Find Texas Property Records
Where to look for appraisal records, tax bills, deeds, liens, plats, and legal descriptions — and what each source can and cannot tell you.
Property information in Texas is maintained primarily at the county level. The correct place to search depends on what you are trying to learn — and you will generally need to know the county where the land is located before you begin.
A county appraisal district can help you research property-tax values, exemptions, account information, and basic property characteristics. The county clerk’s real-property records contain recorded legal documents such as deeds, deeds of trust, releases, liens, affidavits, and subdivision plats.
These systems serve different purposes. An appraisal-district listing is not the same thing as a deed, a title search, a survey, or a legal determination of ownership — and no single public database provides a complete or legally conclusive ownership history.
Start Here — Before You Search, Identify:
- The Texas county where the property is located
- The property address, if one exists
- The current or previous owner’s name
- The appraisal-district account or parcel number, if available
- The approximate date of a sale, inheritance, lien, or other transaction
- The type of information or document being sought
What Are You Trying to Find?
Use this quick guide to jump to the right source.
Start With the County Appraisal District for Tax and Appraisal Information
Texas has an appraisal district serving each county. Appraisal districts appraise property for local property-tax purposes, and their public search tools are usually the fastest starting point for basic property research.
A county appraisal-district search may provide:
- Appraised value, market value, and taxable value
- Homestead and other listed exemptions
- Property-tax account or parcel number
- Property address and property description
- Acreage or lot size
- Basic building characteristics and year built
- Maps or geographic information
- The owner name and mailing address shown in the appraisal records
Available search fields vary by county but may include owner name, property address, account number, parcel identification number, geographic identification number, business name, or a map search.
Find Your County Appraisal District Texas Comptroller County Directory Texas.gov Property Tax Directory
The Texas.gov property-tax directory links to county Truth-in-Taxation websites and property-tax-rate information.
Use the County Tax Office for Tax Bills and Payment Information
The county tax assessor-collector — or another designated local tax office — may provide:
- Current tax bills and tax receipts
- Delinquent-tax information and payment status
- Taxing-unit charges and payment options
- Contact information for tax collections
Keep the division of labor straight: the appraisal district appraises property, while the tax office or applicable taxing unit generally handles billing and collection.
Find Your County Tax Office County Tax Office Contacts on This Site
Our County Resources page lists the tax assessor-collector’s office for every Texas county.
Search the County Clerk for Deeds and Recorded Land Documents
Deeds and other real-property instruments are generally filed in the real-property or official public records of the county where the land is located. County clerk records may include:
- Warranty deeds
- Special warranty deeds
- Quitclaim deeds
- Deeds of trust
- Releases of liens
- Abstracts of judgment
- Mechanic’s or property liens
- Affidavits of heirship
- Transfer-on-death deeds
- Easements
- Restrictions and restrictive covenants
- Assignments
- Oil, gas, and mineral instruments
- Powers of attorney
- Subdivision plats
- Recorded probate-related instruments
- Other documents affecting real property
County systems vary considerably. Some counties offer comprehensive online searches, while others provide limited indexes, vendor-operated portals, document images for a fee, or access through the clerk’s office. Not every county provides every record online.
How to Begin a County Clerk Search
- Identify the county where the property is located.
- Visit the official county clerk website. (Our County Resources page lists the clerk’s office for every Texas county.)
- Look for “Official Public Records,” “Real Property Records,” “Land Records,” “Deed Records,” or “Records Search.”
- Search using the grantor or grantee’s name.
- Narrow the results using approximate recording dates, instrument type, or document number.
- Review the document index and obtain a copy of the relevant recorded instrument.
- Follow references to earlier deeds, releases, liens, probate documents, or related instruments when necessary.
Terms You Will See
- Grantor
- The person or entity transferring or granting an interest.
- Grantee
- The person or entity receiving the interest.
- Instrument number
- The identifying number assigned when a document is recorded.
- Recording date
- The date the clerk accepted and recorded the document.
- Legal description
- The property description used in the deed or other recorded instrument.
Looking for Property Boundaries?
