Property records in Texas are maintained at the county level. The County Appraisal District (CAD) handles property valuations and assessment data. The County Tax Assessor-Collector handles tax bills and payments. These are separate offices with separate databases.
What this page covers: Texas property assessment lookups, tax record searches, and parcel/ownership data. What it does not cover: Recorded documents like deeds and mortgages (those are on the Recorded Documents page) or property transfer history.
Where to start: For property values and tax assessments, start with the County Appraisal District (CAD). For tax payment history and bills, go to the County Tax Assessor-Collector. For ownership verification, you may need both the assessment records and the recorded documents.
Common mistake: Property assessment records (values and taxes) and recorded documents (deeds and liens) are maintained by different offices in Texas. The County Appraisal District (CAD) handles assessments; the County Clerk handles recordings. Search both if you need the full picture.
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.
