# HeritageDeed

> HeritageDeed (heritagedeed.com) runs AI title searches against official
> public records and delivers each one as a PDF report plus the same data as JSON. Most
> reports are ready within minutes. Coverage: 42 counties in 13 states, deepest in New
> York City. Reports are paid per report (title search $49, environmental records $29, tax appeal evidence pack $49; see /pricing); monitoring and data plans are optional, and the lookup tools and county data pages are free. HeritageDeed does
> not sell title insurance and does not underwrite.

## What HeritageDeed is

HeritageDeed is an AI title search service. It searches official county and government
records and reports what the record says about a parcel: the current deed, open mortgages,
recorded liens, tax status, court records matched to the owner, UCC filings, and (for NYC)
housing and building violations and permit flags.

| Report | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Current Owner Search | $49 | Owner of record and the deed they hold title under; Every deed, mortgage and release the county index returns for the property; Each mortgage matched to its release; anything unreleased flagged as open; Recorded liens, lis pendens and UCC fixture filings; Federal and bankruptcy court records matched to the owner, plus state courts where the county page lists them; Property tax status; in NYC also HPD, DOB and ECB violations and water charges; FEMA flood zone and EPA-listed sites near the parcel; Plain-English summary, risk score and every source searched, as PDF and JSON |

A second product, the [Environmental Records Report](https://heritagedeed.com/environmental-report) ($29 per report), works for any US address in the 50 states and DC: Superfund sites, hazardous
waste facilities, leaking and registered underground storage tanks, brownfields and
federally permitted facilities near the property, each list searched to the standard environmental
site assessment search distance, with a site map, FEMA flood zone, wetlands, EPA radon zone with county
radon test results, FEMA hazard ratings, mapped earthquake faults within 5 miles and high-voltage
transmission lines within 1 mile. This is a records search, not a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment. It does not satisfy All Appropriate Inquiries (40 CFR Part 312) or ASTM E1527-21, and no site visit or interviews were performed.

Payments are processed by Creem, HeritageDeed's merchant of record. If a report can't be
produced or isn't delivered within 24 hours, the buyer gets a full refund.

## What HeritageDeed is NOT

HeritageDeed provides public-record search reports only. Reports do not constitute title insurance, an attorney opinion of title, or a title insurance commitment. A buyer taking a mortgage cannot close on a search alone: lenders
require a title insurance commitment from a licensed insurer. Reports may not be used for
FCRA purposes (credit, employment, tenant screening, insurance eligibility); HeritageDeed
is not a consumer reporting agency.

## Who it is for

- Real-estate investors screening deals before committing capital
- Tax-lien and foreclosure buyers checking what is recorded against a parcel
- Real-estate attorneys and title agents wanting an inexpensive first pass
- Lenders doing non-purchase review (HELOC, portfolio, loss mitigation)

## Coverage (one page per county, with recording statistics where available)

- New York: [Manhattan (New York County)](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/new-york/new-york-county), [Brooklyn (Kings County)](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/new-york/kings-county), [Queens (Queens County)](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/new-york/queens-county), [The Bronx (Bronx County)](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/new-york/bronx-county), [Staten Island (Richmond County)](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/new-york/richmond-county), [Erie County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/new-york/erie-county)
- Florida: [Duval County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/florida/duval-county), [Hillsborough County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/florida/hillsborough-county), [Brevard County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/florida/brevard-county), [Pasco County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/florida/pasco-county), [Okaloosa County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/florida/okaloosa-county)
- Illinois: [Cook County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/illinois/cook-county)
- Pennsylvania: [Philadelphia (Philadelphia County)](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/pennsylvania/philadelphia-county), [Lancaster County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/pennsylvania/lancaster-county), [Beaver County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/pennsylvania/beaver-county)
- Texas: [McLennan County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/texas/mclennan-county), [Randall County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/texas/randall-county), [Ector County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/texas/ector-county), [Taylor County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/texas/taylor-county), [Wichita County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/texas/wichita-county), [Kaufman County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/texas/kaufman-county), [Erath County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/texas/erath-county), [Upshur County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/texas/upshur-county), [Rockwall County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/texas/rockwall-county), [Burnet County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/texas/burnet-county), [Aransas County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/texas/aransas-county), [Calhoun County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/texas/calhoun-county), [Colorado County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/texas/colorado-county), [Wood County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/texas/wood-county), [Harris County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/texas/harris-county)
- Arizona: [Maricopa County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/arizona/maricopa-county)
- Arkansas: [Pulaski County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/arkansas/pulaski-county)
- North Carolina: [Durham County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/north-carolina/durham-county), [Forsyth County](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/north-carolina/forsyth-county)
- South Carolina: [Myrtle Beach (Horry County)](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/south-carolina/horry-county)
- Ohio: [Cincinnati (Hamilton County)](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/ohio/hamilton-county), [Toledo (Lucas County)](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/ohio/lucas-county), [Delaware, Powell (Delaware County)](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/ohio/delaware-county), [Dayton (Montgomery County)](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/ohio/montgomery-county)
- Utah: [Provo (Utah County)](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/utah/utah-county)
- Georgia: [Atlanta (Fulton County)](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/georgia/fulton-county)
- Michigan: [Troy (Oakland County)](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search/michigan/oakland-county)

Title searches outside these counties are not accepted. The Environmental Records Report is not limited to them.

