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County Title Search Findings

In November 2026 we ran 991 full title searches on randomly chosen addresses in 127 counties across 13 states: the same search a buyer orders. 34% of the owners were an LLC, trust, company or public body rather than a person, and 42% of properties had at least one mortgage with no release on record. The online land record we could reach typically starts around 2013, but in some counties it runs back to the 1950s and 1960s. Free to reuse with credit.

Across all 127 counties

A mortgage with no recorded release is not the same as an unpaid debt. Most are loans the owner is still paying. Some are loans paid off years ago whose release the lender never recorded; those still cloud title until a release is filed. A title search shows the open mortgage either way; a payoff letter from the lender tells which it is.

How far back the online record goes

Every county keeps its land records, but how much of that history is searchable online varies by decades. Anything older than the online index sits in paper or microfilm books at the county office.

Deepest: oldest document reached

  1. 1. Starr County, TX1949
  2. 2. Durham County, NC1960
  3. 3. Lincoln County, NC1962
  4. 4. Perquimans County, NC1962
  5. 5. Randall County, TX1963
  6. 6. Harris County, TX1965
  7. 7. New York County, NY1966
  8. 8. Bronx County, NY1967
  9. 9. Kings County, NY1967
  10. 10. Utah County, UT1967

Shallowest: typical property's online record starts

  1. 1. Lucas County, OH~2025
  2. 2. Rowan County, NC~2023
  3. 3. Wakulla County, FL~2023
  4. 4. Hillsborough County, FL~2022
  5. 5. Edgecombe County, NC~2022
  6. 6. Jackson County, NC~2022
  7. 7. Moore County, NC~2022
  8. 8. Pender County, NC~2022
  9. 9. Pasco County, FL~2022
  10. 10. Brazos County, TX~2022

For a typical property in these counties, the online chain we could reach begins this late; earlier deeds need the county's books.

Who owns the property: people or entities

When the owner is an LLC, trust or company, a buyer or lender also needs proof of who may sign: an operating agreement, trust certificate or resolution. Counties at the top of this list need that step far more often.

Highest share of entity owners

  1. 1. Ector County, TX100% of 8
  2. 2. Maricopa County, AZ88% of 8
  3. 3. Iredell County, NC88% of 8
  4. 4. Lee County, NC88% of 8
  5. 5. Nash County, NC88% of 8
  6. 6. Wayne County, NC88% of 8
  7. 7. McLennan County, TX88% of 8
  8. 8. Utah County, UT88% of 8
  9. 9. Hamilton County, OH83% of 6
  10. 10. Queens County, NY80% of 5

Lowest share of entity owners

  1. 1. Brevard County, FL0% of 8
  2. 2. Martin County, FL0% of 8
  3. 3. Okeechobee County, FL0% of 8
  4. 4. Walton County, FL0% of 8
  5. 5. Burke County, NC0% of 8
  6. 6. Durham County, NC0% of 8
  7. 7. Mitchell County, NC0% of 8
  8. 8. Pasquotank County, NC0% of 8
  9. 9. Perquimans County, NC0% of 8
  10. 10. Richmond County, NC0% of 8

Every county

Each row is a small random sample (the number of searches is shown), so read a single county's percentages as a guide, not a census. A dash means the figure is not published for that county: where documents often could not be tied to the parcel online (13 counties), we leave out mortgage, lien and record-depth figures rather than report a gap in the online index as a fact about the county.

