Shelby County Property Search
A Shelby County property search allows individuals access to property information maintained by record custodians in the county. The Shelby County Register of Deeds maintains property documents and provides public access to these records. Some property documents available from the office include:
- Deeds
- Mortgages
- Tax liens
- Liens
- Affidavits
- Property titles
- Powers of attorney
These documents can be retrieved when a property search is conducted online, by email, mail, or in person at the Register's Office. A property search is necessary to determine property information and know a property's historical value, the condition of a property, and property value.
Are Shelby County Property Records Public?
Yes. According to the Tennessee Public Records Act, property records are part of Shelby County Public Records. Therefore, anyone can inspect or obtain copies of property records from Shelby County record custodians. The search methods vary depending on the record custodian. Requests can be made online, by mail, email, or in person at the appropriate record custodian office. According to Tennessee Code 10-7-504(6), property records that contain opinions of value intended to be acquired for a public purpose are confidential until the acquisition process is finalized.
What Do Shelby County Property Records Contain?
The content of property records maintained by Shebly County record custodians vary by document type. These records typically contain the following information:
- Document image
- Property building sketch
- Informal review
- Instrument type and number,
- Grantor and grantee's names
- Recording date and time
- Property taxes including tax bills and details of a property's assessment
- Property location and owner information (property address, Parcel ID number, municipal jurisdiction, neighborhood number, tax map page, land square footage, acres, lot dimensions, subdivision name and lot number, plat book and page number, and owner name, mailing address, city/state/zip)
- Appraisal and assessment information (class, land, building and total appraisal amounts, total assessment amount, greenbelt and homesite land appraisal amounts, homesite building appraisal amount, Greenbelt appraisal and assessment amount)
- Improvement details (stories, exterior walls, land use, built year, total rooms, bathrooms, bedrooms, half baths, basement type, heat, fuel, heating system, fireplace masonry and pre-fab, ground floor area, total living area, and car parking)
- Other buildings (card, year built, length, width, area, and type)
- Permits (date of permit, amount of permit, reason, and permit number)
- Sales history (date of sales, sales price, deed number, and instrument type)
- Legal description (tax year, plat book and page number, map number, class and zoning codes, subdivision, lot size (frontage, depth, acreage, and lot number))
- Register and Assessor GIS
- Tax details (year, taxing authority, assessment amount, tax due, interest/penalty, total fees, and total due)
- Transaction details (printable receipt, transaction number, date, type, and amount)
Where to Perform a Shelby County Property Lookup
The best place to conduct a Shelby County property lookup is at the Register of Deeds' Office. The Register's Office maintains property documents and makes them available for public perusal. Online requests can be made using the Property Search tool at no charge. The search criteria are by name, property address, instrument number, book number, page number, or recorded date range.
Property information that cannot be retrieved online can be obtained by email at register@shelbycountytn.gov, by mail, or by visiting the Register's Office in person. Mail requesters must ensure that their written requests contain sufficient information on the grantor and grantee's names, property addresses, and dates for the staff to locate the record. Copies of property records cost $0.50 per page, but plats cost $1.50 per page.
In-person requests can be made at the Register's Office during business hours (8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Monday through Friday). The inquirer must provide basic information about the property to facilitate the search. Record seekers can visit any of the following offices:
Shelby County Register of Deeds
Main Office
1075 Mullins Station Road
Building W3, Suite W165
Memphis, TN 38134
Phone: (901) 222-8100
Fax: (901) 222-8134
Downtown
157 Popular Avenue
Room 124
Memphis, TN 38103
Whitehaven
1254 East Shelby Drive
Suite 1267
Memphis, TN 38116
How to Perform a Property Owner Lookup in Shelby County
Most Shelby County record custodians allow requesters to conduct property owner lookups online, by mail, email, or in person at their offices. For example, the Shelby County Register of Deeds has a Property Search tool that can be used to perform an online search for a property owner. Requesters would have to use other search criteria like property address, instrument number, book number, page number, or recorded date range to conduct the search.
Requesters can also mail a written request to the Register's office. The written request must contain information on the grantor and grantee's names, property addresses, and/or recording dates before processing the request. The necessary property document fee must be included in the mail package. In-person requests are only permitted during business hours (8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Monday through Friday). The record seeker must provide basic information about the property to facilitate the search.
