Find Property Records in Dearborn County
Dearborn County property records are maintained by the County Recorder in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and cover every deed, mortgage, release, easement, and other instrument affecting real estate in the county. The recorder's office makes these land records available to the public for ownership verification, title research, and lien searches. This page covers how to search Dearborn County property records online and in person, what fees apply, and what requirements govern document recording.
Dearborn County Property Records
Dearborn County Recorder Office
The Dearborn County Recorder is Joyce Oles, and the office serves as the county's official keeper of land records under Indiana Code 36-2-11. You can reach the office by phone at (812) 537-8837 or by email at joles@dearborncounty.in.gov. The office accepts cash or check only. Credit cards are not accepted, so bring the correct form of payment when you visit in Lawrenceburg.
The recorder's office is accessible through the Dearborn County government website. The office records all instruments affecting real property in the county, including deeds, mortgages, easements, affidavits, powers of attorney, contracts, and surveys. Each document is assigned an instrument number and stamped with the exact date and time of submission. The original is returned to you after scanning.
One thing to know: the Dearborn County Recorder's office cannot perform searches on your behalf or provide legal opinions. Staff can help you navigate the index, but the research itself is your responsibility or that of a title professional you hire. The office is also in the process of a back-indexing project to bring older deed records from before the year 2000 into the digital system. Until that project is complete, some older Dearborn County land records may require an in-person visit to review deed books.
Copies of recorded documents cost $1 per page. If you need records by mail, include a written request, your payment, and a stamped, self-addressed return envelope. The office will process the request and mail back the copies.
Search Dearborn County Property Records Online
Dearborn County property records from 2000 to the present are available through Doxpop. You can search by name, document type, or date range and view document images for a per-page fee. Doxpop is the main online tool for researching Dearborn County deeds, mortgages, and recorded instruments without going to the courthouse in Lawrenceburg. Records before 2000 may not yet be in the digital index due to the ongoing back-indexing project, so for older research, plan a trip to the courthouse.
Parcel maps, ownership data, and assessed values for Dearborn County are available through the Beacon GIS platform. Search by owner name, address, or parcel number to pull up current ownership details, boundaries, and assessed values in a map view. Beacon is useful for confirming parcel location and ownership before pulling recorded instruments from Doxpop.
Property cards for Dearborn County are available through the Dearborn County property cards page. Property cards show the physical characteristics and improvement data used by the assessor to value each parcel.
The Indiana Recorders Association also provides a statewide directory of recorder offices. Use it to verify the most current contact information and office hours for the Dearborn County Recorder in Lawrenceburg before you visit or call.
E-Recording and Transfer Fees in Dearborn County
Dearborn County has made e-recording available for both transferable and non-transferable documents. E-recording lets title companies, lenders, and attorneys submit instruments electronically without a trip to the courthouse in Lawrenceburg. Common e-recording vendors accepted in Indiana include CSC eRecording (866-652-0111), Simplifile (800-460-5657), and ePN (888-325-3365). Contact the Dearborn County Recorder at (812) 537-8837 or joles@dearborncounty.in.gov to confirm current vendor acceptance and setup details.
Transfer fees in Dearborn County are set by local policy. The Sales Disclosure Fee increased to $20 effective July 1, 2021. The transfer fee remains at $10 per document. These fees are paid at the Auditor's office during the deed transfer step, which comes before the Recorder records the document. Plan for both stops when you submit a deed in Dearborn County.
Recording fees follow Indiana's statewide schedule: $25 for deeds, $55 for mortgages, $25 for releases and other standard instruments. Oversized pages above 9 by 15 inches add $5 per page. Non-conforming documents cost an extra $1 per non-conforming page.
Note: The office accepts cash or check only. No credit cards are accepted at the Dearborn County Recorder's office.Recording Requirements for Dearborn County Documents
Every document submitted to the Dearborn County Recorder must meet Indiana's standard recording requirements. Paper must be white, 8.5 by 14 inches or smaller, at least 20-pound weight. Text must be black ink, 10-point minimum font. The first page needs a 2-inch top margin for the recorder's stamp, and the last page needs a 2-inch bottom margin. All other pages must have at least a half-inch margin on all sides.
Every instrument must include a "Prepared by" statement with the drafter's name and address. Signatures must have printed names beneath them that match the signed form exactly. Notarization is required for deeds and most real property instruments. Deeds must include the grantee's mailing address and a legal description of the property. Social Security numbers must be removed from all documents before submission under Indiana Code 32-21-2.
Before the Recorder accepts a deed in Dearborn County, the deed goes through two other offices. The Assessor reviews and stamps it first. Then the Auditor transfers the property on the tax rolls, collects the transfer fee and Sales Disclosure Fee, and endorses the document. Finally, the Recorder records the deed. This three-step process applies to all deed transfers in Dearborn County.
Property Tax Records for Dearborn County
Property taxes in Dearborn County are administered by the County Assessor and County Auditor under Indiana Code 6-1.1. The Assessor determines each parcel's market value on a regular assessment cycle. The Auditor applies the applicable levy rates and issues tax bills twice a year. Taxes that go unpaid become liens on the parcel, and those liens are recorded in the public index.
You can look up the current assessed value for any Dearborn County parcel using the state's DLGF Assessed Value Search. Enter the owner's name or parcel number to see what the assessor has on file. If you think your Dearborn County property is over-assessed, you can file a formal appeal at the County Assessor's office.
The DLGF Tax Bill Search and the Indiana Gateway Taxpayer Portal let you pull up tax bills for Dearborn County parcels by parcel number. These tools are useful for checking whether taxes are current before a real estate closing in Lawrenceburg or elsewhere in the county.
Nearby Indiana Counties
Dearborn County sits in the far southeast corner of Indiana near Cincinnati, Ohio. Neighboring county recorder offices may hold records relevant to parcels near county or state lines.