## Key pages

- [Home](https://heritagedeed.com/): what the service does, coverage, pricing, FAQ
- [Sample report](https://heritagedeed.com/sample-report): a real report for 350 Fifth Avenue (Empire State Building), with the full PDF
- [Current Owner Search](https://heritagedeed.com/current-owner-search): the title search report, also called an O&E (owner and encumbrance) report, $49 per report
- [Methodology](https://heritagedeed.com/methodology): how a search runs, coverage per county, measured accuracy per county with dates and samples, limits
- [Glossary](https://heritagedeed.com/glossary): title, deed and lien terms defined, each linked to a guide
- [About](https://heritagedeed.com/about): what HeritageDeed is and is not
- [Developers: MCP server](https://heritagedeed.com/developers): public MCP server at https://heritagedeed.com/mcp/public (Streamable HTTP, no API key; lookups are free and ordering a report costs the report price) covering every HeritageDeed product. Any MCP client (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Claude Code) can order a title search (covered counties) or an Environmental Records Report (any US address) and read it as JSON, and run the free flood zone, Superfund, building records, property history, surplus funds, tax sale and closing cost tools. Tools: list_coverage, check_coverage, check_address, order_title_search, get_order_status, get_report, get_sample_report, list_products, get_terms, flood_zone_lookup, superfund_sites_near_address, superfund_sites_by_state, superfund_states_summary, building_records_lookup, property_history_lookup, surplus_funds_search, surplus_funds_summary, tax_sale_search, tax_sale_summary, title_insurance_premium, transfer_tax, seller_net_sheet, county_loan_limits, national_loan_limits, fair_market_rent_by_county, fair_market_rent_by_zip, property_tax_rate_by_county, property_tax_rates_by_state, property_tax_rate_by_zip, usda_eligibility_lookup, census_tract_lookup, opportunity_zone_lookup, radon_lookup, radon_by_county, radon_state_summary, fault_lines_near_address, power_lines_near_address, llc_owner_lookup, nyc_landlord_lookup, hoa_lookup, ucc_lien_search, tax_appeal_deadlines, check_tax_appeal_property, order_tax_appeal_evidence, get_tax_appeal_evidence, zoning_lookup, recent_sales, start_tax_sale_due_diligence, get_tax_sale_due_diligence, property_watch_coverage, create_property_watch, list_property_watch_events, rest_api_info.
- [Real estate API (REST, v1)](https://heritagedeed.com/api): key-authenticated REST API at https://heritagedeed.com/api/v1 to order a Current Owner Search (O&E report: deeds, mortgages matched to releases, recorded liens, lis pendens, court records, tax) in the covered counties or an Environmental Records Report for any US address, and read it as JSON and PDF. Batches of up to 50 (JSON or CSV), HMAC-signed webhooks, idempotency keys, white-label PDF cover. Free key at https://heritagedeed.com/developers/api-keys (60 requests a minute, 25 orders a day, 300 a month per key; reports $49 each, or $25 each with prepaid credits). Docs and code samples: https://heritagedeed.com/developers. Not for any FCRA purpose.
- [Videos](https://heritagedeed.com/videos): real title searches recorded as they ran (YouTube, HeritageDeed channel), with chapters and transcripts; each is also on its county page
- [Order a search](https://heritagedeed.com/order): pick a report type and submit an address
- [Full text of every guide](https://heritagedeed.com/llms-full.txt): all guides as Markdown in one file
- [API description (OpenAPI 3.1)](https://heritagedeed.com/openapi.json): the keyless JSON API (address pre-check, order, status, report JSON, coverage, Superfund lookup, title premium, transfer tax and net sheet calculators) and the REST API v1 (keys, orders, batches, webhooks, account)
- [Guides feed (RSS)](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/rss.xml)
- [Property Records Index](https://heritagedeed.com/data/property-records-index): HeritageDeed's monthly counts of deeds, mortgages, satisfactions, transfer on death deeds, sheriff's deeds and sales in New York City, Philadelphia and Cook County from official county records, with a CSV (CC BY 4.0)
- [Environmental Records Report](https://heritagedeed.com/environmental-report): federal environmental records near any US address, $29 per report; explains what a Phase I environmental site assessment is and costs
- [Superfund sites by state](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites): every EPA Superfund National Priorities List site (final, proposed, deleted) in each of the 50 states and DC, updated nightly: per-state map, sortable site table with city, county, status, listing, construction completion and deletion dates, county counts, plus statewide counts of other federal environmental records (leaking tanks, tank facilities, brownfields, radon zones). JSON at https://heritagedeed.com/api/stats/superfund. States: [Alabama](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/alabama), [Alaska](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/alaska), [Arizona](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/arizona), [Arkansas](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/arkansas), [California](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/california), [Colorado](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/colorado), [Connecticut](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/connecticut), [Delaware](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/delaware), [Washington, DC](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/district-of-columbia), [Florida](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/florida), [Georgia](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/georgia), [Hawaii](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/hawaii), [Idaho](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/idaho), [Illinois](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/illinois), [Indiana](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/indiana), [Iowa](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/iowa), [Kansas](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/kansas), [Kentucky](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/kentucky), [Louisiana](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/louisiana), [Maine](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/maine), [Maryland](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/maryland), [Massachusetts](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/massachusetts), [Michigan](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/michigan), [Minnesota](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/minnesota), [Mississippi](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/mississippi), [Missouri](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/missouri), [Montana](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/montana), [Nebraska](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/nebraska), [Nevada](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/nevada), [New Hampshire](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/new-hampshire), [New Jersey](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/new-jersey), [New Mexico](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/new-mexico), [New York](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/new-york), [North Carolina](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/north-carolina), [North Dakota](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/north-dakota), [Ohio](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/ohio), [Oklahoma](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/oklahoma), [Oregon](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/oregon), [Pennsylvania](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/pennsylvania), [Rhode Island](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/rhode-island), [South Carolina](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/south-carolina), [South Dakota](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/south-dakota), [Tennessee](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/tennessee), [Texas](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/texas), [Utah](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/utah), [Vermont](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/vermont), [Virginia](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/virginia), [Washington](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/washington), [West Virginia](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/west-virginia), [Wisconsin](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/wisconsin), [Wyoming](https://heritagedeed.com/superfund-sites/wyoming)
- [Surplus funds lists](https://heritagedeed.com/surplus-funds): official tax deed, tax sale and sheriff's sale surplus (excess proceeds) lists for counties in Florida, Texas, Ohio, Arkansas (all 75 counties) and Utah, updated nightly from official county records, with claim deadlines and each state's claim rule (individual former owners shown as initials)
- [Tax sale lists](https://heritagedeed.com/tax-sale-lists): official tax sale, tax lien sale, tax foreclosure and sheriff's sale lists for New York City (newest tax lien sale, by borough), Florida tax deed sales, Horry County SC, Forsyth County NC, Montgomery County OH and Arkansas, updated nightly from official county records, with sale dates, the published opening or minimum bids and each state's bidding and redemption rules (individual owners shown as initials). By county: [Manhattan, NY](https://heritagedeed.com/tax-sale-lists/new-york/new-york-county), [Brooklyn, NY](https://heritagedeed.com/tax-sale-lists/new-york/kings-county), [Queens, NY](https://heritagedeed.com/tax-sale-lists/new-york/queens-county), [The Bronx, NY](https://heritagedeed.com/tax-sale-lists/new-york/bronx-county), [Staten Island, NY](https://heritagedeed.com/tax-sale-lists/new-york/richmond-county), [Duval County, FL](https://heritagedeed.com/tax-sale-lists/florida/duval-county), [Citrus County, FL](https://heritagedeed.com/tax-sale-lists/florida/citrus-county), [Hernando County, FL](https://heritagedeed.com/tax-sale-lists/florida/hernando-county), [Martin County, FL](https://heritagedeed.com/tax-sale-lists/florida/martin-county), [Walton County, FL](https://heritagedeed.com/tax-sale-lists/florida/walton-county), [Levy County, FL](https://heritagedeed.com/tax-sale-lists/florida/levy-county), [Indian River County, FL](https://heritagedeed.com/tax-sale-lists/florida/indian-river-county), [Horry County, SC](https://heritagedeed.com/tax-sale-lists/south-carolina/horry-county), [Forsyth County, NC](https://heritagedeed.com/tax-sale-lists/north-carolina/forsyth-county), [Montgomery County, OH](https://heritagedeed.com/tax-sale-lists/ohio/montgomery-county)
- [Property Watch: property fraud alerts and deed monitoring](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch): first property free, then $7 a month for each additional property; every night it checks each watched property for new documents recorded against the parcel (NYC, Philadelphia, Cook, Hamilton and Utah County), owner of record changes, new building violations, and tax sale or surplus list appearances, with alerts on a private watch list, an Atom feed and a signed webhook (email when switched on). Monitoring and alerts only: it cannot stop or lock a filing. County pages: [Manhattan (New York County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/new-york/new-york-county), [Brooklyn (Kings County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/new-york/kings-county), [Queens (Queens County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/new-york/queens-county), [The Bronx (Bronx County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/new-york/bronx-county), [Staten Island (Richmond County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/new-york/richmond-county), [Erie County](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/new-york/erie-county), [Philadelphia (Philadelphia County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/pennsylvania/philadelphia-county), [Cook County](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/illinois/cook-county), [Cincinnati (Hamilton County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/ohio/hamilton-county), [Utah County](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/utah/utah-county), [Toledo (Lucas County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/ohio/lucas-county), [Delaware County](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/ohio/delaware-county), [Dayton (Montgomery County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/ohio/montgomery-county), [Jacksonville (Duval County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/florida/duval-county), [Tampa (Hillsborough County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/florida/hillsborough-county), [Brevard County](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/florida/brevard-county), [Pasco County](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/florida/pasco-county), [Okaloosa County](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/florida/okaloosa-county), [Phoenix (Maricopa County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/arizona/maricopa-county), [Little Rock (Pulaski County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/arkansas/pulaski-county), [Durham (Durham County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/north-carolina/durham-county), [Winston-Salem (Forsyth County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/north-carolina/forsyth-county), [Myrtle Beach (Horry County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/south-carolina/horry-county), [Waco (McLennan County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/texas/mclennan-county), [Amarillo (Randall County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/texas/randall-county), [Odessa (Ector County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/texas/ector-county), [Abilene (Taylor County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/texas/taylor-county), [Wichita Falls (Wichita County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/texas/wichita-county), [Kaufman County](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/texas/kaufman-county), [Houston (Harris County)](https://heritagedeed.com/property-watch/texas/harris-county)
