Montgomery County, IN Property Records: Search Deeds, Owners, Tax Records, and Maps

Montgomery County property records include detailed information on about 23,000 real estate parcels across 505.44 square miles. The county’s Recorder, the Assessor, the Auditor, and the Treasurer’s offices keep these records and provide access to them. The county’s industrial manufacturing corridor, affordability compared to surrounding areas, and increase in household income continue to fuel the local economy.

Properties listed for sale spend an average of 29 days on the market before getting offers, which is significantly faster than Indiana’s average. Detached single-family homes make up to 75% of the county’s housing inventory, featuring mobile homes, duplexes, townhomes, and multi-family complexes. Crawfordsville, Union, Madison, Brown, Ladoga, and Waynetown account for most of the housing inventory.

Recent records reveal the underlying factors influencing the local real estate market, with a median home value of $116,700 and median rent of $780, alongside a median household income of $66,562.5 and a median real estate tax rate of 0.58 as a percentage of the property's assessed value.

How to Look Up Montgomery County Property Records

Montgomery County ensures public access to property records through official online portals. Documents kept by the Recorder’s Office are available online through the Doxpop platform. You can visit the Beacon property and comparable search portal to view ownership information, map data, and assessed value.

Who Keeps Montgomery County Property Records?

Montgomery County ensures public access to property records as required by law under the Access to Public Records Act. The following county offices keep these records:

• The Montgomery County Recorder’s Office records and maintains most recorded documents, such as property documents and other real estate records within the county.

• The Montgomery County Assessor’s Office is responsible for locating, identifying, and assessing all taxable property in accordance with Indiana state laws and administrative procedures. It also certifies and provides those values annually to the County Auditor.

• The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office is responsible for the preparation, preservation, and maintenance of the tax duplicate. The office processes all property tax deductions and maintains ownership records. The Auditor also calculates the property tax statements for real property, personal property, and mobile homes.

• The Montgomery County Treasurer’s Office oversees the collection of property taxes and prepares annual real estate tax sales and collects delinquent personal property taxes and judgments.

How to Search Montgomery County Property Records Online

Montgomery County property records are searchable online through the following steps:

1. Locate the parcel through the Beacon property and comparable search portal, which offers a search interface for finding property details. You can search by parcel number, owner’s name, or property address.
2. Once you locate the parcel in the search results, click it to view its detailed record card, which typically includes a parcel summary, owner information, a map, deductions, tax history, land type, and valuation.
3. Establish the property ownership and verify the chain of title through the Recorder’s Doxpop platform. Search the deeds recorded for each property sale or transfer and verify that the grantee’s details on the most recent deed match the grantor’s information in the previous deed. Note any discrepancies in the property's title chain. The portal allows searches by grantee or grantor name, recording date range, document number, book or page, or document type.
4. Verify the current tax status. Property tax information is maintained by the Montgomery County Treasurer. You can search for current tax balances, tax bills, and delinquent taxes for any property in Montgomery County directly on the InvoiceCloud portal.
5. If you need certified copies of recorded documents, visit the Recorder’s Office in person to obtain them.

Recorder: Deeds, Mortgages, and Plats

The Montgomery County Recorder’s Office's duty is to record instruments and perpetuation documents on behalf of county residents. Documents recorded include deeds, mortgages, powers of attorney, contracts, easements, and surveys. Deeds from 1823 to the present have been scanned. All recordings are public information and are available to the public for a fee.

Assessor and Auditor: Ownership, Values, and Parcel Data

The Montgomery County Assessor’s Office evaluates land to establish gross assessed value. The office also receives and reviews Form 130 property tax appeals when property owners disagree with their assessment. The Auditor’s Office processes and applies tax deductions, calculates taxes, and applies the circuit-breaker. The auditor also partners with the treasurer to manage annual property tax sales for delinquent properties.

Treasurers: Tax Bills and Payments

The Montgomery County Treasurer’s Office handles all real estate tax bills, which are mailed each spring and split into two equal payments due on May 11 and November 10. If you miss a deadline, an automatic 5% penalty kicks in, jumping to 10% after thirty days. The treasurer also handles unpaid tax bills and oversees the annual tax sale for properties with severe back taxes.

Property Tax in Montgomery County: Caps, Deductions, and Appeals

Property tax is calculated by subtracting eligible deductions from your gross value to get the net assessed value, then multiplying it by your local district’s tax rate. Afterward, Indiana's constitutional tax cap is applied to ensure the bill does not exceed the legal limit.

Circuit-breaker caps

Indiana caps your property tax bill at a fixed percentage of gross assessed value. These are 1% for homesteads, 2% for other residential and agricultural land, and 3% for commercial, industrial, and personal property. The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office will calculate and apply the cap each spring when annual property tax bills are computed and prepared for mailing.

Deductions and relief

Appealing your value

Property owners can appeal their assessment (if they disagree) within 45 days of receiving the notice. They can file Form 130 with the assessor for review. After the assessor's review, the appeal will be forwarded to the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals if property owners still disagree with the review.

The Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals will then review the evidence presented and make a determination. If property owners remain unsatisfied, they can take the matter to the Indiana Board of Tax Review.

GIS Maps and Parcel Viewer

The Beacon map viewer provides online access to Montgomery County's Geographic Information System and parcel viewer. You can use the interactive map to identify land parcels in the county and view parcel information, including boundaries, zoning, acreage, sale history, assessed value, taxable value, and owner details.

To search for a parcel on the portal, enter the parcel ID, owner name, or property address. For data that crosses county lines, use IndianaMap Viewer.

Foreclosure and Tax Sales

Mortgage Foreclosure

Mortgage foreclosure is authorized by the court, allowing lenders to recover debts after property owners fail to make their loan payments. The property auction is conducted by the County Sheriff’s Office. However, the lender must notify the property owner before the auction date. The property is auctioned to the highest bidder to pay off the loan and any accumulated interest.

Tax Sale

When a property becomes delinquent, the county treasurer and auditor will offer the property at the annual tax sale to the winning bidders to pay back the loan. The winning bidder will receive a tax lien certificate instead of a deed. This gives the original owner a 12-month right of redemption to reclaim the property by paying the delinquent tax amount, interest, and any costs covered by the purchaser.

Costs to Access Property Records

Montgomery County charges certain fees to cover the cost of accessing property records, such as copy fees or recording fees.

How to Record a Document

Take these steps to record a property document in Montgomery County:

1. Ensure the document complies with the Indiana recording requirements. These include adding the names and signatures of the involved parties legibly, a notary acknowledgment, and required margins and size.
2. Determine the recording fees by contacting the Register’s Office. Recording deeds cost $25 each, while mortgages cost $55.
3. Submit the documents to the Register’s Office in person, by mail, or through approved e-recording vendors like cscglobal.
4. Retrieve the recorded document if required. You can do so by visiting the recorder office in person or using its online portal.

FAQs

Quick Reference: Your Montgomery County Property Records Checklist

Key Contacts and Official Portals