Real Property Records & Official Public Records

Since the beginning of county government, the county clerk’s office has had the important responsibility of keeping the property records of its citizens. The number and types of property records has expanded over the years to cover more than 34 different types of documents: deeds, deeds of trust, warranty deeds, oil / gas leases, bills of sale, deed restrictions, homestead designation, power of attorney, releases, and many more.

To date there are over 4 million images of documents requiring approximately 4 terabytes of computer database. In 2016, the clerk’s office recorded over 29,000 documents.

HISTORY

In Taylor County the first “real property” records were recorded in the County Clerk’s office in the 1870s. There are also many volumes containing historically interesting information such as livestock brands, Commissioners’ Court records, Bonds for business’, Assumed Name Certificates, Plats of towns and neighborhoods, Contracts, Official Oaths, Physician Certificates, military discharges (DD-214’s) and others.

Since the 1980s county clerks have combined many of the records with the real property records to create what is now called, the Official Public Record of Taylor County. Types of documents added are abstracts of judgments, assumed name certificates, state and federal tax liens, plats, occupational bonds, mechanics liens, livestock brands, state water permits, and the list goes on.

Within a year of taking office, current County Clerk Larry G. Bevill began an ambitious program to digitize and index all records in the Official Public Records.  To date all records in the office have been digitized creating both a permanent back up of all the important records in the office and making those records available on public search terminals in the office.  Once the records were digitized, indexing began.  As of 2017, all property records from 1972 to the current date have been indexed.  All other records in the Official Public Record have been indexed back to the inception of the County in 1878!  On a daily basis Clerk’s staff is indexing property records recorded prior to 1972 as time permits.

All the projects begun in 2005 when Larry G. Bevill took office have been funded from recording fees and not property taxes. 

In 2007 the OPR division of the Taylor County Clerk’s office went “paperless”.  Documents received during the day are indexed and digitally imaged into the computer database.  Once the image and index data are proofed and double checked, the original is mailed back to the appropriate recipient.  There are three redundant backs to ensure the safety, security and long term viability of your records.

The Taylor County Clerk’s office also started accepting records for recording into the OPR by electronic recording in 2007.  Customers utilize 3rd party software such as ERX, Simplifile and others to submit documents for recording.  Commonly called e-recording, (no paper is handled by Deputy Clerks) the process is all “inside” computer systems.  Today between 35-50% of all property records recorded in the Taylor County Clerk’s office are e-recorded.

SEARCHING

With just a few exceptions, all of the Official Public Records in the County Clerk’s office are available for public searching.  Indexes in the Clerk’s office, both on paper and digital, help you to find the information for which you are searching.

You can use one of the two on-line search sites to access information which has been indexed into software systems.  At either site you can print documents for $1.00 per page. 

 https://taylorcountytx-web.tylerhost.net/web/ called Super Search, is the best site if you are researching documents that have been indexed.  This is our newest on-line database to which we will be adding more documents daily.  In addition to real property records, there are Bills of Sale, Contracts, Livestock Brands, Federal and State Tax Liens dating back to the beginning of Taylor County in 1878! The site has tools to help you quickly narrow your search results using filtering options for a quicker and better experience.

RULES & REGULATIONS FOR RESEARCHING/COPYING RECORDS

• Due to constraints in electrical supply and the importance of keeping dedicated electrical outlets, no one may hook-up any equipment into the electrical supply in the clerk’s office.
• Due to trademark and other legal rights to any hardware system and/or proprietary software, no citizen, agent, company, or other individual or business may connect any electronic device into the computer systems, either owned or leased in the clerk’s office.
• Due to the close quarters or crowding in this office, there is no room for additional equipment. No individual may install or use private equipment such as a copier, scanner, microfilm equipment, etc.
• There are eight public search stations for the official public records and two public search stations for court records. At any time these are all being utilized, the person who has been at the stations the longest must allow a new person to use the computer. If there are more than eight or two and those using the computers will not yield them to another, then the rule of 15 minutes per computer per person at any one time will be enforced.

ELIGIBILITY

• To be eligible to be recorded a document must have the following attributes:
• Must be a document that is statutorily authorized to be recorded.
• The document must be the original or a certified copy.
• There must be a title at the top.
• If it’s a deed, the grantee’s address must be listed.
• If it’s a deed of trust, the trustee or beneficiary’s address must be listed.
• All other documents must have a return address listed on the bottom or back.
• The signatures must be original.
• Your name must be printed or typed underneath your signature.
• There must be a completed original notary acknowledgment with seal. Seal and notarial commission must not have expired date and must be legible.
• The property must be located in Taylor County and include the complete legal description indicating the property is in Taylor County, Texas.
• A margin of at least an inch is required on top, bottom, left and right on each page of a document.

A document conveying an interest in real property to or from an individual must include a confidentiality notice. The notice must appear at the top of the first page in 12-point boldfaced type or uppercase letters, and read substantially as follows:

Notice of Confidentiality Rights - if you are a natural person, you may remove or strike any or all of the following information from this instrument before it is filed for record in the public records. This information includes your social security number or your driver’s license number.

ELECTRONIC RECORDING OR E-RECORDING

Taylor County Clerk’s office accepts electronic recording of real property records from those who are authorized by local government code 195.003. Xerox Government Records, Simplifile, and Corporate Service Company (CSC) are the vendors that have been authorized for use.  You may contact them and sign up for e-recording at the Erxchange website.  There are many advantages to this type of transaction.  Security is enhanced in that no original can be “lost in the mail” by a 3rd party such as the United States Postal Service.  Turnaround time from the moment a customer begins the e-recording process until the return of the processed document is usually less than one business day.

FILING & FEES

The filing fee is $26 for the first page and $4 for each additional page. It is a crime to intentionally or knowingly file a fraudulent court record or a fraudulent document with the clerk.

For a full list of the recording fees for all types of documents commonly filed into the Official Public Records select this link: Filing Fees Sheet