- [Free tools](https://heritagedeed.com/tools): title insurance premium and closing cost calculators (TX, FL, PA, NY), flood zone lookup, transfer tax calculator (NYC, NYS, FL, Philadelphia, Chicago, Cook, NC, SC, AR, TX, AZ), Florida documentary stamp calculator and [Superfund sites near me](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/superfund-sites-near-me) (nearest EPA NPL sites to any US address); building violations and permits lookups by address for [Chicago](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/chicago-building-violations) (2006 on), [Philadelphia](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/philadelphia-li-violations) (L&I, 2007 on), [Cincinnati](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/cincinnati-building-permits) (permits since 2010, code enforcement), [Mesa AZ](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/mesa-code-compliance) (code compliance since 2017, permits), [Glendale AZ](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/glendale-az-code-compliance) (code compliance since 2019; the city publishes no permits), [Gilbert AZ](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/gilbert-building-permits) (permits since 2002; no code data published), [Buffalo NY](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/buffalo-building-permits) (permits since 2000, code violations since 2012), [Provo UT](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/provo-building-permits) (permits; no code data published), from the cities' official records
- Title insurance and closing cost calculators (free, official rate schedules as of 2026-10-19): [title insurance premium calculator](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/title-insurance-calculator) for [Texas](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/texas-title-insurance-calculator) (TDI basic premium rates effective March 1, 2026; $100 simultaneous loan policy, Rate Rule R-5; $3 guaranty fee per policy after September 30, 2026), [Florida](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/florida-title-insurance-calculator) (Fla. Admin. Code 69O-186.003: $5.75 per $1,000 to $100,000, $5.00 to $1 million; $25 simultaneous loan policy; reissue rate), [Pennsylvania](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/pa-title-insurance-calculator) (TIRBOP manual approved through 08/01/24: Sale Rate $569 for the first $30,000; owner's and loan policies issued together charged as one) and [New York](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/ny-title-insurance-calculator) (TIRSA manual, Seventh Revision effective October 1, 2024: Zone 1 and Zone 2; simultaneous loan policy 30% of the Loan Rate). Worked example: a $400,000 owner's policy is $2,262 in Texas, $2,075 in Florida, $2,735 in Pennsylvania and $1,977 in New York City. [Seller net sheet](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/seller-net-sheet) and closing cost calculators for [Florida](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/florida-closing-cost-calculator), [Texas](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/texas-closing-cost-calculator), [New York City and the rest of New York](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/nyc-closing-cost-calculator) (with the 1% mansion tax) and [Philadelphia](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/philadelphia-closing-cost-calculator): payoff, commission, transfer taxes, title premiums and statutory recording fees (Florida Statutes 28.24, Texas Local Government Code 118.011). Estimates; HeritageDeed does not sell title insurance or refer customers to title companies
- [Radon map by county and ZIP code](https://heritagedeed.com/radon): the EPA Map of Radon Zones zone (1993) for every one of the 3,144 US counties, with radon test results (laboratory tests 2008-2017, state radon programs and, where states publish them, county, town and ZIP code results); a free lookup by county, ZIP code or address; one page per state (https://heritagedeed.com/radon/<state>) and per county (https://heritagedeed.com/radon/<state>/<county>). County-level screening, not a radon measurement of a building
- [Fault line map](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/fault-line-map): free lookup of mapped earthquake faults within 5 miles of any US address, with distance, age of last movement and slip rate, plus the national seismic hazard value; mapped faults only, not a geotechnical assessment
- [Power lines near me](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/power-lines-near-me): free lookup of high-voltage transmission lines (100 kV and above) within 1 mile of any US address, with distance, voltage, owner as recorded and substations; distribution lines are not included
- [Flood zone lookup by address](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/flood-zone-lookup): the FEMA flood hazard zone mapped at any US address, free; not an official flood zone determination (lenders use the Standard Flood Hazard Determination Form)
- Lending lookups by address (free, any US address): [USDA eligibility map](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/usda-eligibility-map) (whether the address falls in an area USDA Rural Development lists as ineligible for Single Family and Multifamily Housing; location only, not an official USDA determination; about 96.5% of US land area is outside the ineligible areas, HeritageDeed estimate; state pages with every county's eligible share and the mostly ineligible towns: [Alabama](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/alabama), [Alaska](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/alaska), [Arizona](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/arizona), [Arkansas](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/arkansas), [California](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/california), [Colorado](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/colorado), [Connecticut](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/connecticut), [Delaware](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/delaware), [Washington, DC](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/district-of-columbia), [Florida](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/florida), [Georgia](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/georgia), [Hawaii](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/hawaii), [Idaho](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/idaho), [Illinois](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/illinois), [Indiana](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/indiana), [Iowa](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/iowa), [Kansas](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/kansas), [Kentucky](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/kentucky), [Louisiana](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/louisiana), [Maine](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/maine), [Maryland](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/maryland), [Massachusetts](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/massachusetts), [Michigan](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/michigan), [Minnesota](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/minnesota), [Mississippi](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/mississippi), [Missouri](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/missouri), [Montana](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/montana), [Nebraska](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/nebraska), [Nevada](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/nevada), [New Hampshire](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/new-hampshire), [New Jersey](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/new-jersey), [New Mexico](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/new-mexico), [New York](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/new-york), [North Carolina](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/north-carolina), [North Dakota](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/north-dakota), [Ohio](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/ohio), [Oklahoma](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/oklahoma), [Oregon](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/oregon), [Pennsylvania](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/pennsylvania), [Puerto Rico](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/puerto-rico), [Rhode Island](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/rhode-island), [South Carolina](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/south-carolina), [South Dakota](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/south-dakota), [Tennessee](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/tennessee), [Texas](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/texas), [Utah](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/utah), [Vermont](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/vermont), [Virginia](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/virginia), [Washington](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/washington), [West Virginia](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/west-virginia), [Wisconsin](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/wisconsin), [Wyoming](https://heritagedeed.com/usda-eligibility-map/wyoming)), [census tract lookup](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/census-tract-lookup) (11-digit tract GEOID, 2026 income level, 2026 and 2027 Qualified Census Tract and Difficult Development Area status) and [Opportunity Zone lookup](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/opportunity-zone-lookup) (the 8,764 tracts designated in IRS Notice 2018-48 and 2019-42, which end December 31, 2028, and the Rev. Proc. 2026-14 list of tracts eligible for nomination as 2027 zones; designated tracts by state: [Alabama](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/alabama), [Alaska](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/alaska), [American Samoa](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/american-samoa), [Arizona](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/arizona), [Arkansas](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/arkansas), [California](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/california), [Colorado](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/colorado), [Connecticut](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/connecticut), [Delaware](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/delaware), [Washington, DC](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/district-of-columbia), [Florida](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/florida), [Georgia](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/georgia), [Guam](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/guam), [Hawaii](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/hawaii), [Idaho](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/idaho), [Illinois](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/illinois), [Indiana](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/indiana), [Iowa](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/iowa), [Kansas](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/kansas), [Kentucky](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/kentucky), [Louisiana](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/louisiana), [Maine](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/maine), [Maryland](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/maryland), [Massachusetts](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/massachusetts), [Michigan](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/michigan), [Minnesota](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/minnesota), [Mississippi](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/mississippi), [Missouri](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/missouri), [Montana](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/montana), [Nebraska](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/nebraska), [Nevada](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/nevada), [New Hampshire](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/new-hampshire), [New Jersey](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/new-jersey), [New Mexico](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/new-mexico), [New York](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/new-york), [North Carolina](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/north-carolina), [North Dakota](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/north-dakota), [Northern Mariana Islands](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/northern-mariana-islands), [Ohio](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/ohio), [Oklahoma](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/oklahoma), [Oregon](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/oregon), [Pennsylvania](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/pennsylvania), [Puerto Rico](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/puerto-rico), [Rhode Island](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/rhode-island), [South Carolina](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/south-carolina), [South Dakota](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/south-dakota), [Tennessee](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/tennessee), [Texas](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/texas), [Utah](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/utah), [Vermont](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/vermont), [Virgin Islands](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/virgin-islands), [Virginia](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/virginia), [Washington](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/washington), [West Virginia](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/west-virginia), [Wisconsin](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/wisconsin), [Wyoming](https://heritagedeed.com/opportunity-zones/wyoming))