Five different things are easy to confuse — and they are not interchangeable:
- An appraisal-district map — a tax-administration and mapping resource
- A recorded subdivision plat — a recorded drawing of a platted subdivision, often available through the county clerk
- A deed’s legal description — a lot-and-block description, metes-and-bounds description, acreage description, or reference to a recorded plat
- A private land survey — a surveyor’s on-the-ground measurement and drawing
- A legally established boundary — which may ultimately depend on instruments, surveys, and, in disputes, legal proceedings
An appraisal map can help a property owner locate a parcel, but it should not be treated as a survey or a final determination of a boundary.
A private survey may not appear in the county clerk’s records at all. In Texas, surveys are not routinely recorded as independent documents; a survey may occasionally appear as an exhibit attached to another recorded instrument.
For a disputed, unclear, or newly established boundary, consult a Texas registered professional land surveyor. For disputes involving title, easements, encroachments, adverse possession, or ownership rights, consult a qualified Texas real-estate attorney.
Third-Party Texas Land-Record Platforms
Some counties contract with outside vendors to provide online access to their records, and private companies may aggregate records from multiple counties into one search interface. TexasFile is one example of a commercial platform that offers searches across Texas counties.
If you choose to use a commercial platform, keep the following in mind:
- It is not the official Texas Homestead Law website, and it is not a government agency.
- Coverage dates and document availability vary from county to county.
- Registration or document fees may apply.
- Verify important information against the official county clerk’s records.
- Mention here is informational only and is not an endorsement.
- No third-party database necessarily contains a complete title history.
Start with the official county appraisal district, tax office, or county clerk first; treat commercial platforms as optional convenience tools.
Tips for Finding the Correct Property or Document
When Searching by Address
- Try the street name without the house number.
- Remove punctuation.
- Try the street name without “Street,” “Road,” “Drive,” “Lane,” or similar suffixes.
- Search alternate abbreviations.
- Check whether the property uses a rural route, farm-to-market road, county road, or highway address.
- Try the appraisal account number when the address search does not work.
When Searching by Owner Name
- Begin with only the last name.
- Try first and last name without a middle initial.
- Search former owners.
- Search a spouse’s name.
- Search the name of a trust, estate, partnership, LLC, or other entity.
- Try variations of a person’s legal name.
- Remember that inherited property may still appear under a deceased owner’s name until records are updated.
When Searching County Clerk Records
- Search both the grantor and grantee indexes.
- Use approximate recording dates.
- Search maiden names, former names, and entity names.
- Look for references to prior instrument numbers.
- Check for deeds, affidavits, probate instruments, releases, easements, restrictions, and liens.
- Do not rely only on an address — many clerk systems index documents by name rather than street address.
What Public Records Can and Cannot Tell You
| Source | What It Can Help You Find | What It Does Not Establish |
|---|---|---|
| County Appraisal District |
|
|
| County Tax Office |
|
|
| County Clerk |
|
|
| Registered Professional Land Surveyor |
|
|
| Title Company or Real-Estate Attorney |
|
|
When a Basic Property Search May Not Be Enough
Inherited Property
Appraisal records may continue to show the deceased owner for some time. Heirs may need to examine probate records, deeds, affidavits of heirship, wills, court orders, and other recorded documents to piece together current ownership. See our guides on Heirs, Probate & Family Land, homestead exemptions and taxable value, and protecting the homestead.
Recently Purchased Property
There may be a delay between deed recording, appraisal-district updates, and tax-office updates. A brand-new purchase may not appear in every system right away.
Rural Land Without a Standard Address
Try searching by owner name, account number, abstract and survey name, legal description, tract number, recorded deed reference, or the county’s geographic map. See also Ag, Timber & Rural Land.
Multiple Parcels
One physical property may consist of multiple appraisal accounts or legal tracts. Check for adjacent accounts under the same owner name.
Boundary Disputes
Engage a registered professional land surveyor to locate boundaries on the ground. When legal rights are disputed, consult a Texas real-estate attorney.
