Finding the property owner...

[Swartzie]

Hi all. There are a couple places I'd like to metal detect that are private property. But, there are no houses in the immediate vicinity so I'm not sure who owns the property. So how would I go about finding the property owner to ask permission?

 

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[jeff of pa]

check if your county has a GIS Site
For Property Owners on the Net.

or Ask at the Local Police Dept, Post Office, Or closest Neighbor
even if a mile away. Fire dept.'s may also know

 

[desertfox]

Check out the county property tax rolls. They will list the current owner and address.

HH

Desertfox

 

[findstuf]

• 1. does the county have a website?
  1a. if they do, does it have a gis department
  1b. if they have a gis department, do they have online maps
  1c. if they have online gis maps, find the property and it should list the current owner's address

• 2. if the county does not have a website
  2a. go to the county's tax assessors office and ask to see the taxmap for the area
  2b. find the property on the map, get the tax map number, ask for the owner info

• 3. after either 1 or 2 above go to the RMC (Register of Mesne Conveyance) or ROD (register of deeds)
  3a. ask for help finding a current plat of the property (you want to make sure your on the right property)

edit: 2c... you can request to look at the "old" tax maps. Usually they frown when you ask this, but most counties keep the old tax maps. One step harder to request, you can ask to see the "tax map file". Back when tax maps were hand drawn they kept files of all the plats, notes, hand drawn unrecordable plats, grandpa's remembrances, etc.... to compile that maps. Usually they frown on letting the public look at them, but there is some great info in the files.

2c. Caveat lector.. you better be well versed in the property research lingo to ask for the old stuff. the ladies at the front desk will try every which way to blow you off. It usually requires them asking their boss what you are talking about and sometimes the boss doesn't know. Most of the old stuff is hands off. tax maps that is

 

[mlayers]

Check with the court records. I went to the library and got a map of property owners in my area.....Matt

 

[Kentucky Kache]

Somebody that lives around there will know. They always do.

 

[Swartzie]

Thanks for the input guys. I found out that my county has a GIS website. From there I can find maps with the property owners names. Also, old maps are available. So, it will be a good research tool. Man, the internet is great.

 

[findstuf]

great, old tax maps are the cats meow... Usually the old tax maps show dirt roads, notes, etc. In context of tax maps, "old" means pre-1980. Another very good resouce is Sanborn fire maps.