Welcome to the Texas County Recorder of Deeds Office
Mission Statement
The mission of the Texas County Recorder of Deeds office is to record, maintain and retrieve original copies of documents under its domain for authorized public uses while making the most efficient and effective use of public resources.
Recorder Warns Of ‘Outrageous’ Practice
The Recorder of Deeds office exists primarily to protect your right as an American citizen to own property and to provide historical information to assist you to make informed decisions about real estate. The office is a service of county government which neither infringes upon, or mandates to, its citizens. It operates on funds provided by the users of the services and not the taxpayers as a whole. Documents recorded here and available for public inspection (with certain exceptions*) during business hours include, but are not limited to: Deeds, Deeds of Trust, Releases, Rights-of-Way/Easements, Surveys, Plats, Restrictions/Covenants, Cemetery Deeds, Articles of Incorporation, Land Patents, Affidavits, Marriage Licenses, Uniform Commercial Code documents, Missouri and Federal Tax Liens/Releases, *Military Discharges (DD 214), and other Miscellaneous documents. Lindsay Koch has been Recorder of Deeds since May 8, 2015. In Missouri, Recorders serve in four-year terms and are elected by county-wide vote.
The Recorder Protects Your Documents
The Recorder’s office is the permanent location of original documents. Almost all of the documents ever recorded here are still in their original form, having survived being housed in a cave during the American Civil War, and the burning of the Courthouse in December 1930. Since July 2011, all documents received by this office have been digitally copied, and are electronically scanned and “backed up” at a secure off-site location. The consequences of lost or misplaced original real estate records would be disastrous for our local economy. The smooth flow of commerce would cease. Property owners would not be able to prove that the very deeds they possessed were the most current. Lenders would not be able to lend money as there would be no proof of collateral on record. Heirs could not inherit property as there would be no proof a Beneficiary Deed was current or had not been revoked. In the case of a natural disaster as occurred in May 2011 in Joplin, MO, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would require proof of real estate ownership to obtain Federal assistance.
Recording Time Policy
No documents shall be recorded after 4:00 PM each business day. Documents presented for recording after 4:00 PM will be recorded, in the order received, commencing at 8:00 AM the following business day. Those presenting time-sensitive documents should allow sufficient time for staff to inspect the documents for conformance with Missouri recordation format requirements (RSMo Chapter 59, et al).
Online Records Search
Click here to search records online for free (Index Only)
Viewing images and printing documents requires subscription. Please contact the office for information on subscription fee.
Questions? Feel free to contact us.