Search Dallam County Property Records

Dallam County property records are kept by the County Clerk in Dalhart, Texas. Located in the far northwest corner of the Texas Panhandle, Dallam County's clerk office records deeds, deeds of trust, liens, easements, and other land instruments for all real property in the county. If you need to look up ownership, check for recorded liens, or find a filed deed, this page covers the process and the resources available to you.

Dallam County Clerk Office

The Dallam County Clerk is the official custodian of all property records filed in the county. The office is in the courthouse in Dalhart and records deeds, mortgages, liens, releases, oil and gas leases, easements, and plat maps for all land in Dallam County. As one of the northernmost Texas counties, Dallam County is primarily an agricultural area with significant farming and ranching activity that drives land transactions and related recordings.

All documents are indexed by grantor and grantee name. The grantor is the party transferring the interest and the grantee is the party receiving it. You can also search by instrument number or document type. For in-person access, visit the courthouse during regular business hours.

For certified copies, contact the clerk's office by phone or mail with the instrument number and copy fee. You can also visit in person. The clerk can confirm what records are on file for a given property or name but cannot conduct the actual title search on your behalf.

How to Find Dallam County Property Records

The Dallam County Clerk maintains the official index for all land records filed in the county. Online search options and access to the clerk's index are available for recent records.

For in-person searches, go to the courthouse in Dalhart during business hours. The index lets you search by name. Bring the property's legal description or a rough idea of the location to help narrow the search. Staff can direct you to the right index but cannot run the search for you.

The Dallam County Appraisal District is another useful starting point. Search by owner name or address to get the account number and legal description, then use that information to search the deed records at the clerk's office.

Note: Dallam County is one of the few Texas counties that borders both New Mexico and Oklahoma, so confirm the property is in Texas and in Dallam County before searching.

Property Record Types Filed in Dallam County

The Dallam County Clerk records all instruments that create or affect interests in real property in the county. Under Texas Property Code Section 12.001, recorded documents provide constructive notice to the public. Any later buyer or lender is considered to have notice of what is on file, even if they didn't check.

Common document types in Dallam County include warranty deeds, special warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, deeds of trust, mechanic's and materialman's liens, lien releases, oil and gas leases, pipeline easements, water rights documents, agricultural surface use agreements, and federal tax lien filings. The county also holds plat maps for any subdivided areas within its boundaries. Large agricultural tracts and feedlot operations are common here, and the associated land transactions, easements, and water agreements make up a significant portion of the county's recorded documents.

Dallam County Appraisal District

The Dallam County Appraisal District maintains property tax appraisal records for all taxable property in the county. The CAD database is separate from the deed records at the County Clerk but is a useful companion tool for property research. You can search by owner name, address, or account number to see current ownership, assessed value, and exemptions.

Agricultural use valuations are very common in Dallam County given the extensive farming operations in the area. These designations appear in the CAD records and affect tax rates. If a property has a recent ownership change, the CAD records may still show the previous owner until the new deed is processed. For current deed records, check the County Clerk's index.

Recording Fees and How to File

The Dallam County Clerk charges $26 for the first page of any recorded instrument and $4 per additional page. An indexing surcharge of $0.25 per name applies when more than five names are indexed in a single document. These rates are set by state law and are consistent across Texas counties.

You can file documents in person at the courthouse, by mail, or through eRecording if the county supports it. For mail filings, include a check payable to the Dallam County Clerk and a self-addressed return envelope. After recording, the clerk stamps the recording date and instrument number on the document and returns the original to the submitter. eRecording services like Simplifile can speed up the process for title companies and attorneys handling transactions remotely.

Certified copies of recorded documents cost $1.00 per page plus a $5.00 certification fee. Plain uncertified copies are cheaper and work for most due diligence purposes. Confirm current fees before submitting a mail request.

Texas Public Information Act

Property records in Dallam County are public documents. Under Texas Government Code Chapter 552, any person can request access to government records without giving a reason. You do not need to own the property or have a direct interest in the document to search it.

The clerk must respond to requests without unreasonable delay. For indexed records, access is generally immediate. For older or archived materials, there may be a short wait. The Texas Attorney General's Open Government Division handles disputes and publishes guidance on your rights as a requestor. Some personal identifiers like social security numbers are redacted from online document images under Texas law.

Additional Resources for Property Research

The Texas Comptroller's Property Tax Assistance Division provides statewide information on exemptions, agricultural valuations, and appraisal protest procedures. For the farming operations common in Dallam County, agricultural use valuation rules under Texas Tax Code are an important area of research.

For historical land research, the Texas General Land Office holds early land grant records from the Republic of Texas and earlier periods. The Texas Secretary of State's SOSDirect is useful for searching business entities involved in property transactions or lien filings. The Texas State Law Library publishes research guides on Texas real property law topics including recording procedures and lien rights.

Nearby Counties

Dallam County is in the far northwest corner of Texas and borders Hartley County to the east. Check the correct county if a property is near a boundary line.