Probably the easiest way is going to the National Organization of Counties’ (NACo) website, at http://explorer. naco. org/, and using their “city/zip” search function at the top of the page. Just type the city name or the zip code into the search bar and click on the magnifying glass icon. Even with minimal information, this should tell you what you need to know. For instance, if you type “Decatur” into the search bar and nothing else, the website will produce a list of all the cities named “Decatur” in the US, along with their accompanying county. Click on the link for your county, and it should provide you with information that includes a link to the county’s website along with a list of their elected officials.
The websites of county governments can be among the least user friendly websites out there. It would not be unheard of for a person to thoroughly search the county’s website for an office within the county government to no avail, only to find that the link to that office was hidden in some obscure area. When you’re on the county’s website, if you don’t find a link for the assessor’s office within a few minutes of looking around, it might save you some time to give the county a call and make sure that the assessor’s office is online and that the records are searchable. Don’t be thrown off by changes in wording, and keep an eye out for keywords. “Tax assessor,” “property appraiser,” “property valuation,” and “tax commissioner” are terms which are either synonymous or closely related organizationally. If you see any of these, it warrants closer investigation.
Depending on your locality, there might be more than one listing for the same address. For example, 123 E. Washington St. and 123 Washington St. might both be listed as 123 Washington St. in the index. If you encounter something like this, just look at the assessor’s record for both entries. The actual record will be more specific than the index, so you’ll be able to tell your E. Washington address from your Washington address. [2] X Research source
Some counties provide more extensive information than others. While almost every county will tell you who the current deed holder is, some counties’ tax assessors records show deed holders dating back many years. Look closely to see what information is being presented.
The government entity that keeps these records is usually called the “county recorder” or “county register of deeds. " However, “recorder of deeds,” “deeds registrar,” and “deeds registry” are also common. If you find one of these, there’s a good chance your records are online. Again, don’t hesitate to call and ask if this information is online. [5] X Research source [6] X Research source [7] X Research source If you are unable to find a website for the relevant county recorder, try using one of these private land record indexes: http://www. realmarketing. com/county_recorders/county_recorders. htm https://www. courthousedirect. com/ http://publicrecords. onlinesearches. com/Land-Records-and-Deeds. htm https://uslandrecords. com/