Suspected Liens or Title Problems
A basic name search may not reveal every relevant document. When a transaction, inheritance, financing matter, lawsuit, or ownership dispute depends on complete and accurate results, obtain a professional title search.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I find the owner of Texas property online?
Appraisal-district records commonly show the owner name associated with the tax account. However, that listing should not be treated as conclusive proof of legal title.
Where can I find a copy of a Texas deed?
Deeds are generally recorded with the county clerk in the county where the property is located. Search the county’s official public records or contact the county clerk.
Can I search using only a street address?
Sometimes. Appraisal districts often support address searches, but county clerk systems may rely primarily on owner names, instrument numbers, and recording dates.
Does the appraisal district deed the property to someone?
No. The appraisal district maintains records for property-tax purposes. It does not transfer ownership.
Can the county clerk tell me whether a title is clear?
Generally, no. The clerk provides access to recorded documents but does not ordinarily conduct a legal title examination or guarantee that title is clear.
Can I find my property survey at the courthouse?
Possibly, but not usually. A recorded subdivision plat may be available, while a private survey may not have been recorded unless it was attached to another document.
Is a county appraisal map an official survey?
No. It is an appraisal or mapping resource and should not be used as a substitute for a professional boundary survey.
Where do I find property-tax rates?
Use the county’s Truth-in-Taxation website, the local tax office, or the official Texas Property Tax Directory at Texas.gov.
What if the property is still listed in a deceased relative’s name?
Research the county’s probate and real-property records and review our inheritance resources. Legal assistance may be needed to determine ownership and correct the title records.
Are online property records free?
Many indexes and appraisal searches are free. Counties or private vendors may charge for document images, certified copies, subscriptions, or expanded searches.
Find Your Texas County Appraisal District
Texas property appraisal records are maintained locally by the appraisal district serving the county where the property is located. Start by selecting or searching for the county below.
County appraisal-district websites commonly allow users to search using an owner name, property address, account number, parcel number, geographic identification number, or map. Available records and search options vary by county.
Appraisal-district records may help you find property-tax values, exemptions, acreage, parcel characteristics, maps, and the owner name associated with the tax account. These records are not a deed, survey, title examination, or conclusive determination of ownership.
Tips for Searching a County Appraisal District
- Start with the property address.
- Try the street name without the house number when an exact-address search fails.
- Remove suffixes such as Street, Road, Drive, Avenue, Lane, or Circle.
- Search using only the owner’s first and last name — or the last name by itself.
- Search a spouse, former owner, trust, estate, LLC, or other entity name.
- Use the account number or parcel number when available.
- Search the map when the land does not have a standard street address.
- Remember that rural acreage may be divided among multiple property accounts.
- Remember that recently transferred or inherited property may still appear under a former or deceased owner’s name.
External links — each button opens the appraisal district’s own website in a new tab. You are leaving Texas Homestead Law. If a link stops working, use the Texas Comptroller county directory.
Need the Deed or Other Recorded Documents?
An appraisal-district record is not the deed. Deeds, deeds of trust, releases, liens, easements, affidavits, restrictions, and plats are generally searched through the county clerk in the county where the property is located. The appraisal district and the county clerk maintain different records for different purposes.
Source Notes
- Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts — Local Property Appraisal and Tax Information county directory
- Texas.gov — Texas Property Tax Directory (Truth-in-Taxation)
- Texas Property Tax Code and related Texas statutes
- Texas State Law Library — general legal-research guidance
- Official county clerk, county appraisal-district, and county tax-office websites
- Texas Association of Appraisal Districts directory — used as a discovery source only; the Texas Association of Appraisal Districts is a professional association, not a state agency
County appraisal-district links were compiled from public directories and verified against available official county and Texas property-tax resources. Appraisal-district websites, vendors, and search links may change. Texas Homestead Law does not operate these external websites and cannot guarantee their availability, accuracy, or accessibility. Verify important property information with the applicable appraisal district, county clerk, tax office, title professional, surveyor, or attorney.
This page provides general educational information for Texans. It is not legal advice, a title examination, a survey, or a substitute for advice from an attorney, title professional, appraisal district, county clerk, tax office, or registered professional land surveyor.