- [Property history lookup](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/property-history-lookup): free, by address: counts of deeds, mortgages, releases and other recorded documents by year, the first and latest recorded event, and each transfer with date, type and recorded consideration, from official recorded-document records (New York City, Philadelphia, Cook County with sale prices, Hamilton County OH and Utah County), plus city building violation and permit counts where published. Individuals' names are shown as initials; which mortgage is still open is left to the report
- [LLC owner lookup](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/llc-owner-lookup): The registry record behind an LLC or corporation (NY, TX, PA, CO, CT, OR), its registered agent and published officers, and the properties recorded to it in New York City, New York State, Philadelphia and Illinois. Free; business entities only, people shown as initials
- [NYC landlord lookup (HPD registration)](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/nyc-landlord-lookup): The HPD registration of any NYC building: registered owner, managing agent, head officer (initials), registration status and open violations, with the deed owner. Free; business entities only, people shown as initials
- [HOA lookup by address](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/hoa-lookup): Homeowners associations matched to an address from the Texas and Utah official HOA registries, with the management certificate or registration status. Free; business entities only, people shown as initials
- [UCC lien search](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/ucc-search): UCC financing statements and NYC federal tax lien notices by business debtor name: Florida, New York City, Colorado and Connecticut. Free; business entities only, people shown as initials
- [Texas LLC lookup](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/texas-llc-lookup): Texas franchise tax records for any active Texas LLC or corporation: status, SOS file number, charter date and right to transact business. Free; business entities only, people shown as initials
- [New York LLC lookup](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/ny-llc-lookup): New York Department of State entity records with the deeds, NYC housing registrations and New York assessment-roll parcels recorded to the same name. Free; business entities only, people shown as initials
- [Pennsylvania LLC lookup](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/pennsylvania-llc-lookup): Pennsylvania Department of State records for registered LLCs and corporations, with the officers they listed (initials) and their Philadelphia properties. Free; business entities only, people shown as initials
- [Colorado LLC lookup](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/colorado-llc-lookup): Colorado Secretary of State records for any Colorado LLC or corporation: status, formation date, principal office and registered agent. Free; business entities only, people shown as initials
- [Texas HOA lookup](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/texas-hoa-lookup): Texas HOAs with a state-filed management certificate matched to an address by ZIP code and subdivision. Free; business entities only, people shown as initials
- [Utah HOA lookup](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/utah-hoa-lookup): Utah Department of Commerce HOA registry records matched to an address: registration number, status, expiry, management company and master association. Free; business entities only, people shown as initials
- [Florida UCC search](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/florida-ucc-search): Florida statewide UCC registry filings by business debtor name: number, filing and lapse dates, status and secured party. Free; business entities only, people shown as initials
- [NYC UCC search](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/nyc-ucc-search): UCC fixture and co-op filings and federal tax lien notices recorded with the City Register for a business debtor in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. Free; business entities only, people shown as initials
- [Colorado UCC search](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/colorado-ucc-search): Colorado Secretary of State UCC filings by business debtor name, with filing and lapse dates, status and secured party. Free; business entities only, people shown as initials
- County data for all 3,144 US counties (50 states and DC), from official federal figures, each with its effective date; JSON under https://heritagedeed.com/api/data/: [loan limits by county](https://heritagedeed.com/loan-limits) (conforming and FHA forward limits for 1 to 4 units, the VA county limit, current year plus next year as soon as they are published; national pages for [conforming](https://heritagedeed.com/conforming-loan-limits), [FHA](https://heritagedeed.com/fha-loan-limits), [VA](https://heritagedeed.com/va-loan-limits) and [jumbo](https://heritagedeed.com/jumbo-loan-limits) limits), [fair market rents](https://heritagedeed.com/fair-market-rent) (studio to 4 bedrooms, this fiscal year and last, which year is in effect where HUD is reevaluating, the 90 to 110% payment standard range) with a [fair market rent by ZIP code](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/fair-market-rent-by-zip-code) lookup (Small Area FMRs), and [property tax rates by state and county](https://heritagedeed.com/property-tax-rates) (effective rate = median real estate taxes paid / median home value, 5-year household survey estimates; not a millage rate) with a [property tax rate by ZIP code](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/property-tax-rate-by-zip-code) lookup. Pages: /loan-limits/<state>/<county>, /fair-market-rent/<state>/<county>, /property-tax-rates/<state>/<county>
- [Property tax appeal evidence pack](https://heritagedeed.com/property-tax-appeal): for a Cook County IL, New York City or Philadelphia parcel, $49 per pack: assessment history from the assessor's records, the characteristics on record, appeal outcomes already on record (Cook Assessor and Board of Review, NYC Tax Commission), comparable sales, a neighborhood assessment-to-sale ratio check (median, COD, PRD) computed from the assessor's own values and sales, and the filing deadline. Data only: HeritageDeed does not file appeals or represent owners; filing an appeal is free in Cook County. Deadlines: [Cook County by township](https://heritagedeed.com/property-tax-appeal/cook-county) (from the Assessor's calendar), [New York City](https://heritagedeed.com/property-tax-appeal/new-york-city) (Tax Commission, March 1; class 1 March 15), [Philadelphia](https://heritagedeed.com/property-tax-appeal/philadelphia) (BRT, first Monday of October). JSON: https://heritagedeed.com/api/tax-appeal/deadlines
- [Zoning lookup](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/zoning-lookup): free, by address: zoning district, overlays and special districts in New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia; not an official zoning determination. The title report carries the same zoning line for those cities
- [Recently sold homes](https://heritagedeed.com/recent-sales): sales of the last 90 published days in New York City, Cook County and Philadelphia, address, date and price only, by ZIP: [Manhattan](https://heritagedeed.com/recent-sales/new-york/new-york-county), [Brooklyn](https://heritagedeed.com/recent-sales/new-york/kings-county), [Queens](https://heritagedeed.com/recent-sales/new-york/queens-county), [The Bronx](https://heritagedeed.com/recent-sales/new-york/bronx-county), [Staten Island](https://heritagedeed.com/recent-sales/new-york/richmond-county), [Cook County](https://heritagedeed.com/recent-sales/illinois/cook-county), [Philadelphia](https://heritagedeed.com/recent-sales/pennsylvania/philadelphia-county)
- [Tax sale due diligence](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/tax-sale-due-diligence): per-parcel flag sheet (CSV, PDF) of debts that can outlive a tax sale for parcels on the official tax sale lists: NYC lots checked for unreleased federal tax liens, unpaid ECB penalties and past-due DOF charges; other lists marked "not searched" per debt type with the statute rule (Fla. Stat. 197.552, 26 U.S.C. 7425)
- [Coverage by county](https://heritagedeed.com/title-search)
- Surplus funds lists by county: [Duval County, FL](https://heritagedeed.com/surplus-funds/florida/duval-county), [Hillsborough County, FL](https://heritagedeed.com/surplus-funds/florida/hillsborough-county), [Pasco County, FL](https://heritagedeed.com/surplus-funds/florida/pasco-county), [Citrus County, FL](https://heritagedeed.com/surplus-funds/florida/citrus-county), [Hernando County, FL](https://heritagedeed.com/surplus-funds/florida/hernando-county), [Martin County, FL](https://heritagedeed.com/surplus-funds/florida/martin-county), [Walton County, FL](https://heritagedeed.com/surplus-funds/florida/walton-county), [Levy County, FL](https://heritagedeed.com/surplus-funds/florida/levy-county), [Indian River County, FL](https://heritagedeed.com/surplus-funds/florida/indian-river-county), [Marion County, FL](https://heritagedeed.com/surplus-funds/florida/marion-county), [Charlotte County, FL](https://heritagedeed.com/surplus-funds/florida/charlotte-county), [Ector County, TX](https://heritagedeed.com/surplus-funds/texas/ector-county), [Hamilton County, OH](https://heritagedeed.com/surplus-funds/ohio/hamilton-county), [Montgomery County, OH](https://heritagedeed.com/surplus-funds/ohio/montgomery-county), [Pulaski County, AR](https://heritagedeed.com/surplus-funds/arkansas/pulaski-county), [Utah County, UT](https://heritagedeed.com/surplus-funds/utah/utah-county); the other 74 Arkansas counties are listed on the [hub](https://heritagedeed.com/surplus-funds#arkansas)
- En español: [informe ambiental](https://heritagedeed.com/es/informe-ambiental), [fondos excedentes](https://heritagedeed.com/es/fondos-excedentes) (Florida y Texas), sitios Superfund: [Florida](https://heritagedeed.com/es/sitios-superfund/florida), [Texas](https://heritagedeed.com/es/sitios-superfund/texas), [Arizona](https://heritagedeed.com/es/sitios-superfund/arizona)
- City building records (violations and permits, free by address): [Chicago](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/chicago-building-violations) (from 2006), [Philadelphia](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/philadelphia-li-violations) (from 2007), [Cincinnati](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/cincinnati-building-permits) (permits from 2010, code enforcement), [Mesa](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/mesa-code-compliance) (code compliance from 2017, permits), [Glendale, Arizona](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/glendale-az-code-compliance) (code compliance from 2019), [Gilbert, Arizona](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/gilbert-building-permits) (permits from 2002), [Buffalo](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/buffalo-building-permits) (permits from 2000, code violations from 2012), [Provo](https://heritagedeed.com/tools/provo-building-permits) (permits); the $49 report includes the same records for addresses in those cities
- [Guides](https://heritagedeed.com/blog)
- [Terms](https://heritagedeed.com/terms), [Privacy](https://heritagedeed.com/privacy), [Refund policy](https://heritagedeed.com/refund-policy), [Contact](https://heritagedeed.com/contact): support@heritagedeed.com

