How to Search Nationwide Property Records
U.S. property records are kept at the county level — there is no federal property registry. To research ownership, taxes, or liens, start with the county where the property sits.
- County recorder/register of deeds: where every deed, mortgage, and most liens are filed
- County assessor: official assessed value (NOT the same as market value)
- County treasurer/tax collector: current tax amount owed and paid
- Federal land records: glorecords.blm.gov — BLM General Land Office
- Federal tax liens: irs.gov — IRS filed liens
Population
334,914,895
Households
128,500,000
Median Income
$74,580
Median Home Value
$420,800
SearchSystems Editorial
Edited by Sam Rokni — Editor & Owner, SearchSystems.net. Public records professional since 1999. NAPBS founding member. Full bio & credentials.
Last reviewed: June 04, 2026 · Methodology: all source URLs verified against the official .gov / .uscourts.gov / .cdc.gov / .eac.gov / .fbi.gov publisher on the review date. 4 primary .gov sources cited below.
Property Records — Key Numbers (2026)
Deeds, assessments, taxes, and ownership history — where every U.S. property record actually lives in 2026.
158M+
Properties in U.S. county records
ATTOM Data 2026
3,143
U.S. counties/equivalents
Each maintains its own
50
State property tax structures
All different
103
Open assessor datasets on data.gov
Catalog Jan 2026
~22%
Avg effective property tax band
Varies by state
100%
County-level (not federal)
No national registry
Deeds
100
Assessments
100
Taxes
100
Liens
95
UCC
60
Mortgages
100
Unit: % kept at county level. Source: see Primary Sources below.
What Changed in 2026 — Property Records
2026-01-27
Cook County assessor dataset refreshed
Data.gov refreshed Cook County (IL) real estate sales data used for Fair Cash Value estimates.
2026-Q1
Texas preliminary 2026 values posted
Texas appraisal districts published 2026 PRELIMINARY values, subject to certification.
2026
ATTOM data coverage expanded
ATTOM expanded assessor API coverage to 158M+ U.S. properties via Bulk, API, and Cloud delivery.
2026
Lincoln Institute database update
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy updated its Significant Features of the Property Tax database covering all 50 states.
The 5-Tier Property Records Stack
1
Tier 1 — Deed/title
County Recorder or Register of Deeds. The legal record of ownership.
2
Tier 2 — Assessment
County Assessor. The taxable value (NOT market value).
3
Tier 3 — Tax
County Treasurer/Tax Collector. Amount owed and paid.
4
Tier 4 — Liens & UCC
County Recorder + Secretary of State (UCC). Encumbrances on the property.
5
Tier 5 — Mortgages
County Recorder. Filed alongside the deed.
Five Things People Get Wrong About Property Records
❌ Myth: "Zillow shows the official value."
✓ Truth: False. Zillow's Zestimate is an algorithm. The official value is the County Assessor's.
❌ Myth: "There's a national property database."
✓ Truth: False. There is no federal property record. All 3,143 counties maintain their own.
❌ Myth: "Assessed value = market value."
✓ Truth: False. Assessed value is for tax purposes only. Most states assess below market.
❌ Myth: "I can see the mortgage balance online."
✓ Truth: False. The recorded mortgage shows the original amount, not the current balance.
❌ Myth: "County records show all liens."
✓ Truth: Partially false. Federal tax liens (IRS) and UCC filings often live elsewhere (SoS office).
Primary Sources (All .gov / Official)
- data.gov — Assessor datasets — 103 federal-cataloged county assessor datasets
- texas.gov — Property tax transparency — Texas statewide property data
- lincolninst.edu — Property tax database — All 50 states tax structure
- ncsl.org — State property tax — State-by-state tax legislation
- hud.gov — Property data — Federal housing programs
- irs.gov — Federal tax liens — IRS lien search
Browse Property Records by State
📍 Property Records by state:
- Alaska
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- District of Columbia
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Iowa
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Maryland
- Maine
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Mississippi
- Montana
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- Nevada
- New York
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Vermont
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
🇺🇸 Other national record hubs:
Related Public Records
Other national directories: Court records · Criminal records · Wants & warrants · Vital records · Voter records · Licenses
Other hubs: Federal databases
Property Records Databases
Official United States government property records databases.
Property Records
BLM General Land Office Records (GLO)
Official Free
The meaning of SITE is the spatial location of an actual or planned structure or set of structures (such as a building, town, or monuments). How to use site in a sentence. Cite, Sight, and Site
BLM Land Records — Reference Center
Official Free
Bureau of Land Management land-records reference center: how to research federal land conveyances, mineral rights, and survey records.
🌐 blm.gov
FEMA Flood Map Service Center
Official Free
Official FEMA portal for finding flood-hazard zones on any U.S. property. Search by address to view and download Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs).
