When most people hear the words county recorder, they tend to think of property deed information. And while the county recorder does in fact record property deed information, searching the county recorder records can lead to a whole lot more than just property deeds!
In many jurisdictions throughout the country, the county recorder also records liens (separate and apart from UCC). And when an individual is fined by a court and the defendant fails to pay, many courts record a lien against the defendant for the unpaid balance with the county recorder. So, what does all this mean? When researching someone’s background, always search the records of the county recorder in all jurisdictions where the individual has been associated.
This past week, I was attempting to learn more about a criminal court case that had been expunged. The court records were less than helpful, so I decided to search the individual’s name through the county recorder records. When I did my search, I immediately found a prior lien recorded with the county recorder by the court for the defendant for unpaid fines for the case in question. And while the fines had since been paid and the lien satisfied, the county recorder’s office still had the lien publicly available. Upon looking at the lien record, the sentencing information from the court was attached to the lien, which allowed me to glean the information that I needed about the case.
What else can you find at the county recorder’s office? Financial statements, affidavits, power of attorney records, prenup agreements, trusts, and whole lot more!