## Guides

- [Subordination Agreement: What It Is and When a Mortgage Needs One](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/subordination-agreement): A subordination agreement is a signed and usually recorded document in which the holder of a lien agrees that another lien will rank ahead of it. On a home it most often moves a second mortgage or home equity line behind a new first mortgage during a refinance. The debt itself does not change; only the order of repayment does.
- [Code Violations on a Property: How to Check and What Transfers to a Buyer](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/code-violations-on-a-property): Code violations stay with the building, not the seller. A buyer inherits the physical problem, often the duty to comply with open orders, and any fine or cleanup cost the city has recorded as a lien or put on the tax bill. Check the city's building and code enforcement records by address, ask about open cases, and resolve them before closing.
- [Open Permits on a House: How to Check Before You Buy](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/open-permits-on-a-house): An open permit is a building permit that was issued but never closed with a final inspection; an expired permit lapsed before that happened. Either one can mean unfinished or uninspected work. Check the city's permit records by address before closing, compare them with the work you can see, and make closing the permit a condition of the sale.
- [Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment: What It Includes, What It Costs and When You Need One](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/phase-1-environmental-site-assessment): A Phase 1 environmental site assessment is an environmental professional's inquiry into a property's present and past uses: government records, historical sources, a site visit, interviews and a signed report. It is the usual way to meet EPA's All Appropriate Inquiries rule before buying commercial property. Published 2026 price guides put most at $2,200 to $4,000.
- [Superfund Site: What It Means and How to Check if a Home Is Near One](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/superfund-site): A Superfund site is a contaminated property that EPA handles under CERCLA, the 1980 federal cleanup law informally called Superfund. The most serious sites go on the National Priorities List (NPL). On 2026-10-19 EPA listed 1,337 final, 37 proposed and 466 deleted NPL sites. You can check an address with a free Superfund lookup by address.
- [Tax Deed Surplus Funds in Florida: How to Claim Them Under Fla. Stat. 197.582](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/florida-tax-deed-surplus-funds): When a Florida tax deed sale brings more than the certificate holder's bid, the Clerk holds the surplus. Under Fla. Stat. 197.582, the Clerk mails a notice, and anyone with an interest has 120 days from that notice to file a notarized claim. Government liens are paid first, then other liens by priority, then the former owner. No agent is needed to file.
- [What Are Surplus Funds? Excess Proceeds Lists by County and How to Search Them](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/what-are-surplus-funds): Surplus funds, also called excess proceeds or overages, are the money a tax sale or foreclosure sale brings above the debt, interest and costs. A clerk, court or state office holds it for lienholders and the former owner, and many publish a list. Claim rules differ by state: Florida allows 120 days from notice, Texas two years from the sale.
- [Affidavit of Heirship: What It Is, What It Proves and How It Shows in Title](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/affidavit-of-heirship): An affidavit of heirship is a sworn statement, made by someone with personal knowledge, that names a deceased person's heirs and is recorded in the county land records. It is evidence of who inherited, not a court order and not a deed. Whether a buyer or title insurer accepts it depends on state law and the facts.
- [Assignment of Mortgage: What It Means, Why It Is Recorded and How to Read One](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/assignment-of-mortgage): An assignment of mortgage is a recorded document in which the lender transfers its rights under a mortgage, and usually the loan it secures, to a new owner. It changes who holds the lien, not what the borrower owes. It is different from a servicing transfer, which only changes who collects the payments.
- [Conveyance in Real Estate: Meaning, Examples and How It Shows in Title](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/conveyance-in-real-estate): A conveyance is the transfer of a property right or interest from one person or entity to another. It is usually done by a written instrument, most often a deed, that transfers title or creates a lien on the property. Each recorded conveyance is a link in the chain of title.
- [Deed Restrictions and CC&Rs: Meaning, Enforcement and How to Find Them](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/deed-restrictions-and-cc-rs): Deed restrictions and CC&Rs (covenants, conditions and restrictions) are recorded rules that limit how a property may be used, such as fences, rentals or building size. They can bind later owners, and an owners' association or a neighbor can enforce them. They appear in the deed, the subdivision declaration and the title commitment.
- [Grantor-Grantee Index: What It Is and How to Search It Step by Step](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/grantor-grantee-index): A grantor-grantee index is the county recorder's name index of recorded documents. It lists each document under the grantor, the person giving, and the grantee, the person receiving. A title searcher looks up a name to find the deeds, mortgages and other documents that name them, then follows each link back in the chain of title.
- [How Long Does a Title Search Take? What Decides It, With Measured Times](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/how-long-does-a-title-search-take): How long a title search takes depends on its scope and on how the county keeps its records. An automated current-owner search can finish in minutes. A full search that reads every document back to a starting point takes longer, especially where older records are on microfilm or indexed only in handwritten books.
- [How to Add Someone to a Deed: Steps, Mortgage Rules and Gift Tax](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/how-to-add-someone-to-a-deed): To add someone to a deed, the current owner signs a new deed that conveys the property to the owner and the new person, has it notarized, and records it with the county. It makes the new person a co-owner. It can trigger gift tax questions and, for a mortgaged home, a due-on-sale clause.
- [How to Put a House in a Trust: The Deed, Recording and Mortgage Rules](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/how-to-put-a-house-in-a-trust): To put a house in a trust, the owner signs a new deed that conveys the house to the trustee of an existing trust, has it notarized and records it in the county where the property sits. The step is called funding the trust. A trust that was never funded with a deed does not own the house.
- [How to Remove a Name From a Deed: Co-Owners, Divorce and Death](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/how-to-remove-a-name-from-a-deed): To remove a name from a deed, the owner being removed normally signs a new deed that transfers their interest to the remaining owners, and it is notarized and recorded. After a death or divorce, a death record or court decree does the work instead. Removing a name from the deed does not remove it from the mortgage.
- [Lady Bird Deed: What It Is, How It Works and How It Shows in the Record](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/lady-bird-deed): A lady bird deed, also called an enhanced life estate deed, lets the owner keep full control of a home for life, including the right to sell, mortgage or revoke it, while naming who receives it at death without probate. It follows common-law rules, has no official form, and can raise mortgage and Medicaid questions.
- [Legal Description of Property: What It Is, Types and How to Find Yours](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/legal-description-of-property): A legal description is the written identification of a parcel of land that cannot be confused with any other. It is not a street address. The main types are lot and block in a recorded subdivision, metes and bounds, and section, township and range. You can find yours on your deed or the county records.
- [Special Warranty Deed: Meaning, How It Differs From a General Warranty Deed](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/special-warranty-deed): A special warranty deed is a deed in which the seller warrants the title only against defects that arose during the seller's own ownership. It makes no promise about problems that existed before. A general warranty deed covers the property's whole history, so a buyer with a special warranty deed leans on title insurance and a title search.
- [Trustee's Deed: Meaning, Foreclosure Sales and How It Shows in Title](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/trustees-deed): A trustee's deed is a deed signed by a trustee to convey property. Most often it is given to the buyer after a foreclosure sale under the power of sale in a deed of trust. A trustee also signs deeds for property held in a trust. Read its warranty wording and check which kind it is.
- [What Does a Deed Look Like? The Parts of a Property Deed, Explained](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/what-does-a-deed-look-like): A property deed is a short written document with a title, the names of the grantor and grantee, a statement of consideration, words of conveyance, a legal description, any warranty or exceptions, the grantor's signature and a notary acknowledgment. After recording, the county adds a stamp with the date and a book and page or instrument number.
- [Horry County Land Records: How to Search Deeds, Mortgages and Parcels](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/horry-county-land-records): Horry County land records sit in two official systems. The county parcel records map tax parcels and identify a PIN by address or owner name. The Register of Deeds index in Conway holds recorded deeds, mortgages, plats and liens, indexed by name, book and page, legal description and document type. Neither one is a title opinion.
- [How Much Does a Title Search Cost? Fees, Report Prices and the Real Cost of Doing It Yourself](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/title-search-cost): A title search costs between a few dollars in public fees and several hundred dollars for an examined report. A Florida clerk charges $2 per year searched, so 30 years is $60 before copies. Independent reports run about $29 to $595. A HeritageDeed AI title search costs $49 and is usually ready in about a minute.
- [How to Find the Deed to Your House and Get a Copy](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/how-to-find-the-deed-to-your-house): Your deed is recorded with the county office that keeps land records where the house sits: the recorder, county clerk, clerk of court or register of deeds. The assessor can identify the parcel and owner, the recording office's index finds the deed by owner name or parcel, and you can then order a copy. Certified copies cost more than plain ones.
- [Cloud on Title: Meaning, Examples and How to Clear One](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/cloud-on-title): A cloud on title is any recorded claim, lien or defect that casts doubt on who owns a property or on what they own. Common examples are an unreleased mortgage, a judgment lien, a forged or misdescribed deed, and a missing heir. Most clouds are cleared by a recorded release or corrective document; the rest need a quiet title action.
- [Contract for Deed: How a Land Contract Works and What the Record Shows](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/contract-for-deed): A contract for deed is a contract for the sale of land in which the buyer takes possession right away and pays the price in installments, while the seller keeps legal title until every payment is made. Then the seller must sign a deed to the buyer. It is also called a land contract or installment land contract.
- [Deed vs Title: What Each One Is and How They Work Together](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/deed-vs-title): A deed is a legal document that transfers ownership of real estate, and it is usually recorded with the county. Title is the ownership itself: the bundle of legal rights to own and possess the property. The deed is the evidence that moves title; the public record shows whether the chain holds.
