Search Howard County Property Records
Howard County property records are kept by the County Clerk in Big Spring, Texas. The clerk files and indexes deeds, liens, mortgages, plat maps, oil and gas leases, and other instruments that affect land in the county. If you need to look up who owns a parcel, check for liens, or verify a recorded deed, this is where those records live. This guide covers how Howard County property records are organized, how to search them, what copies cost, and what other official sources support property research in the Big Spring area.
Howard County Overview
Howard County Clerk Office
The Howard County Clerk is the official custodian of all real property records in the county. The office records deeds, deeds of trust, liens, releases, easements, oil and gas leases, plat maps, and other instruments that affect title to land in Howard County. All documents become part of the permanent public record once filed and indexed.
The clerk's office is located at the Howard County Courthouse in Big Spring. Online access is available for current records. Staff maintain the official index and can help you navigate the system, but under state AG guidance they do not conduct searches on behalf of the public. For older records, an in-person visit or written request may be needed. Howard County sits in the Permian Basin region, so oil and gas instruments make up a significant portion of the property records.
| Office | Howard County Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address | Howard County Courthouse, 300 Main St., Big Spring, TX 79720 |
| Phone | (432) 264-2213 |
| Website | co.howard.tx.us |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, regular business hours |
You can search Howard County records through the county's official online portal. Third-party services like TexasFile also index Howard County deed records if you prefer an alternative search tool.
How to Search Howard County Deed Records
The grantor-grantee index is the main tool for searching Howard County property records. The grantor is the person transferring an interest in land. The grantee is the person receiving it. Start with the grantee to find when a property was acquired. If you want to check whether the owner has encumbered or sold it since, search the same name as grantor.
In-person searches can be done at the Howard County Courthouse during business hours. Staff will help you find the right indexes, but the actual searching is your job. For a formal title search needed in a real estate closing or legal dispute, a licensed title company or abstractor in the Big Spring area can provide a certified title commitment or opinion. Given the Permian Basin location, title searches in Howard County often involve multiple oil and gas instruments alongside standard deed records.
Note: Howard County's location in active oil and gas territory means the records index will include a high volume of lease assignments, royalty deeds, and oil and gas-related instruments that do not appear in many other Texas counties.
Types of Property Records Filed in Howard County
The County Clerk records all instruments affecting real property in Howard County. Under Texas Property Code Section 12.001, recording is required to provide constructive notice. A recorded instrument is legally assumed known to anyone who later buys or lends against the same property under Texas Property Code Section 13.001.
Documents filed in Howard County include warranty deeds, special warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, deeds of trust, mechanic's liens, materialman's liens, federal and state tax liens, lien releases, easements and rights-of-way, oil and gas leases, royalty assignments, working interest transfers, subdivision plat maps, replats, and assumed name certificates. The volume of oil and gas instruments is notably higher here than in counties outside the Permian Basin. Each document receives a unique instrument number and is indexed by all named parties.
Howard County Appraisal District
The Howard County Appraisal District maintains appraisal records for all taxable property in the county. The CAD database shows current ownership on the tax rolls, appraised values, exemptions, and property characteristics. These records are separate from the deed records kept by the County Clerk and serve the property tax system rather than the title chain.
Search Howard CAD records at howardcad.org by owner name, address, or account number. The search is free. If you think your property is appraised too high, you can file a protest with the Appraisal Review Board. The protest deadline is May 15 or 30 days after the notice is sent, whichever is later. The Howard County Appraisal District is in Big Spring and is open Monday through Friday. CAD records may lag a recent deed transfer by a few months while new ownership is processed from the recorded deed.
Recording Fees and Procedures
Recording a document with the Howard County Clerk costs $26 for the first page and $4.00 for each additional page. These fees are set by the Texas Legislature and apply uniformly to most Texas counties. Documents with more than five parties requiring indexing carry an extra charge of $0.25 per name over five.
You can submit documents for recording in person, by mail, or through an authorized eRecording vendor. Mail submissions need a check or money order made payable to the Howard County Clerk. eRecording vendors like Simplifile and CSC provide electronic submission and return. Once a document is recorded, the clerk stamps it with the instrument number and recording date and returns the original. eRecording is generally faster than mail submission.
Certified copies are $1.00 per page plus a $5.00 certification fee. Plain uncertified copies cost less. For most title research and property lookups, uncertified copies are fine. Certified copies should be requested only when a court, lender, or government office specifically requires them.
Texas Public Information Act
Howard County property records are public documents. Under Texas Government Code Chapter 552, the Public Information Act, anyone may request copies of government records without giving a reason. You do not need to be the property owner or a party to a transaction to access filed documents.
The clerk's office must respond to your request promptly. If producing the records will take more than ten business days, the office must notify you. Most property records are available quickly since they are already indexed and searchable. For help with access disputes, the Texas Attorney General's Open Government Division handles complaints and publishes public records guidance. Some personal information in online document images may be redacted under state law, but full originals are available at the clerk's office in Big Spring.
Additional Howard County Property Resources
The Texas Comptroller's Property Tax Assistance Division provides statewide resources including exemption applications and guidance on the property tax protest process. Texas has no state property tax. Local taxing entities in Howard County set rates that apply to all taxable property in the county each year.
For historical land research, the Texas General Land Office holds original land grant records from the Republic of Texas era. Howard County land origins are searchable through the GLO archive. The Texas Secretary of State's SOSDirect system is useful for looking up UCC liens and verifying business entity names in property documents. The Texas State Law Library offers free online research guides covering Texas property law, recording requirements, and title topics relevant to Howard County.
Nearby Counties
Check the correct county before searching. Howard County borders several West Texas counties. Confirm the right jurisdiction if a property is near a county line.