Anderson County Property Records

Anderson County property records are kept by the County Clerk in Palestine, Texas, and cover deeds, liens, oil and gas leases, plats, and other land documents going back to 1846. If you need to search Anderson County records or get copies of recorded instruments, this page walks you through the main tools and offices available to you.

Anderson County Clerk Records

The Anderson County Clerk is the official custodian of real property records in the county. The office is located at 500 N. Church St., Palestine, TX 75801, and can be reached at (903) 723-7432. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Mark Staples currently serves as County Clerk.

Real property records go back to July 30, 1846, when Anderson County was formed. The historical index includes Deed Vol A (1846-1872), Vol B (1873-1882), and Vol C (1882-1890), as well as handwritten land records from 1846 through 1915. Modern digital records from 1985 to the present are available through online search tools. All records from 1846 forward can be viewed at the courthouse. No known courthouse fires or major record losses have occurred, so the archive is largely intact.

The Anderson County Clerk portal at anderson.tx.publicsearch.us lets you search property records by grantor or grantee name, instrument number, volume and page, document type, date range, and legal description.

You can search for free using the index. Getting document images or certified copies may require a small fee. Copies cost $1.00 per page, and clerk certification adds $5.00 per document. Credit and debit cards are accepted at the office until 4:00 PM.

The county also accepts eRecording through authorized electronic filing providers, so title companies and law firms can submit documents 24/7. Mail requests should go to: Anderson County Clerk, P.O. Box 189, Palestine, TX 75802-0189. Include the property address or owner names, a check payable to Anderson County Clerk, and a return address. Most mail requests are processed in three to five business days.

Note: Under Attorney General Opinion WW-607, county clerks are not required by law to perform general property searches. You will need to do your own search or hire a title company.

Search Anderson County Property Records Online

Several platforms let you search Anderson County property records from home. The official clerk portal is the best starting point for current records. For older instruments and historical index books, KoFile QuickLinks at kofilequicklinks.com/Anderson provides index access going back to 1846.

TexasFile also covers Anderson County records. Visit texasfile.com to search the index for free. Downloading document images costs a per-page fee or a subscription. You can search by grantor or grantee name, document type, date range, or instrument number. Both platforms offer PDF downloads for most documents, with a watermarked preview available at no charge.

Document types you will find in the Anderson County records system include deeds, deeds of trust, mortgages, oil and gas leases, mineral deeds, UCC filings, assumed name (DBA) certificates, federal and state tax liens, plat maps, and probate records. The county sits in East Texas and has a notable history of oil and gas activity, so mineral lease records are well represented. Some original land grants from the Mexican period are recorded in the early deed volumes as well.

Note: Texas Property Code Section 12.001 sets out the recording requirements that apply to all instruments filed in county clerk offices across Texas.

Anderson County Appraisal District

The Anderson County Appraisal District (ACAD) handles property valuations for tax purposes. The office is at 360 Hill St., Anderson, TX 77830, phone (936) 873-2163, open Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to noon and 1:00 to 5:00 PM. Chief Appraiser is Mark Boehnke.

The ACAD search portal at search.andersoncad.net lets you look up property by owner name, address, account number, or legal description. Each property record card shows ownership, the legal description, land area, building details, appraised value broken out between land and improvements, market value, and applied exemptions. Interactive GIS maps show parcel boundaries, aerial photography, flood zones, and school district lines.

Anderson County property owners can file an online protest at the ACAD portal using a PIN. The protest deadline is May 15, or 30 days after the notice was mailed, whichever is later. Exemptions available include homestead, over-65, disability, disabled veteran, agricultural use (1-d-1), wildlife management, and timber valuation.

Property Tax Records in Anderson County

Texas has no state property tax. Local governments set their own rates and collect taxes independently. In Anderson County, the appraisal district sets values, and individual taxing entities such as the county, school districts, and cities send out tax bills based on those values.

The Texas Comptroller's Property Tax Assistance Division at comptroller.texas.gov oversees statewide property tax standards, conducts biennial Property Value Studies, and publishes the Texas Property Tax Code after each legislative session. If you have questions about your assessed value, contact the Anderson County Appraisal District. For questions about your tax bill or payment, contact the applicable taxing entity directly.

Under Texas Property Code Section 13.001, the legal framework for recording instruments in Texas is established. Recording your deed or lien protects your property rights against later claims. Unrecorded instruments may be void against third parties who acquire the property without notice of the prior transaction. This is why recording promptly after closing matters for both buyers and lenders.

Oil, Gas, and Mineral Records

Anderson County has a notable history of oil and gas activity. The County Clerk's office maintains oil and gas lease records, mineral deeds, royalty assignments, well location plats, and division orders. If you are researching mineral ownership or trying to trace an oil and gas lease chain of title, you will find the Anderson County records useful.

Some original land grants from the Mexican period are recorded in the early deed volumes, dating to before Texas statehood. The county also has records from the Republic of Texas period and original Texas Land Survey documents. KoFile QuickLinks provides indexed access to the historical volumes. For more recent mineral records, TexasFile covers documents from 1985 forward with image downloads available.

The Texas Secretary of State's SOSDirect system at direct.sos.state.tx.us maintains UCC filings that may reflect liens on mineral interests and business assets. Searching UCC records is helpful for title clearance work, especially when a mineral deed involves a corporate or LLC grantor. Texas Government Code Chapter 552, the Public Information Act, gives you the right to request copies of any public government record. The Texas Attorney General's Open Government resources at texasattorneygeneral.gov explain how to file a request if a governmental body fails to respond.

Note: If you need help understanding property law in Texas, the Texas State Law Library guides at guides.sll.texas.gov cover real estate, title research, and related topics.

Nearby Counties

Property records for each county are kept separately. Make sure you search in the right county based on where the land is located.