Martin County Property Records

Martin County property records are maintained by the County Recorder in Shoals, Indiana, and cover deeds, mortgages, releases, easements, and other instruments that affect real estate in the county. If you need to confirm ownership, check a lien, or trace a chain of title on land in Martin County, the recorder's office in Shoals is where the public record begins. This guide walks through how to search those records, what the filing process looks like, and what state tools are available to residents.

Martin County Recorder Office

The Martin County Recorder holds a constitutional office defined by Indiana Code 36-2-11, which gives the recorder the duty to accept, index, and preserve all documents that affect real property within the county. The office is located at the Martin County Courthouse in Shoals and is open during standard courthouse hours Monday through Friday. Any deed, mortgage, easement, release, or other instrument touching land in Martin County must be filed here to become part of the official public record.

When the recorder accepts a document, the office assigns it an instrument number, stamps it with the date and time received, scans it into the index, and returns the original to whoever submitted it. That instrument number is the key to finding the document later. Staff can look up records by name or instrument number, though they do not conduct title searches or give legal opinions on what the documents mean.

Martin County is a smaller rural county, so online access to its recorder's index may be more limited than in larger Indiana counties. The Indiana Recorders Association maintains a statewide directory with current contact information for the Martin County Recorder, including phone number and mailing address. Call ahead if you plan to visit or send a mail request, especially for older records that may need to be retrieved from storage.

Search Martin County Land Records Online

Even though Martin County does not have a large in-house online portal, several statewide tools can help you find recorded instruments and related property data. Doxpop indexes recorded documents from recorders across Indiana and allows searches by name, document type, and date. Many title researchers and real estate attorneys use Doxpop when working with Martin County land records. You can view document images through the site for a fee after searching the index for free.

The Beacon GIS platform provides parcel maps and ownership data tied to Martin County parcels. You can search by owner name, address, or parcel number and pull up a map showing the property's boundaries. Beacon is a good starting point when you want to identify a parcel visually or confirm ownership before looking up the recorded deed at the recorder's office.

For historical land records, the Indiana State Archives holds original patents, survey plats, and other early documents that predate the current county recording system. These records form the root of title for many Martin County parcels and can be searched online at no charge.

Recording Requirements for Martin County Deeds

Indiana sets uniform recording standards that apply in Martin County the same way they apply in every other county. Documents must be printed on white paper no larger than 8.5 by 14 inches, with a paper weight of at least 20 pounds. Text must be in black ink at a minimum 10-point font size. Margins require 2 inches at the top and bottom of the first and last pages, with at least a half-inch margin on all sides of interior pages. Documents that fall outside these requirements are still accepted, but each non-conforming page carries an extra charge.

Every recorded document must include a "Prepared by" statement with the name and address of whoever drafted it. Names must be typed or printed directly under each signature exactly as signed. Notarization is required for deeds and most real property instruments. The grantee's mailing address must appear on every deed. Under Indiana Code 32-21-2, Social Security numbers must be removed from all documents before submission to the recorder.

Deed transfers in Martin County follow a three-step process. The County Assessor reviews and stamps the deed first. The County Auditor then transfers ownership and endorses the document. After both steps, the Recorder accepts and records it. Fees are collected at both the Auditor's and Recorder's offices. A Sales Disclosure form is also required and must be submitted to the Auditor when a deed changes hands.

Electronic recording is an option for lenders and title companies that process high volumes. The most common e-recording vendors serving Indiana counties include CSC eRecording (866-652-0111), Simplifile (800-460-5657), and eRecording Partners Network at 888-325-3365. Contact the Martin County Recorder's office to confirm which vendors are currently accepted.

Martin County Property Tax Records

Tax records for Martin County parcels are handled by the Assessor and Auditor rather than the Recorder. The Assessor sets the assessed value for each parcel under Indiana Code 6-1.1, and the Auditor calculates the tax bill from that value and applicable rates. These two sets of records work alongside the deed records at the Recorder's office to give a full picture of any parcel's status.

The Indiana DLGF Assessed Value Search lets you look up the current assessed value for any Martin County parcel by owner name or parcel number. This is useful when you want to check how a property is valued or verify the figure used to compute the tax bill.

Fees and Copies for Martin County Records

Recording fees in Martin County follow the statewide schedule. Deeds cost $25 to record. Mortgages are $55. Affidavits, releases, and most standard instruments cost $25 each. Oversized pages larger than 9 by 15 inches carry an extra $5 per page. Documents that do not meet formatting standards are charged an additional $1 per non-conforming page on top of the base fee.

Copies of recorded documents cost $1 per page for standard sizes up to 11 by 17 inches. Larger copies are $5 per page. Certified copies add $5 to the copy fee. Certification includes the recorder's seal and signature, which is typically required when copies are used in legal proceedings or formal transactions.

Mail requests are accepted by the Martin County Recorder's office. Include a clear description of what you need, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and a check or money order for the estimated copy cost. Staff will confirm the total if the final cost differs from what you sent.

Nearby Indiana Counties

Martin County borders several counties in south-central Indiana. If a property sits near a county line, you may need to check recorded documents in the neighboring county as well.