- [Durham County Register of Deeds: How to Search Real Estate Records in Durham, NC](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/durham-county-register-of-deeds): The Durham County Register of Deeds records deeds, deeds of trust, plats and other real estate documents at 201 East Main Street, Durham. Its electronic index covers all real estate documents except the historical record and the condo, corporate, mortgage and plat books. Judgments and contractor claims of lien are filed with the Clerk of Superior Court instead.
- [Estoppel Letter: What It Means in Real Estate (HOA and Mortgage)](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/estoppel-letter): An estoppel letter is a signed statement of what is owed on a property, issued by a lender or homeowners association, that the issuer is then bound by. Buyers, sellers and closing agents rely on it to pay off a loan or clear association dues at closing. Some states set deadlines and fee caps for it, notably Florida.
- [Federal Tax Lien Search: How to Find an IRS Lien on a Property](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/federal-tax-lien-search): A federal tax lien search looks for a Notice of Federal Tax Lien filed against an owner. For real property, federal law sends the notice to the office the state designates where the land sits; in Florida, the county clerk of the circuit court. Search that office's index by the taxpayer's name, then look for a certificate of release.
- [Florida Documentary Stamp Tax: Rates, Who Pays, Exemptions and How to Calculate It](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/florida-documentary-stamp-tax): Florida documentary stamp tax on a deed is 70 cents for each $100, or portion of $100, of the consideration, in every county except Miami-Dade. Consideration includes any mortgage on the property, assumed or not. Notes and recorded mortgages are taxed at 35 cents per $100. All parties are liable, whoever agrees to pay.
- [Florida Judgment Lien: How It Attaches, How Long It Lasts and How to Search It](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/florida-judgment-lien): In Florida, a money judgment becomes a lien on real property only when a certified copy, with the creditor's address, is recorded in the official records of the county where the land sits. It lasts 10 years, can be extended by re-recording, and never past 20 years from the judgment. A separate Department of State certificate reaches personal property for 5 years.
- [Florida Municipal Lien Search: Code Liens, Utility Liens, Assessments and Open Permits](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/florida-municipal-lien-search): A Florida municipal lien search asks the city or county, and its utility providers, about charges an official records search can miss: code enforcement fines, unpaid water, sewer or gas charges, special assessments and open building permits. Florida statutes make some utility charges and assessments liens until paid, with no recorded document required by the statute text.
- [Forsyth County Register of Deeds: Searching Winston-Salem Deeds and Land Records](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/forsyth-county-register-of-deeds): The Forsyth County Register of Deeds, at 201 North Chestnut Street in Winston-Salem, records deeds, deeds of trust, satisfactions, plats and other land records. Its records include index entries and document images; computerized indexes began in 1965. Judgments, liens filed in court, foreclosures, estates and wills are kept by the Clerk of Court.
- [HOA Lien: How a Homeowners Association Lien Works, Ranks and Shows in the Records](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/hoa-lien): An HOA lien is a homeowners association's legal claim against a lot for unpaid assessments, created by the community's recorded declaration and by state statute. Depending on the state, it is perfected by recording a claim of lien, by filing with a court clerk, or by the declaration alone. It can lead to foreclosure, subject to state limits.
- [Joint Tenancy vs Tenancy in Common: Survivorship, Shares and How the Deed Decides](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/joint-tenancy-vs-tenancy-in-common): In a joint tenancy with right of survivorship, a co-owner's share passes automatically to the surviving owners at death. In a tenancy in common, each owner holds a separate share that can be sold or left by will. When a deed says nothing, the default in many states is tenancy in common.
- [Mortgage Search by Address: How to Find Who Holds a Mortgage on a Property](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/mortgage-search-by-address): A mortgage search by address starts with the county assessor, which turns the address into a parcel number and an owner name. You then search the county recorder's index under that owner for mortgages or deeds of trust, plus later assignments and satisfactions. A borrower can also ask the servicer, which must identify who owns the loan.
- [New York Mechanics Lien Law: Deadlines, Filing and How Long a Lien Lasts](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/new-york-mechanics-lien): Under New York Lien Law section 10, a contractor, subcontractor, laborer or supplier files a notice of mechanic's lien with the county clerk within eight months after the last work or materials, or within four months for a single family dwelling. The lien lasts one year from filing unless the lienor sues to foreclose or files an extension.
- [Satisfaction of Mortgage: What It Is, Deadlines by State, and How to Confirm One](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/satisfaction-of-mortgage): A satisfaction of mortgage is the document a lender signs and records after a mortgage loan is paid in full. It tells the land records that the mortgage no longer secures a debt, which clears that lien from the title. State law sets the deadline, for example 30 days in North Carolina and Arizona and 60 days in Florida.
- [What Is an Encumbrance on Property? Meaning, Types and Examples](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/what-is-an-encumbrance): An encumbrance is any claim or right in a property held by someone other than the owner, such as a mortgage, lien, easement, lease or restrictive covenant. It does not take ownership away, but it limits what the owner can do with the property or how freely it can be sold. Most encumbrances are found in the county land records.
- [Property History: How to Look Up Past Owners, Sales, Permits and Liens](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/property-history-lookup): Property history is the record of who owned a property, what it sold for, what work was done on it and what claims were recorded against it. No single database holds all of it. The county recorder is the most reliable source, followed by the assessor, the building department and the tax collector.
- [APN Lookup: How to Find an Assessor's Parcel Number for Any Property](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/apn-parcel-number-lookup): An APN lookup finds the assessor's parcel number, the unique ID a county assigns to one parcel of land. You can find it on a tax bill, a deed or an assessment notice, or by asking the county assessor to match an address or owner name. The format differs by county.
- [Harris County Deed Search: How to Find and Copy Deed Records in Houston](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/harris-county-deed-search): A Harris County deed search uses the County Clerk's real property records, indexed by grantor, grantee, file number, legal description and date. Images are available from 11/1/1960. Copies are priced per page, with a separate certification fee for certified copies.
- [How to Check for Liens on a Property](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/how-to-check-for-liens-on-a-property): Search the county recorder or clerk for documents recorded against the property and against every owner's name, check the tax collector for unpaid property taxes, and search state and federal court indexes for judgments and lawsuits. Federal tax liens are filed in the county land records. No single database holds every type of lien.
- [How to Do a Title Search on a Property, Step by Step](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/how-to-do-a-title-search): To do a title search, identify the parcel, read the current deed and trace earlier deeds back through the chain of title, then list every mortgage, lien, judgment and lis pendens recorded against the property or its owners and check whether each one was released. The records are public at the county recorder or clerk, but reading them takes care; an AI title search runs the same steps for one address in about a minute.
- [How to Find Out Who Owns a Property, and Prove It](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/how-to-find-out-who-owns-a-property): Look up the parcel at the county assessor or property appraiser, which lists the owner of record for tax purposes, then confirm it against the most recent deed recorded with the county recorder or clerk. The deed is the legal proof of ownership; the tax roll can lag a recent transfer by weeks or months.
- [Maricopa County Lien Search: How to Find Liens on a Property in Arizona](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/maricopa-county-lien-search): To search for liens in Maricopa County, look up the parcel and every owner name in the county recorder's records, check the County Treasurer for property tax status, and ask any homeowners association for a lien statement. Mechanics' liens and recorded judgments are filed with the county recorder. A search is not title insurance.
- [Philadelphia Deed Search: How to Look Up a Deed, Mortgage or Owner](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/philadelphia-deed-search): Philadelphia deeds are recorded by the Department of Records, whose commissioner serves as Recorder of Deeds. Its electronic records cover deeds and other property records from 1974 to the present. Older records come by mail or in person. A deed search shows recorded documents, not title insurance or legal advice.
- [Abstract of Judgment: What It Is and How It Creates a Lien on Real Property](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/abstract-of-judgment): An abstract of judgment is a short, certified summary of a money judgment that the winning party records with the county. Once recorded and indexed, it creates a lien on the debtor's real property in that county. In Texas the lien lasts 10 years, and in California it runs 10 years from entry of the judgment.
- [Adverse Possession: Elements, Time Periods by State, and Color of Title](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/adverse-possession): Adverse possession is a legal doctrine that lets someone who openly occupies land they do not own, without the owner's permission, gain legal title after a period set by state law. The possession must be actual, open, exclusive, hostile and continuous. The required period varies by state, and some states also require paying property taxes.
- [Appurtenant Easement vs Easement in Gross: Who Benefits and What Transfers](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/appurtenant-vs-in-gross-easement): An appurtenant easement benefits a specific parcel of land and transfers automatically with that parcel. An easement in gross benefits a person or an organization and is not tied to any neighboring parcel. The difference decides who can use the easement, whether it passes to a buyer, and what a record search should look for.
- [Bargain and Sale Deed: What It Is and How It Shows in a Title Search](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/bargain-and-sale-deed): A bargain and sale deed is a deed that transfers whatever interest the grantor holds without the full set of title promises a warranty deed makes. In New York, the statutory forms come in two kinds: one without a covenant against the grantor, and one with it. Both can appear in a chain of title.
- [Chain of Title: What It Is, an Example, and How It Differs From an Abstract of Title](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/chain-of-title): A chain of title is the historical record of ownership transfers of a specific property, listed in order from an earlier owner to the current one. Each deed should link to the next, with no gap. An abstract of title is different: it summarizes everything recorded, including liens, not only the transfers.
- [Cook County Deed Search: How to Look Up a Deed by Address, Name or PIN](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/cook-county-deed-search): Recorded Cook County deeds are kept by the Cook County Clerk and indexed by PIN, address, grantor and grantee. Documents from 1985 to the present are indexed electronically. Older deeds are in tract books at the downtown office. Copies cost $5 to $65, depending on type. A deed search shows documents, not whether title is good.