How to Find Shelby County Property Records Online
Shelby County makes property records electronically accessible to residents for free. To find property records online at the Shelby County Trustee's office:
- Go to the Trustee's website
- Scroll down and click on the "SEARCH TAXES" tool
- Conduct a search using any of the following search parameters
- Property location: Enter the number and street name where the property is located in the designated fields and the "Search" button. Users can enter "0" (Zero) if they do not know the Street Number. Avoid street designations like North, South, Cove, Rd, Blvd, and Ave.
- Owner or business name: Enter the property owner's first and last name and click on the "Search" button. It is worth noting that name searches are not case-sensitive, and they can be abbreviated by using a first initial.
- Parcel ID number: Enter a fourteen-digit parcel ID number and click on the "Search" button.
Upon conducting the search, public information about the searched property will be available. Alternatively, inquirers can find Shelby County property records on third-party aggregate databases. Enter the necessary property information in the designated fields. Note that the information by third-party sites varies because they run independently. Requesters may access basic property information for free, but a fee may be required to access comprehensive information.
How to Find Property Owner by Address Free
Most record custodians in Shelby County have online databases where individuals can find property owner information for free by conducting a search by address. For example, the Shelby County Assessor of Property has a Property Search tool that provides such services. Go to the "Search by Address" section and enter the street number or street name in the designed fields. Avoid entering a street direction or suffix when conducting a street name search. Click the "Submit" button to conduct a search. A search by street number lists every property with the search number. Click on the view link to find specific information about a property. However, a search by street name leads directly to the searched property. The search result will reveal the property owner's name, mailing address, and City/State/Zip.
Alternatively, an inquirer can visit any of the Shelby County record custodian offices to conduct a property owner search by address. Most of the offices allow residents to view property ownership information for free. However, they charge a small fee for copies of the property records.
Shelby County Property Tax Lookup
The Shelby County Trustee has a Tax Lookup tool that can be used to obtain property tax information. The search criteria are by property location, owner/business name, or parcel ID number. Conducting a search by parcel ID number leads directly to the property detail. However, a search name provides a list of parcels associated with the searched name.
Individuals can also visit the Shelby County Trustee's Office to conduct property tax lookups. In-person requests can only be processed during business hours. The requester would have to provide some details of the property to facilitate the search. The common search parameters are the property owner's name, address, and parcel ID. Copies of property tax records attract some charges, but the office may allow people to view property tax records for free. The Shelby County Trustee's Office is located at:
Shelby County Trustee
Shelby County Office Building,
157 Poplar Ave STE 200,
Memphis, TN 38103
Phone: (901) 222-0200
The common reason people conduct property tax lookups is to determine the tax history of a property to know if the property is worth purchasing. Also, property owners can conduct property tax lookups to know if any mistakes have been made on their tax records.
How to Find Shelby County Property Appraiser
The Tennessee Real Estate Appraiser Commission provides information on all property appraisers licensed to operate in Shelby County. Go to the Consumer Services section at the left navigation pane on the Commision's website. Click on the "Find Appraiser" link from the dropdown to find a licensed property appraiser in Shelby County. Interested persons can conduct a quick search or advanced search. It is best to conduct an advanced search by location because it allows one to choose the state, county, city, and zip code. This helps one to narrow all searches to property appraisers conducting business in Shelby County. Search results typically reveal the property appraiser's full name, company name, street, city, state, zip, county, status, credential number and type, effective and expiration date of credential, future effective and expiration dates, and disciplinary and other actions. Alternatively, individuals can visit the Commission during business hours to request information about Shelby County property appraisers. The Commission is located at:
Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance
Real Estate Appraiser Commission
500 James Robertson Parkway
Davy Crockett Tower
Nashville, TN 37243-0565
Phone: (615) 741-1831
Email: reg.boards@tn.gov
Shelby County residents can hire property appraisers for estate planning, tax assessment, sale or list price decisions, tax or divorce settlement, refinance, and mortgage lending purposes.
Shelby County Property Assessor
The primary role of the property assessor is to locate, identify, and appraise all Shelby County properties at the market value during reappraisal periods under Tennessee law. The Shelby County Assessor of Property can be contacted at:
Shelby County Assessor of Property
East Office
1075 Mullins Station Rd
Memphis, TN 38134
Phone: (901) 222-7001
Fax: (901) 222-7199
Satellite Office
157 Poplar Ave
Memphis, TN 38103
