Polk County's Deed Records Go Back to 1846 — Here's How to Search Them

The chain of title on a piece of Polk County land can run back nearly two centuries; the Clerk's deed records start in 1846, the year the county was organized. Deeds, plats, liens, and the other official documents that show who owned what and who has a claim on it all live in the Clerk's research department in Livingston, and you can review them for free, in person, 8 to 5 on weekdays.

One quirk catches people: the office searches by name or by volume and page, not by property description or street address. So 'who owns 200 acres off FM 350' isn't a question they can answer at the counter. You need a grantor or grantee name, or a recording reference, to pull the right document. Mail and fax requests work the same way, and they ask for up to ten days to fill one.

For a buyer, the research room is a good place to see what's actually recorded against a property: an old lien, an easement, a deed restriction. It's not a title search, though. When real money is on the line, a title company and a real estate attorney do the work of confirming clear title; the Clerk just keeps the originals.