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

The Offices of the County Recorder, Assessor, Auditor, and Treasurer record and maintain property records in St. Joseph County. Under Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act, these offices also provide public information on over 119,000 land parcels across the county through public terminals and online portals.

Selling a property in the county typically takes 10 to 13 days from listing to securing purchase offers, which is significantly faster than the statewide average. Detached single-family homes are popular in St. Joseph County and make up up to 74% of the housing stock.

Recent records reveal the underlying factors influencing the local real estate market, with a median home value of $159,650 and median rent of $897, alongside a median household income of $65,395 and a median real estate tax rate of 0.9 as a percentage of the property's assessed value.

How to Look Up St. Joseph County Property Records

St. Joseph County offers three main online portals for looking up property records. Different local offices manage these portals, and each provides access to certain types of property information. You can search by several criteria, including name, address, or parcel number.

Who Keeps St. Joseph County Property Records?

Under Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act, anyone can inspect or request property records managed by St. Joseph County. The following county departments are responsible for maintaining these records:

• The Office of Recorder in St. Joseph maintains records of real estate instruments, including deeds, mortgages, liens, leases, plats, and easements. These instruments are also officially recorded by the office and indexed in the county’s land records.

• The Assessor’s Office assesses all real property in the county and maintains ownership and valuation records. Penn Township manages property assessments through its own elected Assessor.

• The Auditor’s Office processes tax deductions and calculates tax bills for all real property in the county. The office also reviews property documents before recording.

• The St. Joseph County Treasurer mails property tax bills to homeowners in the county and collects payments. The treasurer also maintains an online database for accessing tax records.

To officially record a property conveyance, the County Assessor's Office must verify the document, the County Auditor's Office must endorse it, and the County Recorder must file it.

How to Search St. Joseph County Property Records Online

Follow these steps to search for St. Joseph County property records using online portals:

1. Use the assessor’s Property Record Card Search to locate the property by name or address. The portal displays key property information, such as the parcel ID, ownership data, parcel summary, assessment history, and legal description.
2. Find St. Joseph land records through the online portals offered by the Recorder’s Office. The office provides public access via the Laredo and Tapestry portals. Search by the owner’s name, book/liber, page, recorded date range, or document number.
3. Verify the chain of title for the property by retrieving deeds through the Recorder’s online portals. Verify current ownership by reviewing the most recent deed, then check earlier deeds to confirm each grantor matches the grantee listed on the preceding conveyance.
4. Search for mortgages and liens through any of the recorder’s portals. Use the document type search to pull up these instruments easily.
5. Get comprehensive information about tax bills, payments, and delinquent taxes for a property through the Treasurer’s Tax Portal to confirm the tax status.

Recorder: Deeds, Mortgages, and Plats

Indiana law designates the St. Joseph County Recorder as the official custodian of legal instruments related to real estate. Under IC 36-2-11, the recorder also accepts the following documents for recording:

• Deeds, including warranty deeds and quitclaim deeds

• Mortgages, releases, assignments, and modifications

• Judgment liens, mechanic's liens, and state and federal tax liens

• Easements, covenants, and powers of attorney

• Subdivision plats and surveys

Assessor and Auditor: Ownership, Values, and Parcel Data

In St. Joseph County, the Assessor determines each parcel's taxable value and maintains the property record card database. The Auditor handles property tax deductions, calculates tax bills, and applies tax bill caps. Real estate is reassessed every year on January 1, and the county mails assessment notices (Form 11) each April.

The county’s Property Record Card Search displays the following information:

• The current owner of record for any parcel

• The parcel number and legal description

• Gross assessed value, net assessed value, and applied deductions

• The property class, such as homestead, other residential, or commercial

• Property characteristics such as square footage, year built, and lot size

Treasurer: Tax Bills and Payments

The St. Joseph County Treasurer mails tax bills to homeowners and collects payments. Taxpayers in the county receive a bill each year covering both spring and fall Installments, due May 10 and November 10.

Property Tax in St. Joseph County: Caps, Deductions, and Appeals

IC 6-1.1 governs property taxation in St. Joseph County, including property assessments and tax deductions. The Assessor determines gross assessed value, the Auditor subtracts deductions to determine taxable value, and local tax rates and caps are applied to calculate the final property tax bill.

Circuit-breaker caps

IC 6-1.1-20.6 governs circuit-breaker caps in the state. Under this law, tax bills are capped at a certain percentage of the property’s gross assessed value. A 1% cap applies to an owner-occupied primary residence, 2% to non-homestead residential properties and agricultural land, and 3% to commercial and business properties. The Auditor automatically applies the circuit breaker credit to property taxes in St. Joseph County.

Deductions and relief

Appealing your value

Property value appeals in St. Joseph County are heard by the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals (PTABOA) after a completed Form 130 is submitted. The submission deadline depends on when the Assessor mailed Form 11(Notice of Assessment). The deadline is June 15 of the current assessment year if you receive Form 11 before May 1.

If the notice arrives after May 1, you may file until June 15 of the following year. The board will hold a hearing to review the evidence and issue a decision. If you disagree with the board’s decision, petition the Indiana Board of Tax Review by filing Form 131 within 45 days of the decision.

GIS Maps and Parcel Viewer

St. Joseph County maintains a Geographic Information System that provides parcel information on properties across the county. You can locate parcels directly on the interactive map or search by the property address to view the parcel ID, acreage, legal description, tax information, and property card.

For tax information on parcels across the state, use Indiana’s DLGF Gateway portal.

Foreclosure and Tax Sales

Indiana has two types of foreclosure that are important for property research.

Mortgage foreclosure

Mortgage foreclosure in St. Joseph County is a judicial process that occurs when homeowners default on their mortgage payments. The lender must send a pre-foreclosure notice before filing a lawsuit, and the court may order a settlement conference at the homeowner’s request. If the court grants a judgment against the homeowner, the property is ultimately sold at a public Sheriff's Sale.

Tax sale

Under IC 6-1.1-24, the St. Joseph County Treasurer is authorized to conduct tax sales for properties with delinquent taxes. The county will send a notice to the homeowner regarding the delinquency and advertise the tax sale online and in newspapers. The tax sale is typically done online, and the buyer will receive a tax sale certificate. The county holds two tax sales annually.

Under IC 6-1.1-25, homeowners can redeem their property by paying the required amounts within a year of the tax sale. For properties sold at the Commissioner's tax sale, the redemption period is 120 days after the sale. If the property remains unredeemed, the buyer can petition the court to obtain the tax deed.

Costs to Access Property Records

The following include the various costs to access property records in St. Joseph County:

Statutory recording fees are established under IC 36-2-7-10, while transfer and sales-disclosure fees are collected by the Assessor and Auditor. Confirm the current fee schedule with the Recorder.

How to Record a Document

To record a document in St. Joseph County, follow these steps:

1. Prepare the document in compliance with Indiana’s recording process under IC 32-21-2. The document must include a notary acknowledgment, legal description, and the name of the person preparing the instrument.
2. Complete the sales disclosure form with the Assessor for property conveyance, and have the Auditor endorse it. Pay any applicable fees.
3. Submit the document to the Recorder’s Office by mail, through authorized e-recording services, or in person between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Pay the necessary fees according to the recording schedule.
4. Following the recording process, the recorder will return the original document and index it within the county’s land records database.

FAQs

Quick Reference: Your St. Joseph County Property Records Checklist

Key Contacts and Official Portals