Real estate title glossary
What is grantor-grantee index?
Definition
The grantor-grantee index is the county's alphabetical index of recorded instruments by the names of the parties, used to find every document a person signed or received.
Most US counties index land records by name. Searching it well means trying every owner's name and spelling, initials, and company and trust names, over the whole ownership period.
How it shows up in a title search
It is the backbone of a title search: chain of title runs grantee to grantor, and each owner's mortgages and liens are found under their name as grantor or debtor.
Guides that go deeper
- How to Do a Title Search on a Property, Step by StepHow a title search works, step by step: the parcel, chain of title, every mortgage, lien and lawsuit, and the release checks people miss. Or run one in a minute.
- Register of Deeds: What the Office Does and Who Records Your DeedA register of deeds records property documents and keeps the public land record. See what the office does and which office does it in Cook, Philadelphia and Florida.
- Chain of Title: What It Is, an Example, and How It Differs From an Abstract of TitleA chain of title is the ordered record of every transfer of a property. A worked example, how gaps appear, and how it differs from an abstract of title.
Related terms
GrantorGranteeConsiderationMarketable record title actAbstract of titleTorrens titleTract indexExecutor's deedAll terms
Source: Legal Information Institute, Wex: recording acts. Plain-English summary of general US usage; state law varies, and this is not legal advice.