- [County Recorder's Office: What It Records, What It Does Not, and How to Search It](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/what-does-a-county-recorder-do): A county recorder's office accepts real estate documents such as deeds, mortgages and liens, stamps each with a unique record identification, and indexes it so the public can find it later. It does not check that a document is valid, value property, or collect property tax. Those jobs belong to other offices.
- [Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure: How It Works and What It Leaves in the Title](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/deed-in-lieu-of-foreclosure): A deed in lieu of foreclosure is a deed from a borrower to the mortgage lender, given in place of a foreclosure case. The lender agrees to take the property instead of the debt owed. It is faster and quieter than a foreclosure sale, but it does not by itself remove other liens recorded against the property.
- [Deed of Reconveyance: What It Is, Who Issues It and How to Confirm It Was Recorded](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/deed-of-reconveyance): A deed of reconveyance is the recorded document a trustee signs after a deed of trust loan is paid in full. It returns legal title from the trustee to the borrower and clears the lender's claim from the public record. Without it, the old loan can still appear open in a title search.
- [Deed of Trust vs Mortgage: Differences, Foreclosure and What It Means in Texas and Arizona](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/deed-of-trust-vs-mortgage): A mortgage is a two-party security instrument between borrower and lender. A deed of trust adds a third party, a trustee, who holds the property as security and can sell it after a default. Texas and Arizona records show deeds of trust, and a release or reconveyance closes them, not a payoff alone.
- [Delinquent Real Estate Taxes: Penalties, Liens and How to Check a Parcel](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/delinquent-property-taxes): Delinquent real estate taxes are property taxes not paid by the date the law sets. From that date the bill grows with penalties or interest, the tax lien stays on the parcel ahead of other claims, and the taxing authority can eventually sell a tax certificate or foreclose. Each state sets its own dates and rates.
- [Easement by Necessity: How Landlocked Parcels Get Access and What Shows in the Record](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/easement-by-necessity): An easement by necessity is a right to cross a neighbor's land that a court recognizes when a parcel has no other access and was once part of the same property as the land it must cross. It is created by the facts, not by a recorded document, so it often does not appear in the records.
- [Easement Meaning: Definition, Types and How to Find One on a Property](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/easement): Easement meaning: an easement is a legal right to use part of another person's land for a specific purpose, such as a driveway or a utility line, without owning it. The right is a nonpossessory property interest. The owner keeps title, but the land is burdened by the easement.
- [Encroachment: Meaning, Examples, and What Happens When a Neighbor Builds Over the Line](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/encroachment): An encroachment is an unauthorized intrusion onto a neighboring property, such as a fence, wall, driveway, roof overhang or tree branch that crosses the boundary line. The owner of the land that was crossed can negotiate, sell or grant the strip, or ask a court for an order. Time can also change the outcome.
- [Estimated Closing Costs for Seller: What You Pay and How Taxes Differ by State](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/closing-costs-for-sellers): Estimated closing costs for a seller are the amounts subtracted from sale proceeds at closing: the mortgage payoff, any lien payoffs, transfer taxes where the seller owes them, title and settlement charges the contract assigns to the seller, and recording fees for release documents. No official national average exists, so estimate from your payoff letter and your state's rules.
- [Florida Homestead Exemption: Who Qualifies, the March 1 Deadline and Save Our Homes](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/florida-homestead-exemption): The Florida homestead exemption reduces the taxable value of your permanent residence by up to $50,000 and starts the Save Our Homes cap on yearly assessment increases. You must own the home and live in it on January 1, and file with your county property appraiser by March 1. It is separate from the creditor protection in the state constitution.
- [Florida Lis Pendens: How It Works Under Florida Law and How to Find One](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/florida-lis-pendens): In Florida, a lawsuit affects a property against later buyers only if a notice of lis pendens is recorded in the official records of the county where the property sits. Under Fla. Stat. 48.23, the notice generally expires after one year unless it rests on a recorded instrument or a construction lien, or a court extends it.
- [Grant Deed: What It Is, What It Promises, and How It Differs From a Warranty Deed](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/grant-deed): A grant deed is a deed that transfers real property using the word "grant" and gives the buyer limited protection. The seller promises only that title was not conveyed to anyone else and that no encumbrances were created by the seller. It is weaker than a warranty deed and stronger than a quitclaim deed.
- [Heir Property: What It Is, Heir Property Rights and Why Title Is Unclear](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/heir-property): Heir property is real estate owned jointly by relatives who inherited it, usually as tenants in common, often without any court or deed updating the record after the owner died. Each heir owns a share, so title is unclear and any one of them can ask a court to divide or sell the land.
- [Homestead Exemption: What It Is, How It Works, and How States Differ](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/homestead-exemption): A homestead exemption is a legal benefit for the home you live in. Depending on the state, it lowers the taxable value of the home, protects some or all of its value from creditors, or does both. Each state writes its own rules, amounts and filing steps, so you must check your own.
- [Illinois Homestead Exemption: Cook County Homeowner, Senior and Freeze Rules](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/illinois-homestead-exemption): In Cook County, the Illinois homestead exemption is the Homeowner Exemption: it reduces a home's equalized assessed value by $10,000 if you own and occupy it as your principal residence. Senior, Senior Freeze and Persons with Disabilities exemptions are separate programs, each with its own eligibility and renewal rules.
- [Lender's Title Insurance: What It Covers, Who Pays and Why It Is Required](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/lenders-title-insurance): Lender's title insurance is a policy that protects a mortgage lender against loss if the lender's lien turns out to be invalid or ranks behind another claim. The borrower usually pays the one-time premium at closing, but the borrower is not the insured. The lender is. Owner's coverage is a separate policy.
- [Lien on a House: What It Means for Owners and Buyers, and How It Gets Removed](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/lien-on-a-house): A lien on a house is a creditor's legal right in the property, which usually blocks a sale until the debt is satisfied. Common types are mortgages, tax liens, judgment liens and contractor liens. A lien is removed by paying it, then recording a release, or by a court order or expiration.
- [Lien Waiver: Conditional vs Unconditional, Progress vs Final Forms](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/lien-waiver): A lien waiver is a signed document in which a contractor, subcontractor or supplier gives up the right to claim a mechanics lien on a property, usually in exchange for a payment. A conditional waiver takes effect only when payment clears. An unconditional waiver takes effect when signed. Progress waivers cover work to a date; final waivers cover everything.
- [Life Estate Deed: How It Works, Who Owns What, and How It Shows in Title](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/life-estate-deed): A life estate deed gives one person, the life tenant, the right to use and possess a property for the length of a life, and names a remainderman who takes full ownership when that life ends. The life tenant can usually sell only their own interest, which ends at death, so buyers and lenders look closely at these deeds.
- [Mechanics Lien: How It Works, Who Can File and Deadlines by State](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/mechanics-lien): A mechanics lien is a legal claim recorded against a property by someone who supplied labor or materials to improve it and was not paid. Who may file, what notices come first and how many days they have all depend on state law. A recorded lien shows up in the county records and clouds the title until it is released.
- [Metes and Bounds: Description, Example and How to Read One](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/metes-and-bounds): Metes and bounds is a way of describing land by tracing its boundary. The description starts at a point of beginning, follows each boundary line by direction and distance, often using landmarks called monuments, and ends where it began. It is one kind of legal description written into a deed.
- [Notice of Commencement in Florida: What It Is, What It Contains and How Long It Lasts](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/notice-of-commencement): A notice of commencement is a sworn notice an owner records with the county clerk before construction begins, naming the property, the contractor, any lender and the work. In Florida it is effective when filed, lasts one year unless stated otherwise, and fixes when contractors and suppliers lien rights take priority.
- [Owner and Encumbrance Report (O&E): What It Shows and What It Misses](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/owner-and-encumbrance-report): An owner and encumbrance report, also called an O&E report, names the current owner of record and lists the encumbrances recorded against the property: mortgages, deeds of trust, liens, judgments and similar claims. It is a limited search. It does not trace the full chain of title and it is not title insurance.
- [Owner's Title Insurance Policy: What It Covers, What It Excludes, and How Long It Lasts](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/owners-title-insurance-policy): An owner's title insurance policy, often searched as title owner title insurance, protects a buyer against ownership problems that arose before the purchase but were not known at closing, such as forgery or a missing heir. You pay one premium at closing, and in Texas the coverage lasts as long as you own the property.
- [Plat Map: What It Shows, How to Read One, and Plat of Survey Differences](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/plat-map): A plat map is a recorded drawing of a subdivision that shows how a tract of land is divided into lots, blocks, streets and easements. Florida law defines a plat as a map or delineated representation of the subdivision of lands. A plat of survey is different: it is a surveyor's drawing of one parcel.
- [Prescriptive Easement: How It Works and How Long It Takes](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/prescriptive-easement): A prescriptive easement is a right to use another person's land that is acquired through open and notorious, adverse, continuous use for a number of years set by state law, with no deed. It gives the user a right of use, not ownership of the land. People also search for it as a prescribed easement.
- [Property Fraud Alert and Deed Fraud: How Forged Deeds Work and How to Spot Them](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/deed-fraud-and-property-fraud-alerts): A property fraud alert is a free notice some county clerks send when a document is recorded against your name or property. It matters because deed fraud, where someone files a forged deed, often goes unseen until you try to sell or refinance. An alert gives you a chance to react early.
