains land records. In many counties, recorded deeds and liens are held by a recorder, register of deeds, county clerk, or another designated office. The office name and responsibilities vary by state and county.
- Title company: Commonly handles title searches for purchases and refinances, prepares a title commitment, and may coordinate closing services and title insurance.
- Real estate attorney: Can conduct or review a search and advise on legal issues, with the role depending on the state and transaction.
- County land-records office: May offer in-person or online access to recorded documents. Staff can explain how to locate records, but generally do not provide legal advice or a complete title opinion.
When comparing providers, ask what the search includes, how far back it goes, whether it covers tax and court records, what the fee is, and whether the provider will explain any exceptions or unresolved issues. Fees vary by location, property, and service. A basic document search may cost less than a full title examination prepared for a transaction.
3. Request the Search and Define Its Scope
Give the provider the property details and explain why the search is needed—for example, a purchase, refinance, inheritance, or private sale. Ask whether the search will cover the current owner and prior owners, recorded liens, taxes, easements, judgments, and other relevant records. The scope and terminology differ by provider and jurisdiction.
For a purchase, ask whether the provider will issue a title commitment or similar preliminary report. This document typically describes the proposed insurance coverage, identifies requirements that must be met before the policy can be issued, and lists exceptions that will not be covered. It is not itself the final policy.
4. Review the Results and Resolve Issues
Read the search results or title commitment carefully. Confirm that the owner’s name and legal description match the transaction documents. Review every listed requirement and exception, and ask the title professional or attorney to explain unfamiliar terms. If a lien or ownership issue appears, identify who is responsible for resolving it and what evidence will be required before closing.
Some issues can be addressed with a payoff, release, correction, affidavit, probate document, or court order. The appropriate remedy depends on the record and local law. Buyers should not assume that a seller’s promise to resolve an item is enough; the closing professional should confirm that the required documentation has been recorded or otherwise accepted.
5. Confirm the Final Documents
At closing, check that required title conditions have been satisfied and that any agreed payoff or release is being handled. After the transaction, retain the deed, closing statement, title commitment, and final title insurance policy, if purchased. The deed is generally recorded in the appropriate local land-records office, though recording procedures and timing vary.
How to Search Public Property Records Yourself
People can often perform an initial search through a county’s official land-records website or at the records office. Start by identifying the county where the property is located. Search for the county recorder, register of deeds, or equivalent office, and use its official website rather than an unfamiliar third-party site when possible.
- Search by parcel number or legal description. These identifiers can reduce confusion between properties with similar addresses.
- Find the latest deed. Note the grantee, grantor, recording date, document number, and legal description. The grantee is the person or entity receiving the property; the grantor is the person or entity conveying it.
- Trace earlier deeds. Use the names in each deed to locate prior transfers and check whether the ownership history appears consistent.
- Look for recorded encumbrances. Search available indexes for mortgages, deeds of trust, liens, easements, judgments, restrictions, and releases or satisfactions.
- Check related official records. Depending on the property and locality, tax offices, courts, or other agencies may maintain records relevant to unpaid taxes, judgments, or land-use matters.
- Save the source documents. Record document numbers and dates, and obtain copies when needed. An index entry is not a substitute for reading the underlying document.
Online records may be incomplete, delayed, difficult to search, or available only for certain years. Some counties charge for copies or online access. A county tax assessor’s website can help identify parcel details and assessed values, but tax data is not a substitute for a title search.
What a Title Search May Reveal
| Record or issue | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Ownership deeds | Show recorded transfers and help establish the chain of title. |
| Mortgage or deed of trust | May indicate a loan secured by the property; a payoff and recorded release may be needed after repayment or at closing. |
| Tax, judgment, or contractor lien | May create a claim against the property or complicate transfer, subject to applicable law and the specific record. |
| Easement | May give another party a defined right to use part of the property, such as access or utility access. |
| Restrictions or covenants | May limit certain uses or changes; enforceability and scope depend on the document and law. |
| Probate, divorce, or estate documents | May affect who has authority to transfer the property or whether additional documents are required. |
A recorded document does not automatically mean a problem exists. For example, a mortgage may already have been paid but not properly released in the records. Conversely, a clean-looking online index does not prove that every possible ownership issue has been found.
Title Search vs. Title Insurance
A title search is a review of records. Title insurance is a policy that may cover specified losses from certain title defects, subject to the policy’s terms, exclusions, and conditions. The search helps identify known issues before closing; insurance can address some covered risks that were not discovered or resolved. These are related services, but they are not interchangeable.
In many financed purchases, the lender requires a lender’s title insurance policy to protect its loan interest. That policy generally protects the lender, not the homeowner’s equity. An owner’s policy is a separate policy that may protect the buyer’s ownership interest. Buyers should review the proposed coverage, exceptions, premium, and policy form with the closing professional or an attorney. The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains that title services and title insurance may appear among closing costs on a Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure.
Common Title Search Problems
- Unreleased mortgage: A paid loan still appears as open because a satisfaction or release was not recorded or indexed.
- Missing heir or co-owner: A deed may not reflect all interests created through inheritance, marriage, or a prior transfer.
- Name or legal-description error: A typo or incorrect property description can make a document difficult to match or create uncertainty.
- Boundary or access concern: A title search may identify recorded easements, but a survey may be needed to evaluate boundaries, encroachments, or the location of improvements.
- Unrecorded or hard-to-find claim: Some risks may not appear in the records examined, which is one reason a search cannot establish that title is risk-free.
When a significant issue arises, the buyer should request a written explanation and a clear plan for resolving it before closing. A real estate attorney can help assess legal consequences, while a surveyor may be needed for boundary questions. The title company can explain what it will require to issue a policy, but its role is not necessarily the same as representing the buyer’s legal interests.
Questions to Ask Before Ordering
- Which public records and jurisdictions will be searched?
- How far back will the ownership history be examined?
- Does the service include tax, court, and lien searches, or are those separate?
- Will the results include copies of the recorded documents?
- Will the provider issue a title commitment or written report?
- What issues must be resolved before closing, and who will handle them?
- Is an owner’s title insurance policy included or optional, and what does it cover?
For a U.S. property transaction, the simplest route is usually to ask the closing agent, lender, or real estate attorney which title company is handling the search and request the resulting commitment early enough to review it. For independent research, begin with the official county land-records office, but treat a do-it-yourself search as an initial check rather than a substitute for professional review when substantial money or legal rights are at stake.
Helpful resources: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau closing disclosures and costs; American Land Title Association; and the official recorder or register of deeds website for the county where the property is located.