How to Get a Copy of Your Deed in Indiana: Steps, Fees, and Copies

To get a copy of your deed in Indiana, contact the County Recorder’s Office in the county where the property is located and request the document. Copies cost $1 per page, and a certified copy costs an extra $5. Indiana has 92 county recorders and no single statewide database, so the county is always where the search begins.1IN.gov. IBC: Indiana Recorders Association Directory

Find the Right County Recorder

Every Indiana deed is filed with the recorder in the county where the land sits. State law requires the recorder to keep records and indexes open to the public and to provide a copy to anyone who asks and pays the fee.2Justia Law. Indiana Code Title 36, Article 2, Chapter 11 – County Recorder

Search online for the county name plus “Indiana Recorder’s Office” to pull up the address, phone number, hours, and any search tools the office offers. Not sure which county the property is in? Look at a recent property tax bill. The county name is printed near the top.

What to Gather Before You Ask

A few details will make any search faster, whether you go in person, use a county portal, or write a letter.

  • Parcel number, sometimes called a Tax ID or Key Number. It’s on your property tax statement and is the most reliable way to pull the right record. The Indiana Gateway’s Tax Bill Look Up tool lets you search by county, taxpayer name, address, or parcel number for all 92 counties.
  • Owner names. In a deed, the grantor is the person who transferred the property and the grantee is the person who received it.3indy.gov. Record Your Deed
  • Property address. Useful for narrowing, but less precise than the parcel number because addresses can change or differ from what the recorder shows.
  • Approximate transfer date, if you know roughly when ownership changed.

One thing to keep in mind: deeds identify property by legal description, using methods like metes and bounds or lot-and-block references, not by street address. That’s another reason the parcel number tends to work better than an address at the recorder’s counter.

Three Ways to Request Your Deed

In Person at the Recorder’s Office

Walk into the office during business hours. Most recorders provide public computer terminals where you can search the index yourself. Staff will point you in the right direction, though the searching is generally on you. Once you find the document, ask the clerk to print a copy or a certified copy depending on what you need.

Online

Many Indiana counties offer online access through third-party platforms. Marion County, for example, has three routes: a free tool for viewing basic recorded information like instrument numbers and party names, a pay-per-search service called Tapestry that charges $6.95 per search plus $1 per printed page, and a subscription service called Laredo built for frequent users.4indy.gov. Search Real Estate Records Online Other counties use similar vendors. Check your county recorder’s website for the link.

The Indiana Gateway itself is not a deed search tool, but it’s free and helpful for locating the parcel number and tax information you’ll bring to the actual deed search.

By Mail

Most recorder’s offices accept written requests. Send a letter with every piece of identifying information you have, a check or money order for the fee, and a self-addressed stamped envelope for the return. Payment methods vary. Some offices take only cash or check for mail requests and don’t accept credit cards, so call first to confirm what they’ll accept.5Dearborn County, Indiana. Recorder’s Office

What It Costs

Indiana law sets recorder copy fees, and they’re the same in every county:

Most residential deeds run one or two pages, so a plain copy costs $1 to $2 and a certified copy costs $6 to $7. Third-party portal fees like Tapestry’s are separate and additional.

Certified or Uncertified: Which One Do You Need

An uncertified copy is a plain photocopy of the recorded deed. It’s fine for personal files or for checking details like the legal description, owner names, and transfer date.

A certified copy carries an official stamp or seal from the recorder confirming it’s a true copy of what’s on file. Lenders, title companies, and courts routinely require the certified version. If you’re refinancing, selling, or dealing with any kind of legal dispute involving the property, spend the extra $5. It beats making a second trip.

A Deed Copy Is Not a Title Search

These two things are commonly confused, and the confusion can cost you. A deed copy is the single document that transferred ownership to you. A title search examines the full chain of ownership plus any liens, easements, judgments, or other encumbrances tied to the property. Title searches are done by title companies or abstractors and typically run $75 to $250 for a standard residential property, depending on how complicated the ownership history is. If you just need proof of who owns the property, a $1 deed copy handles it. If you need to confirm the property is clear of hidden claims before a sale or refinance, you need a title search.

If the Recorder Has No Record of Your Deed

When the recorder’s office can’t find your deed, the most likely reason is that the deed was never recorded. Indiana law requires a conveyance to be acknowledged by the grantor (or proved before an authorized officer such as a notary) and then delivered to the recorder for recording. An unrecorded deed can still be valid between the buyer and seller, but it cannot be read or received as evidence in court unless the acknowledgment certificate was recorded with it.7Justia Law. Indiana Code Title 32, Article 21, Chapter 2 – Recording It also leaves you exposed: if the seller transferred the property to someone else who recorded first, the recorded deed generally takes priority.

If you have the original unrecorded deed and it meets Indiana’s recording requirements (proper acknowledgment, legibly printed names beneath all signatures, and the grantee’s mailing address for tax statements), you can bring it to the recorder and have it recorded. If the original is lost or the acknowledgment is missing, an attorney can help you establish ownership through a quiet title action or similar proceeding.