Howard County Property Records

Howard County property records are maintained by the County Recorder's office in Kokomo, Indiana. The office is the official keeper of all real property documents in the county, including deeds, mortgages, liens, releases, and easements. Kokomo is the county seat and where nearly all land transactions for Howard County are filed and indexed. Whether you need to check ownership, find a recorded lien, or pull a copy of a deed, the Recorder's office in Kokomo is where the official record lives. State-level online tools also provide access to many Howard County recorded documents without a trip to the courthouse.

Howard County Recorder's Office

The Howard County Recorder operates out of the courthouse in Kokomo and is the constitutional officer responsible for recording all real property instruments in the county. Every deed, mortgage, lien, easement, and release filed in Howard County goes into the Recorder's official index. That index is organized by grantor and grantee name, making it possible to find any recorded document by the party names involved.

The Recorder's duties are defined by IC 36-2-11, Indiana's statute governing county recorders statewide. The office must maintain and make available to the public all instruments submitted for recording. Howard County follows these same rules. Staff can help with document submission, certified copy requests, and questions about the recording process. The office does not provide legal advice.

Howard County sits in north-central Indiana with Kokomo as its urban center. Property in the county ranges from residential lots in Kokomo to agricultural land in the surrounding rural areas. All of those transactions are recorded and indexed at the Recorder's office. High volumes of deed and mortgage filings pass through this office on a regular basis given Kokomo's size.

The Indiana State Archives portal shown below holds early land records and historical documents for Howard County going back to early Indiana land grants.

The Archives portal is free to use and covers Howard County land patents and survey records that predate the county's modern digital recording system.

Search Howard County Deeds and Recorded Documents

Doxpop provides online access to Howard County recorded documents through its statewide Indiana index. You can search by grantor name, grantee name, or document type to find deeds, mortgages, and other instruments filed with the Howard County Recorder. A subscription or per-search fee applies for full document access. Doxpop is a common tool for title researchers and real estate professionals working in Howard County.

The Beacon GIS parcel viewer may offer an interactive map for Howard County parcels showing boundaries, ownership data, and assessed values. Basic use is typically free. This tool is useful for visually locating a parcel in Kokomo or the surrounding county and reviewing what ownership information the county has on file.

The NETR Online public records directory maintains links to official county portals for Indiana and can help you find the current online search tool for Howard County. For older records, the Indiana State Archives land records portal covers early land patents and historical surveys for Howard County at no cost.

Note: For critical title work in Howard County, confirm search results with the Recorder's office directly. Online tools may not reflect same-day recordings.

Recording Requirements in Howard County

All documents submitted for recording in Howard County must meet Indiana's statewide requirements. Instruments must be notarized. Each signer's name must be typed or printed directly below the signature, matching how the person actually signed. A "Prepared by" statement is required on every document. These rules apply across all Indiana counties including Howard.

Paper and format standards matter. Documents must use white paper no larger than 8.5 by 14 inches with a minimum weight of 20 pounds. Top and bottom margins on the first and last pages must be at least 2 inches. Side margins must be at least half an inch. Text must be 10-point minimum in black ink. Documents that fail these physical standards are classified as non-conforming and charged an extra $1 per non-conforming page on top of the standard fee.

Fees follow the statewide schedule set under IC 36-2-7-10.5. Deeds cost $25 to record. Mortgages are $55. Most other instruments and affidavits are $25. Releases and assignments are $25 each. Oversized pages add $5 apiece. Standard copies are $1 per page, and certified copies add $5 to that cost. Non-conforming documents carry the extra per-page charge in addition to these fees.

Deed transfers in Howard County go through a three-step process. First, the deed is taken to the County Assessor for review and stamping. Then it goes to the County Auditor for transfer and endorsement. Finally it reaches the Recorder for recording. A Sales Disclosure form must be submitted with the deed. Fees are paid at both the Auditor's and Recorder's offices. Social Security numbers must be fully redacted before submission under IC 32-21-2.

Property Tax and Assessment Records in Howard County

Property taxes in Howard County are governed by IC 6-1.1. The County Assessor sets the assessed value of each parcel in the county. That value determines your annual tax bill. If you think your assessment is too high, you can file a formal appeal with the Assessor's office in Kokomo.

The DLGF Assessed Value Search is a free state tool that lets you look up current assessed values for Howard County parcels by parcel number or address. The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance maintains it. The DLGF Tax Bill Search shows actual billed tax amounts for each parcel in Howard County.

The DLGF assessed value portal below provides parcel-level tax data for Howard County and all other Indiana counties at no cost to the public.

Cross-reference DLGF data with deed records from the Howard County Recorder to build a complete picture of any parcel's ownership and assessed tax value.

The Indiana Gateway Taxpayer Portal provides current and prior-year tax bill data for Howard County parcels free of charge. The Indiana Gateway main portal covers broader county financial and government data as well.

Howard County Deed Conveyance and E-Recording

Every deed filed in Howard County must comply with IC 32-21-2, which sets out Indiana's conveyance rules. The deed needs a proper legal description of the property, the grantee's mailing address, and the full names of all parties. For platted subdivision lots, the description should cite the correct plat book and page. All Social Security numbers must be removed before the document is submitted.

E-recording is an option in many Indiana counties. Vendors that commonly serve Indiana recorders include CSC eRecording at 866-652-0111, Simplifile at 800-460-5657, ePN at 888-325-3365, and Indecomm. Call the Howard County Recorder directly to confirm which e-recording options the office currently accepts. The Indiana Recorders Association provides statewide guidance on recording standards that apply to Howard County.

Nearby Indiana Counties

Howard County borders Miami, Tipton, Hamilton, Madison, Grant, and Cass counties. Each county maintains its own recorder's office and property record system.