Daviess County Property Records
Daviess County property records are filed and maintained by the County Recorder in Washington, Indiana, where instruments including deeds, mortgages, easements, and liens are kept as part of the permanent public record. If you need to verify ownership of a parcel, check for existing mortgages, or review the chain of title for land in Daviess County, this guide explains where to look, what tools are available, and how the recording process works under Indiana law.
Daviess County Property Records
Daviess County Recorder Office
The Daviess County Recorder operates under Indiana Code 36-2-11 as the county's official keeper of land records. Every deed, mortgage, easement, release, lien, and survey affecting real property in Daviess County must be submitted to this office. The recorder indexes each document, stamps it with the date and time received, scans it into the system, and returns the original to the submitter. The assigned instrument number is your permanent reference for finding the record in the index.
The office is located at the Daviess County Courthouse in Washington, Indiana. Staff can search records by name or instrument number, but they do not perform full title searches or give legal opinions. If you need a comprehensive title report for a Daviess County property, a licensed title company or real estate attorney is the right resource.
For documents from the early years of Daviess County, the Indiana State Archives holds deed books, survey plats, and patent records that predate the modern recording system. You can search these online or contact the archives for a retrieval request. Older records may cover land grants and early deeds from the county's first decades.
The Indiana Recorders Association maintains a directory of all county recorder offices, including contact details and hours for the Daviess County Recorder in Washington.
Search Daviess County Deeds and Documents Online
The easiest way to search Daviess County property records from home is through Doxpop, which indexes recorded instruments from Indiana county recorders. You can search by grantor or grantee name, document type, or date range. Document images are available for a per-page fee. Title professionals and real estate attorneys routinely use Doxpop when researching Daviess County land records.
The Beacon GIS platform provides parcel maps, ownership data, and assessed values for Daviess County. Search by owner name, street address, or parcel number to pull up current ownership details and a map showing the property's location and boundaries. Beacon is a good complement to Doxpop because it gives you a visual context for the parcel before you dig into the recorded instruments.
The Indiana Gateway portal and its Taxpayer Portal give access to tax and financial data for Daviess County properties. These state tools pull from county assessor and auditor records.
The State Archives holds early Daviess County land records that can help establish the original ownership history of a parcel. These documents are particularly useful for older rural properties where the chain of title goes back many decades.
Recording Requirements for Daviess County Documents
Indiana's statewide recording standards apply to every document submitted to the Daviess County Recorder. Paper must be white, no larger than 8.5 by 14 inches, and at least 20-pound weight. Text must be in black ink at no less than 10-point size. Legal descriptions, signature blocks, and notary certificates must meet the same standards. Documents that use handwritten text in key sections may be rejected.
The first page must leave a 2-inch top margin for the recorder's stamp. The last page requires a 2-inch bottom margin. All other pages need at least a half-inch margin on all four sides. Margins that fall short of these standards result in a non-conforming fee of $1 per page above the base recording charge. Fix any margin issues before you bring the document in to avoid extra costs.
All instruments submitted to the Daviess County Recorder must include a "Prepared by" statement with the drafter's name and address. Signatures must be accompanied by printed or typed names that match the signed form exactly. Deeds and other real property instruments must be notarized. Deeds must include the grantee's full mailing address. Social Security numbers must be removed before submission per Indiana Code 32-21-2.
Deeds in Daviess County go through three offices before recording. First, the County Assessor reviews and stamps the deed. Then the County Auditor transfers the property on the tax rolls, endorses the document, and collects the transfer fee. Finally, the Recorder records the deed and returns the original. A Sales Disclosure form must accompany every deed at the Auditor's step. Plan to make stops at both the Auditor's and Recorder's offices when you submit a deed.
Property Tax and Assessment in Daviess County
The Daviess County Assessor sets the market value of each parcel for tax purposes under Indiana Code 6-1.1. The County Auditor then applies local levy rates to calculate the annual tax bill. Property taxes are billed twice a year, and unpaid taxes become a lien on the parcel. Liens for unpaid taxes are public records that appear in the recorder's index.
You can check the current assessed value for any Daviess County parcel at the state's DLGF Assessed Value Search. Enter an owner name or parcel number to see what value the assessor has on file. If you believe your Daviess County property is over-assessed, you can file an appeal with the County Assessor, and unresolved appeals can go to the Indiana Board of Tax Review.
Use the DLGF Tax Bill Search to pull up past and current property tax bills for Daviess County parcels. This is handy when you want to confirm that taxes are paid before a real estate closing or when reviewing the tax history on a property you plan to purchase.
Recording Fees and Copy Requests
Daviess County follows Indiana's statewide recording fee schedule. Deeds cost $25. Mortgages cost $55. Most other standard instruments, including releases, assignments, and affidavits, cost $25 each. Oversized pages larger than 9 by 15 inches add $5 per page. Non-conforming documents carry an extra $1 per non-conforming page.
Copies of recorded documents cost $1 per page for standard sizes up to 11 by 17 inches. Larger copies cost $5 per page. Certified copies add $5 to the base copy fee. If you need records by mail, send a written request with payment and a stamped, self-addressed return envelope. The recorder's office will process the request and mail back the copies. Fees are not refundable once a document is submitted.
E-recording may be available for Daviess County through Indiana-accepted vendors including CSC eRecording, Simplifile, and ePN. E-recording allows title companies and lenders to submit documents electronically without a trip to the courthouse. Contact the Daviess County Recorder directly to confirm which vendors are accepted and what the setup process requires.
Note: Always call the Daviess County Recorder before making a long trip to Washington to confirm current hours and any local procedures that may apply.Nearby Indiana Counties
Daviess County is in southwest Indiana and shares borders with several counties in that part of the state. If a property sits near a county line, you may need to check more than one recorder's office for a complete chain of title.