Deed in Durham County, North Carolina

In North Carolina, deeds and other real property documents are recorded by the county Register of Deeds. A recorded conveyance is effective against lien creditors and purchasers only from the time of its registration (G.S. 47-18), so the order of recording decides priority.

The Durham County Register of Deeds' electronic records cover real estate documents from January 1, 1978; the historical record and the mortgage, condominium, corporate and plat books are not included.

Judgments are docketed with the Clerk of Superior Court, not with the Register of Deeds (G.S. 1-234).

The last recorded deed names the owner of record and how they hold title; a title search follows the chain of deeds back from it.

Yes. The Durham County report covers: Owner, parcel number and the vesting deed's book and page from the county tax parcel records; The vesting deed, and deeds, deeds of trust, satisfactions, assignments, substitutions of trustee and foreclosure notices recorded with the Register of Deeds; Liens and City of Durham code-enforcement orders recorded with the Register of Deeds, listed as name matches to verify.

Not covered: Records start in 1978: a purchase before then has its deed read by book and page, but earlier loans are not searched.