Travis County Property Search
Travis County property records are legal documents providing information about real properties in Travis County. These documents contain details about a property's ownership history, maps, descriptions, mortgage records, tax records, and other records about the property. Travis County property records are created when property owners in the county file and record their real property documents with the Travis County Clerk's Office Recording Division. They are considered a part of Travis County Public Records and made available to interested members of the public on request.
In Travis County, Texas, interested parties can access public property records through Travis County property searches. Property records searches are generally conducted for several reasons, including but not limited to the following:
- Settling boundary dispute: Property owners and potential buyers can find out the real boundaries of a property by reviewing the property's plot map, among the information property record searches provide.
- Determining a property's actual value: Mortgage records are among the information a property record search provides. Potential buyers can review a property's mortgage records to find out the property's historical sale price. This information can, in turn, be used as a determining factor in establishing the property's current value.
- Discovering the true owner of a property: a property's deed is among the details a property record search provides. The property's deed provides information about the true owner of the property. A property deed is beneficial when a prospective buyer wants to verify that the seller of the property has the legal authority to sell it. A property's deed can also be used to settle property ownership disputes.
- Unearthing undisclosed encumbrances: a property search can disclose whether a property has any encumbrances, such as paid liens that can be transferred to a new owner.
Travis County property owners can file and record their property's documents with the County Clerk's Office Recording Division either by mail or in person. If an individual wishes to file their property records in person, they must schedule an appointment with the Division beforehand.
The property documents presented to the Division for filing must be the original documents and must contain original signatures. The Division does not record copies of property documents. Once the Division processes the document, it will be scanned, and an instrument number will be issued. Afterward, the original documents would be returned to the customer by mail or in person. Note that the first page of each document requires a filing fee of $26, and each additional page costs $4. For a more detailed breakdown of the filing fees, interested persons can view the Recording Fees page.
Property documents can also be recorded electronically (eRecording). However, per Texas Local Government Code 195.003, only select entities can file their documents electronically. These entities include and are not limited to:
- Attornies licensed in Texas
- Banks, savings and loan associations, or credits unions conducting business under Texas or United States laws
- Texas state agencies
- Title insurance companies or title insurance agents licensed to conduct business in Texas.
- Individuals licensed to make regulated loans in Texas
The Travis County Clerk typically maintains property records from the 1800s to the present.
Are Travis County Property Records Public?
Per the Texas Public Information Act (TPIA) and the provisions of County Codes, Travis County property records are considered public information. Hence, member of the general public has the right to access property records maintained by government agencies in the county, such as the Travis County Clerk and Tax Assessor's Office. However, certain information contained in property records is exempt from public disclosure under Subchapter C of the TPIA. Some examples of these pieces of information include and are not limited to:
- Social security numbers
- Information made confidential under a court order
- Information related to competitive bids
- Information about the location or price of a property designated for a public purpose before the public announcement of the project
- Information about the appraisal or purchase price of a property designated for a public purpose before the formal award of the property's contracts
- Audit working papers
- Certain property tax appraisal photographs
What Do Travis County Property Records Contain?
Travis County property records consist of different documents recorded against a piece of real estate in the county. These documents vary by the record's custodian and what the property was used for in the past. For instance, the following types of documents can be found in property records maintained by Travis County Clerk's office:
- Deeds: These are legal documents used to transfer property ownership from one party to another. The information found in a deed includes the deed's date, grantor, and grantee name.
- Abstract of judgments: These legal documents create a lien on a property a debtor owns due to a judgment issued by a court. These documents contain the grantor and grantee's basic information, such as their name, DOB, home address, lien amount, interest rate, and date filed.
- Liens and lein releases: A lien is a legal notice a creditor attaches to a property their debtor owns to secure an unpaid debt. The lien gives the creditor rights to a portion of the proceeds from the property sale. The information found in a lien includes the grantor and grantee's name, the property's address, and the amount owed. Lien releases, as the name implies, are legal notices that a lien has been released.
- Plats: These are maps that show the legal boundaries of a property. These maps are created by the original surveyors of the property and are derived from the property lines they establish to separate each plot or parcel in the area.
- State and federal tax liens: These are legal claims the state and federal government can attach to a taxpayer's property to secure an outstanding tax debt.
- Tax bills and details of the property's assessment
- Leases are legally binding documents outlining the terms and conditions under which a property owner agrees to rent out their property to another party.
Besides the aforementioned types of documents, other types of documents can be found in Travis County property records. These include and are not limited to property modifications, restrictions, variance, ordinances, annexation, bill of sale, and waiver.
Where to Perform a Travis County Property Lookup
Interested persons can perform a Travis County property lookup online or in person through the Travis County Clerk Recording Division. For online property lookups, inquirers can use the County Clerk's Web Search portal. The portal is free to use and contains different property document types. Users can look up a property on the portal by providing the legal description of the property, such as the subdivision, address, lot, block, section, and phase.
Interested persons can visit the Travis County Permanent Library for an in-person request. The library contains records of property dating from the 1800s to the present. Alternatively, inquirers can schedule research appointments with the Travis County Clerk's Recording Division. The Divison charges between $10 to $15 for real property searches. Inquirers can visit the division fee information page for a detailed breakdown of these fees. The Divison accepts checks, money orders, cash, cashier's checks, MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover credit cards. Credit card transactions under $100 are subject to a $3 charge. Meanwhile, credit card trans above $100 are subject to a 3% charge.