Test title search findings by county
CountySearchesOwner namedEntity ownerOpen mortgageLienTax behindOldest docMinutes
Baldwin County, AL7100%57%––0%–0.3
Maricopa County, AZ8100%88%50%25%0%19950.7
Boone County, AR8100%25%50%0%0%20060.5
Garland County, AR8100%12%––0%–0.4
Pulaski County, AR8100%12%50%0%0%19960.4
Brevard County, FL8100%0%38%25%0%19871.8
Citrus County, FL8100%25%25%0%0%20011.9
Clay County, FL8100%12%12%12%0%19931.9
Duval County, FL8100%62%38%0%0%20131.8
Hillsborough County, FL8100%62%38%12%0%19761.8
Indian River County, FL8100%38%88%0%0%19881.8
Levy County, FL8100%12%38%0%0%19921.9
Martin County, FL8100%0%25%0%0%20122.2
Okaloosa County, FL8100%38%38%0%0%19841.8
Okeechobee County, FL8100%0%25%0%0%20021.9
Pasco County, FL8100%12%75%0%0%20041.8
Santa Rosa County, FL8100%12%50%0%0%19851.8
Wakulla County, FL8100%25%38%0%0%20171.9
Walton County, FL8100%0%62%0%0%19992
Cook County, IL8100%62%62%12%0%19870.6
Lake County, IL8100%38%50%0%0%19850.4
Hillsdale County, MI8100%25%38%12%0%19970.4
Lenawee County, MI8100%12%25%0%0%19890.5
Oakland County, MI560%67%60%80%0%19960.4
Oceana County, MI8100%50%––0%–0.4
Roscommon County, MI8100%25%62%12%0%19950.4
Tuscola County, MI8100%12%––0%–0.3
Wayne County, MI8100%25%62%0%0%19870.5
Bronx County, NY8100%62%75%0%38%19670.5
Erie County, NY8100%50%12%62%0%20010.4
Kings County, NY8100%25%62%38%62%19670.9
Livingston County, NY8100%12%25%12%0%19890.6
New York County, NY8100%75%88%12%38%19660.5
Queens County, NY5100%80%100%0%20%19691
Richmond County, NY8100%75%88%0%25%19801.1
Alamance County, NC8100%50%0%0%0%20020.9
Alexander County, NC8100%25%50%0%0%19921.1
Ashe County, NC8100%38%75%0%0%19980.9
Beaufort County, NC8100%38%0%0%0%20071.3
Bladen County, NC8100%12%38%0%0%20041.4
Burke County, NC8100%0%38%0%0%19930.9
Caldwell County, NC8100%25%38%0%0%19771.5
Catawba County, NC8100%38%25%0%0%19920.8
Cherokee County, NC8100%25%0%0%0%20011
Columbus County, NC8100%25%62%0%0%19780.7
Craven County, NC8100%50%62%0%0%19970.8
Cumberland County, NC8100%75%––0%–0.8
Currituck County, NC8100%12%50%0%0%19921.7
Dare County, NC667%50%––0%–0.8
Davidson County, NC8100%50%0%0%0%19940.5
Durham County, NC8100%0%38%0%0%19600.5
Edgecombe County, NC8100%75%38%0%0%19881.1
Forsyth County, NC8100%50%62%0%0%19950.5
Gates County, NC8100%12%12%0%0%19891.6
Granville County, NC8100%50%12%0%0%19941.3
Greene County, NC8100%62%0%0%0%20090.9
Harnett County, NC6100%33%33%0%0%19851
Haywood County, NC8100%12%62%0%0%19860.6
Iredell County, NC8100%88%62%0%0%20101.3
Jackson County, NC7100%57%29%0%0%19961.2
Lee County, NC8100%88%75%0%0%20141.3
Lincoln County, NC8100%62%50%0%0%19620.6
Macon County, NC8100%38%––0%–0.4
McDowell County, NC8100%38%12%0%0%19840.7
Mecklenburg County, NC8100%62%50%0%0%20001.4
Mitchell County, NC8100%0%––0%–0.5
Moore County, NC8100%25%38%0%0%19951.6
Nash County, NC8100%88%0%0%0%20152.1
Northampton County, NC8100%38%0%0%0%19991
Onslow County, NC8100%25%62%0%0%19771.6
Pamlico County, NC8100%25%38%0%0%19751.8
Pasquotank County, NC8100%0%25%0%0%19901.9
Pender County, NC8100%38%38%0%0%19931.6
Perquimans County, NC8100%0%12%0%0%19621.1
Pitt County, NC8100%62%0%0%0%19951.4
Polk County, NC8100%38%38%0%0%19981.4
Richmond County, NC8100%0%25%0%0%19851.1
Robeson County, NC8100%25%75%0%0%19900.5
Rowan County, NC8100%50%50%0%0%20071.4
Rutherford County, NC8100%12%38%0%0%19780.9
