Texas property records are organized by county — and Texas has 254 counties, the most of any U.S. state. Real-property documents (deeds, mortgages/deeds of trust, liens, plats) are recorded by the elected County Clerk in each county [tarrantcountytx.gov]. Property appraisal and tax records are kept separately by the county's Appraisal District (CAD), an independent political subdivision created under the Texas Property Tax Code, while the Texas General Land Office maintains the historical state-grant and public-land GIS layers.
How Texas Property Records Work — Deep Dive
Who records deeds in Texas: the County Clerk
Texas Local Government Code §191.001 makes the elected County Clerk the recorder of real-property instruments in each of the 254 counties. Tarrant County's published guidance explains: the County Clerk's Recording Division receives original signed and notarized documents, indexes them by grantor/grantee, and returns them to the filer [tarrantcountytx.gov]. Travis County's Recording Division provides a similar walk-through of fee structure and document types [countyclerk.traviscountytx.gov]. Smaller counties such as Walker and Chambers maintain their own deed-records databases [co.walker.tx.us] [chamberscountytx.gov]. The Texas State Library maintains an overview of which county-record series exist statewide [tsl.texas.gov].
Appraisal Districts handle property taxes (not the Clerk)
Unlike most states, Texas separates the recording function (County Clerk) from the appraisal/tax function (the county Appraisal District, often called the CAD). The CAD determines market value annually, mails notices, and certifies the rolls used by the county Tax Assessor-Collector for billing. To look up a parcel's assessed value, ownership of record, or homestead-exemption status, search the relevant county's appraisal district website, not the County Clerk.
Statewide & specialized data
The Texas General Land Office GIS portal is the authoritative source for original state-grant survey patents, public-school land, and submerged lands. For oil-and-gas surface and subsurface data — relevant to Texas property where minerals are commonly severed from the surface estate — the Railroad Commission of Texas Public GIS Viewer exposes well, lease and unit boundaries statewide.
Frequently Asked Questions: Texas Property Records
Who records deeds in Texas?▼
The elected County Clerk in each of Texas's 254 counties is the recorder of real-property instruments — deeds, deeds of trust, releases, liens, and plats. Tarrant County's County Clerk publishes the standard recording workflow [tarrantcountytx.gov].
Where do I look up a property's appraised value?▼
Each county's Appraisal District (CAD) — a separate office from the County Clerk — maintains parcel-level appraisal and exemption records. The Texas Property Tax Code requires the CAD to value all taxable property annually.
Is there a statewide property database for Texas?▼
No statewide consolidated parcel or deed index exists. Search the County Clerk for deeds and the local Appraisal District for tax/appraisal data. The Texas General Land Office maintains the statewide GIS layer for original state grants and public lands [glo.texas.gov].
How do I find mineral rights or oil & gas leases on a Texas property?▼
The Railroad Commission of Texas Public GIS Viewer exposes wells, leases and units statewide [rrc.texas.gov]. Mineral conveyances are filed in the County Clerk's real-property records of the county where the minerals lie.
Are Texas property records free online?▼
County Clerks and Appraisal Districts in most populous counties (Travis, Tarrant, Dallas, Harris) publish free online search of indexes; document images may require a per-page fee. Smaller counties may require in-person review.
Property Records Databases
Official Texas property records sources from county recorder/clerk offices, county appraisal districts/assessors, and statewide GIS portals.