How to Perform a Property Owner Lookup in Travis County
To perform a property owner lookup in Travis County, interested persons can use the County Clerk's Web Search portal to conduct an online search for and view a property's deed. The most recent deed of property would provide information about the property's current owner and previous owner. Inquirers can also use the Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD) database to look up a property's ownership information. To use the TCAD database, inquirers must supply the property address or other information about the property.
Alternatively, interested persons can look up a property owner's information by making an in-person inquiry at Travis County Clerk's Office Recording Division. As mentioned earlier, inquirers must book an appointment before paying the Division a visit.
How to Find Travis County Property Records Online
Record seekers can find Travis County Property Record online through Travis County Clerk's Web Search portal. On the portal, a record seeker must provide certain information about the property to facilitate their search. This information includes the parties' names on the property deeds or the property address. The portal is also free to use.
Record seekers can also conduct Travis County property records searches online through third-party websites. These websites typically require record seekers to supply information about the property to facilitate property record searches, such as the property address or owner's name. Some third-party websites also charge users a fee for their services, while others provide their property search services for free.
How to Find Property Owner by Address Free
Interested persons can find information about the owners of a specific property by querying the Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD). The TCAD maintains a searchable database containing details about properties situated in Travis County. Users can search this database using a property owner's name, property address, account number, or Doing Business As (DBA). It is worth noting that there are no special requirements for using the database, which is accessible for free.
Travis County Property Tax Lookup
The Travis County Tax Office provides an online Account Search portal for interested persons to look up property taxes online. Besides looking up Travis County property taxes, interested persons can also use the portal to:
- Check whether a property taxes have been paid or if its balance is currently due
- Check a property's current and previous year's tax statements
- Pay property taxes online
- Enroll in a payment plan for current or delinquent property taxes.
To look up a specific property on the portal, users must provide the property address, owner name, account/billing number, or the property's mailing address.
How to Find Travis County Property Appraiser
Interested persons can find Travis County property appraisers on the list of Department Certified Real Estate Appraisers published by the Texas Department of Transportation. This list includes the names and contact information of Residental and General appraisers licensed by the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board (TALCB). A residential appraiser is an individual who is certified by the TALCB to conduct residential real property appraisals. Meanwhile, general appraisers are authorized by the TALCB to appraise all kinds of property regardless of their complexity or transaction value.
Note that the aforementioned list contains details of appraisers in different parts of Texas. Interested persons can find appraisers in Travis County by skimming through the "city" column on the list to determine which appraiser operates in their city. For instance, according to the list, 28 appraisers are operating in Austin.
Inquirers can also find Travis County property appraisers through third-party websites and recommendations from trusted friends and family members. It is important to verify an appraiser's license when selecting them through either of these methods. Inquirers can use the License Holder Search portal provided by the TALCB to verify that an appraiser is licensed to operate in Texas.
Interested persons can also query Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD) to obtain appraisals for their property situated in Travis County. (TCAD) is responsible for providing an accurate appraisal of all property in Travis County. Interested persons can obtain TCAD property appraisals through the TCAD database and Map search tool. On the TCAD database, users can facilitate a property search by providing information about the property. These include the property ID, owner's name, geographic ID, or address. The search result would provide general information about properties, such as a property's appraisal notice, account, location, and owner's information.
Alternatively, inquirers can use the TCAD map search tool to find and look up TCAD property appraisals. Travis County properties are represented by numbered plots on the tool's map. Users can select a property by clicking on its plot on the map. Doing this would result in a prompt containing the property ID, owner name, and a View Info button. Users can click View Info to access details about the selected property, including its owner, improvements, location, alterations, and appraisal (value) information.
Travis County Property Assessor
Travis County Tax office serves as the county property assessor. The office provides numerous services for county residents, which include the following:
- Collection of beer, wine, and liquor licenses county taxes.
- Collection of county property taxes
- Collection of fees and fines on behalf of Justice of the Peace, county, and district courts
- Auctioning out of foreclosed properties
- Administration of disabled parking placards and plates
- Vehicle, title, and license plate registration.
Over $4 billion in taxes and fees are collected by the Travis County Tax Office annually for different government agencies. The County Tax Office additionally receives $256 million annually for services connected to motor vehicles and $4.1 million in court fines and fees. Furthermore, the tax office registers approximately 850,000 trucks, motorbikes, cars, and trailers annually and processes over 300,000 vehicle transactions.
Daily, Travis County Tax Office serves an average of 800 customers at its offices, answers over 1,000 customer phone calls, and helps over 200 customers at their drive-through locations. The contact information and addresses of the county Tax Offices are detailed below:
Travis County Tax Office Headquarters
2433 Ridgepoint Dr
Austin, TX 78754-5231
North - Pflugerville
15822 Foothill Farms Loop
Pflugerville, TX 78660-342
Northwest Austin
8110 N FM 620 Road
Austin, TX 78726-4005
Southeast Austin - near ABIA
4011 McKinney Falls Parkway Austin,
TX 78744-4103
East Austin - near MLK and Springdale
4705 Heflin Ln
Austin, TX 78721