Sampson County, NC8100%38%38%0%0%19941.5
Scotland County, NC8100%62%0%0%0%19961.1
Stokes County, NC8100%25%50%0%0%19900.9
Surry County, NC8100%38%50%0%0%19700.3
Transylvania County, NC8100%38%50%0%0%19970.4
Watauga County, NC8100%50%38%0%0%19870.4
Wayne County, NC8100%88%38%0%0%19711.2
Yadkin County, NC8100%25%––0%–1.2
Yancey County, NC8100%12%––0%–0.9
Delaware County, OH5100%80%80%40%0%20050.4
Greene County, OH8100%12%38%0%0%19900.4
Hamilton County, OH6100%83%67%0%0%20020.8
Lucas County, OH5100%80%80%0%0%20040.4
Montgomery County, OH8100%25%38%0%0%19860.5
Lancaster County, PA8100%0%75%0%0%20010.5
Philadelphia County, PA8100%62%88%0%0%20000.4
Horry County, SC8100%62%25%0%0%20070.4
Aransas County, TX8100%25%12%12%0%19940.4
Bee County, TX8100%25%25%12%0%20020.4
Brazos County, TX8100%0%50%0%0%20150.4
Brewster County, TX8100%25%0%12%0%20050.4
Burleson County, TX8100%0%38%0%0%19920.4
Calhoun County, TX8100%12%12%12%0%19990.4
Collin County, TX8100%0%62%25%0%19950.4
Colorado County, TX8100%25%50%12%0%19980.4
Ector County, TX8100%100%62%12%0%19970.5
Freestone County, TX8100%12%––0%–0.5
Grimes County, TX8100%0%25%0%0%19820.4
Harris County, TX8100%12%75%38%0%19651
Hidalgo County, TX6100%33%17%17%0%20090.5
Hockley County, TX8100%12%25%0%0%19860.4
Kaufman County, TX8100%12%50%12%0%20060.4
Kendall County, TX8100%12%––0%–0.4
Matagorda County, TX8100%0%38%12%0%19770.4
McLennan County, TX8100%88%50%0%0%19850.4
Medina County, TX8100%25%25%25%0%19870.7
Montgomery County, TX8100%12%62%12%0%19900.4
Nueces County, TX8100%12%62%0%0%20030.4
Randall County, TX5100%40%60%0%0%19630.5
Reeves County, TX8100%12%––0%–0.4
San Patricio County, TX8100%12%38%0%0%19850.4
Starr County, TX8100%0%25%12%0%19490.4
Taylor County, TX8100%75%50%0%0%19880.5
Walker County, TX8100%0%38%12%0%20000.4
Wichita County, TX8100%75%62%12%0%20040.4
Wood County, TX8100%25%62%12%0%19980.7
Utah County, UT8100%88%12%12%0%19670.4

Method

Addresses were drawn at random from our address index for each county and run through the complete HeritageDeed title search as internal test orders, unchanged from what a customer receives. Only county-wide shares are published: no address, owner, party or amount from any search appears here or in the CSV. Counties with fewer than five completed searches are left out.

“Owner named” means the report identified the owner of record. “Entity owner” counts LLCs, corporations, trusts, partnerships, churches and public bodies. “Open mortgage” means at least one recorded mortgage with no matching satisfaction or release on record. “Lien” counts recorded judgment, tax and contractor liens. “Oldest doc” is the oldest recorded document any search in the county reached online. Minutes run from order to finished report.

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Download the CSV (free, no sign-up). Licensed CC BY 4.0: please credit “HeritageDeed County Title Search Findings” with a link to this page.

Suggested citation: HeritageDeed. County Title Search Findings, November 2026. https://heritagedeed.com/data/county-title-findings. Archived dataset: doi:10.5281/zenodo.24139240

Local sites can show one county's figures with our free embeddable card: open the embed page and copy the code for your county. Reporters who need records for a specific property can write to us.