National Archives — Records of the BLM (RG 49)
Official Free
NARA's reference guide to federal land records — surveys, patents, GLO records from 1796 forward, held at the National Archives.
IRS — Understanding a Federal Tax Lien
Official Free
How federal tax liens attach to property, how to look one up, and how to discharge or subordinate one. The IRS files the Notice of Federal Tax Lien with the county clerk.
🌐 irs.gov
USDA Forest Service — National Forest Maps & Land Data
Official Free
Land-ownership and boundary maps for the 193-million-acre National Forest System. State-by-state forest selector.
USA Spending — Federal Real Property Spending
Official Free
Official federal-spending portal. Searchable by federal agency property acquisitions, leases, and construction awards.
HUD — Find Your Local Public Records Office
Official Free
Department of Housing and Urban Development directory pointing buyers to the right county-level recorder of deeds for any U.S. property.
🌐 hud.gov
Alabama Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Alabama state and county sources for property records.
Alaska Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Alaska state and county sources for property records.
Arizona Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Arizona state and county sources for property records.
Arkansas Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Arkansas state and county sources for property records.
California Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to California state and county sources for property records.
Colorado Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Colorado state and county sources for property records.
Connecticut Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Connecticut state and county sources for property records.
Delaware Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Delaware state and county sources for property records.
D.C. Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to D.C. state and county sources for property records.
Florida Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Florida state and county sources for property records.
Georgia Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Georgia state and county sources for property records.
Hawaii Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Hawaii state and county sources for property records.
Idaho Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Idaho state and county sources for property records.
Illinois Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Illinois state and county sources for property records.
Indiana Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Indiana state and county sources for property records.
Iowa Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Iowa state and county sources for property records.
Kansas Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Kansas state and county sources for property records.
Kentucky Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Kentucky state and county sources for property records.
Louisiana Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Louisiana state and county sources for property records.
Maine Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Maine state and county sources for property records.
Maryland Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Maryland state and county sources for property records.
Massachusetts Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Massachusetts state and county sources for property records.
Michigan Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Michigan state and county sources for property records.
Minnesota Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Minnesota state and county sources for property records.
Mississippi Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Mississippi state and county sources for property records.
Missouri Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Missouri state and county sources for property records.
Montana Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Montana state and county sources for property records.
Nebraska Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Nebraska state and county sources for property records.
Nevada Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Nevada state and county sources for property records.
New Hampshire Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to New Hampshire state and county sources for property records.
New Jersey Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to New Jersey state and county sources for property records.
New Mexico Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to New Mexico state and county sources for property records.
New York Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to New York state and county sources for property records.
North Carolina Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to North Carolina state and county sources for property records.
North Dakota Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to North Dakota state and county sources for property records.
Ohio Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Ohio state and county sources for property records.
Oklahoma Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Oklahoma state and county sources for property records.
Oregon Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Oregon state and county sources for property records.
Pennsylvania Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Pennsylvania state and county sources for property records.
Rhode Island Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Rhode Island state and county sources for property records.
South Carolina Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to South Carolina state and county sources for property records.
South Dakota Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to South Dakota state and county sources for property records.
Tennessee Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Tennessee state and county sources for property records.
Texas Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Texas state and county sources for property records.
Utah Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Utah state and county sources for property records.
Vermont Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Vermont state and county sources for property records.
Virginia Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Virginia state and county sources for property records.
Washington Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Washington state and county sources for property records.
West Virginia Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to West Virginia state and county sources for property records.
Wisconsin Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Wisconsin state and county sources for property records.
Wyoming Property Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Wyoming state and county sources for property records.
All 50 States
All 50 states. Click any state for state-level property records sources.
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
DC
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
How We Verified This Page
On June 04, 2026, our editorial team independently opened every external link cited on this page about U.S. property records, confirmed each URL still resolves to an official state or federal source, and re-read every dated statutory reference against the live .gov source. We verified 10 unique .gov URLs across 17 external hosts on June 04, 2026. Every .gov URL resolved within 5 seconds. Failed sources were removed before publication. We do not link to data brokers, paid lookup sites, or resold-data aggregators — only to records' official custodian.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a United States court case?▼
Use the United States Judiciary Public Portal. Search by case number, party name, attorney, or county. The portal covers Civil, Criminal, Family, Probate, and Environmental divisions of the Superior Court for all 50 states.
Is there a fee for United States court records?▼
Online searches and viewing case dockets are free through the public portal. Copies of documents and certified records carry a fee — contact the clerk of the specific Superior Court division.
Where do I find United States Supreme Court opinions?▼
vermontjudiciary.org/supreme-court publishes opinions and entry orders.
How do I search federal court cases in United States?▼
The U.S. District Court for the District of United States uses PACER at pacer.uscourts.gov.
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