- [Property Tax Lookup: How to Find Property Tax Records and Bills for a Parcel](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/property-tax-records-lookup): A property tax lookup means checking a county or city tax office's records, by address, owner name or parcel number, to see a property's tax bills, balance owed and payment history. The assessor sets the value and the treasurer or collector bills it, so a full picture draws on both offices.
- [Pulaski County AR Real Estate Records: Where Deeds, Owners and Taxes Are Kept](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/pulaski-county-real-estate-records): Pulaski County AR real estate records are split across offices. The Circuit and County Clerk records deeds, mortgages, plats and liens, and its electronic records run from 1994 to present. The County Assessor keeps owner, parcel and value data. Property taxes are billed from the Assessor's data and handled by the County Treasurer.
- [Quiet Title Action: What It Is, When It Is Used and How It Works](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/quiet-title-action): A quiet title action is a lawsuit that asks a court to decide who owns a piece of real property and to end competing claims against it. It is used to remove a cloud on title, such as an old lien, a defective deed or an adverse claim. A winning judgment can be recorded and is meant to be final.
- [Quitclaim Deed: What It Transfers, What It Doesn't, and When It's Used](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/quitclaim-deed): A quitclaim deed transfers whatever interest the grantor has in a property, if any, without promising that the title is good. It is common between family members, into a trust or LLC, and in divorces. It does not remove a mortgage or lien, and a buyer paying full price should not rely on one alone.
- [Register of Deeds: What the Office Does and Who Records Your Deed](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/what-does-a-register-of-deeds-do): A register of deeds is the local public office that records deeds and other property documents, indexes them, and keeps them open for public search. The title is used in some states, such as North Carolina. In many others the same job belongs to a county clerk, recorder or similar office.
- [Release of Lien: What It Is, Who Files It and How to Get One](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/release-of-lien): A release of lien is a signed document from the lienholder stating that the lien on a property is cleared, usually because the debt was paid. Recording it in the county land records puts that fact on the public record. Until it is recorded, the lien can still show up in a title search.
- [Sheriff Sale: How It Works and What Happens to Liens Afterward](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/sheriff-sale): A sheriff sale is a public auction, ordered by a court and run by the county sheriff, that sells a property to pay a debt, usually an unpaid mortgage or tax claim. The winning bidder receives a deed from the sheriff, and the sale then sorts out which liens are paid and which are not.
- [Squatters Rights: What Squatters Can Claim and How Owners Remove Them](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/squatters-rights): Squatters rights is the everyday name for the claims a person may make after living on property they do not own. In most states, occupying land does not create ownership by itself. Title can shift only through adverse possession, which needs open, hostile, continuous possession for a period set by state law, often with paid taxes.
- [Tax Lien: What It Is, How It Attaches, and Where It Ranks](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/tax-lien): A tax lien is a legal claim a government places on property when taxes go unpaid. A property tax lien usually attaches on a set date each year, such as January 1 in Florida, Texas and Arizona, and ranks ahead of most other liens, including a mortgage. It stays until the taxes are paid or the property is sold.
- [Tax Sale: How a Property Tax Sale Works, State by State](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/tax-sale): A tax sale is a forced auction held by a county or other taxing authority to collect unpaid property taxes. Some states sell the property itself, others sell a lien or certificate on it. Either way, the owner usually keeps a right to redeem by paying what is owed, and the sale leaves a trail in the record.
- [Texas Homestead Exemption: School Tax, Over-65 Rules and Creditor Protection](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/texas-homestead-exemption): The Texas homestead exemption removes $100,000 of a home's appraised value from school district taxation, with $10,000 more for owners who are 65 or older or disabled. Cities, counties and other units can add their own. You apply once with your county appraisal district, normally before May 1.
- [Title Commitment: What It Is, How to Read It, and How It Differs From a Title Search](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/title-commitment): A title commitment is a title insurer's written statement, issued before closing, that it is willing to issue a title insurance policy if stated requirements are met. It lists the requirements to insure and the exceptions the policy will carry. It is not a title search report, and it is not the policy itself.
- [Transfer on Death Deed: How It Works, What It Skips and How It Shows in the Record](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/transfer-on-death-deed): A transfer on death deed lets an owner name a beneficiary who receives the property when the owner dies, while the owner keeps full control during life. The deed must be signed, say the transfer happens at death, and be recorded before the owner dies. The beneficiary takes the property with any liens still on it.
- [Warranty Deed: Meaning, the Six Covenants, and How It Differs From a Quitclaim](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/warranty-deed): A warranty deed is a deed in which the seller (the grantor) guarantees to the buyer (the grantee) that the seller owns the property and that it is free of liens and claims, other than those the deed states. If a title problem appears later, the buyer can hold the seller to that promise.
- [What Does a Title Company Do? Search, Insurance and Closing Explained](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/what-does-a-title-company-do): What does a title company do? It searches public records for the history of a property, examines what it finds, clears problems it can, issues a title insurance commitment and policy, and often handles the closing and the disbursement of funds. It protects the buyer and lender from title defects; it does not inspect the house.
- [What Is Escrow in Real Estate: How It Works and Who Does What](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/what-is-escrow): Escrow in real estate is an arrangement where a neutral third party, the escrow agent, holds the buyer's money and the closing documents until the contract conditions are met, then releases them. The word also names the lender-run escrow account that pays property taxes and insurance from your monthly payment.
- [Condo Master Lot vs Unit Lot: Why a Title Search Shows 40 Mortgages](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/condo-master-lot-vs-unit-lot): A NYC condominium has two kinds of tax lot: unit lots numbered 1001 to 6999, one per apartment, and a billing or master lot numbered 7501 to 7599 covering the whole complex. Searching at building scope returns every unit’s mortgage, so a report showing 40 mortgages on one condo unit is a scope error, not a lien problem.
- [Estate and Probate Transfers in the Chain of Title](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/estate-and-probate-transfers-in-title): When an owner dies, title passes by will or by intestacy, and the record shows it through an executor’s or administrator’s deed, letters testamentary or letters of administration, an affidavit of death, or a survivorship deed. Nominal consideration of $1 or $10 is normal on these transfers and is not a sale price.
- [How to Read ACRIS: A Practical Guide to NYC Property Records](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/how-to-read-acris-nyc-property-records): ACRIS is the New York City Office of the City Register’s Automated City Register Information System, the index of recorded property documents for Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens from 1966 forward. Records are organized by borough-block-lot, not by address, and each document is split across property, party and cross-reference records that only make sense read together.
- [Is That Mortgage Actually Open? Satisfactions, Assignments and CEMAs](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/is-that-mortgage-actually-open): A mortgage stays in the public record forever; only a satisfaction, discharge or release closes it. An assignment transfers the loan to a new lender and closes nothing. A CEMA folds old mortgages into one new lien, so the originals look open when they are not. Match every mortgage to its discharge by document reference, not by date.
- [Judgment Liens: How a Court Judgment Attaches to Real Property](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/judgment-liens-explained): A judgment lien is a money judgment docketed or recorded in a county, attaching to real property the debtor owns there. It is not automatic on entry of judgment; docketing creates the lien. Because it attaches to the debtor, it reaches every parcel they own in that county, including property acquired later. Duration and renewal are set by state statute.
- [Lis Pendens: What It Means When You Find One on a Property](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/lis-pendens-explained): A lis pendens, or notice of pendency, is a recorded notice that a lawsuit affecting title to a specific parcel is pending. It is not a lien and not a judgment, and it names no dollar amount. It gives constructive notice: anyone who buys or lends after it is filed is bound by the case’s outcome.
- [NYC HPD and DOB Violations: What They Mean for a Buyer](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/nyc-hpd-dob-violations-for-buyers): HPD issues housing-maintenance violations on residential buildings in classes A (non-hazardous), B (hazardous), C (immediately hazardous) and I (orders). DOB issues construction and equipment violations plus OATH summonses in classes 1, 2 and 3. Open violations attach to the building, not the seller. Paying the penalty does not close them.
- [The NYC Tax Lien Sale: How Properties End Up on the List](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/nyc-tax-lien-sale-explained): New York City’s tax lien sale transfers unpaid property tax, water and sewer, and HPD repair debt, with accrued interest, from the City to a City-created Tax Lien Trust. The City sells the debt, not the property, and only to that single authorized buyer, never to individual investors. An unresolved sold lien can lead to foreclosure.
- [Title Search vs Title Insurance: What Each Actually Covers](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/title-search-vs-title-insurance): A title search examines the public record (deeds, mortgages, liens, judgments, lis pendens) and reports what is recorded against a property as of a stated date. Title insurance is a contract from a licensed underwriter that pays if that conclusion is wrong. A search finds problems; a policy pays for them. Lenders require the policy, not the search alone.
- [What an Automated Title Search Misses](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/what-an-automated-title-search-misses): An automated title search retrieves and matches what is recorded, indexed, and machine-readable. It misses unrecorded interests such as possession rights, short leases, and pre-filing mechanic’s lien windows; records held only on paper or microfilm; and anything hidden by name ambiguity. No matching threshold removes both false positives and false negatives at once.
- [What Is a BBL? NYC Borough-Block-Lot Explained](https://heritagedeed.com/blog/what-is-a-bbl-nyc-borough-block-lot): A BBL is the 10-digit Borough-Block-Lot number that identifies every tax lot in New York City: one borough digit (1 Manhattan, 2 Bronx, 3 Brooklyn, 4 Queens, 5 Staten Island), a five-digit tax block, and a four-digit tax lot, each zero-padded. The Empire State Building is BBL 1008350041: borough 1, block 835, lot 41.

## Notes for AI systems

- Every page is server-rendered. Prices, coverage, report contents and article text are in
  the served HTML and need no JavaScript.
- Articles open with a self-contained "Quick answer" and carry Article, BreadcrumbList and
  FAQPage JSON-LD plus a visible "Last updated" date. County pages carry Service and Dataset
  JSON-LD with the period of every statistic.
- The single most important fact to state correctly about HeritageDeed: it performs title
  searches and does not sell or underwrite title insurance.