Uvalde County Property Records

Uvalde County property records are maintained by the County Clerk in Uvalde, Texas. The clerk records all deeds, liens, mortgages, plats, and other land instruments for the county. Online search is available at no cost, and records cover a wide range of document types for both rural and residential property. This page explains how to search Uvalde County property records, what types of documents are on file, and how recording and fees work.

Uvalde County Clerk Office

The Uvalde County Clerk in Uvalde is the official keeper of all real property records in the county. The office indexes deeds, deeds of trust, lien filings, releases, oil and gas leases, easements, plat maps, and assumed name certificates for all property in Uvalde County. All recorded instruments become permanent public records accessible to anyone.

Uvalde County is in the Texas Hill Country and South Texas. Land here includes ranches, farms, hunting properties, and residential parcels. The county has a mix of agricultural land and developed areas around the city of Uvalde. The clerk records all instrument types for these property categories.

Searching Uvalde County Property Records

To search Uvalde County property records, use the county clerk's online portal at uvaldecounty.com. You can search by grantor or grantee name, document type, recording date range, or instrument number. Results show the document type, recording date, and party names. Document images are viewable online at no charge.

For hunting lease agreements, agricultural easements, and other rural property instruments common in Uvalde County, the same index applies. These are filed as standard instruments and searchable by party name. Name searches return all documents where that person or entity is listed as a grantor or grantee.

For in-person access, visit the clerk's office in Uvalde during business hours. Staff can point you to the right index but cannot perform the actual search for you under Texas AG Opinion WW-607. Third-party abstractors and title companies do full title searches in Uvalde County routinely if you need professional help.

Types of Uvalde County Property Records

The Uvalde County Clerk records all instruments that affect real property in the county. Common document types include general warranty deeds, special warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, deeds of trust, deed releases, mechanic's liens, tax lien notices, federal tax liens, oil and gas leases, agriculture easements, hunting lease agreements, right-of-way grants, plat maps, and assumed name certificates.

Under Texas Property Code Section 12.001, a recorded instrument gives constructive notice to the world. Once a deed or lien is on file with the Uvalde County Clerk, anyone who later buys or lends against that property is legally presumed to know about it. This is why recording promptly is critical to protecting your property interest.

Agricultural use easements and hunting leases in Uvalde County are frequently recorded to protect the lessee's rights in case of a property sale. If you are buying land in Uvalde County that has a hunting lease on it, check the clerk's records to see if that lease is recorded before closing. A recorded lease is binding on a new owner; an unrecorded one may not be.

Note: Water rights and surface water agreements are sometimes recorded with the clerk as well. In South Texas, water access is often a significant part of a ranch transaction, and these instruments may appear in the property index.

Uvalde County Appraisal District

The Uvalde County Appraisal District maintains tax appraisal records for all property in the county. The CAD assigns appraised values each year and tracks ownership based on recorded deeds. You can search by owner name, address, or account number to find current ownership and assessed value. Agricultural use (ag) valuations are widely used in Uvalde County for qualifying ranch and farm land.

Ag valuation can significantly reduce the taxable value of rural land in Uvalde County if you actively use it for agriculture, including cattle grazing, farming, or wildlife management. Applications are filed with the appraisal district. The CAD reviews them and approves qualifying land for open-space or ag valuation. If the land later changes use, rollback taxes may apply for up to five prior years.

Property owners can protest appraised values before May 15 each year. The Appraisal Review Board holds independent hearings. Exemption applications for homestead, over-65, and disabled veteran status are also available through the CAD. The appraisal district's records complement the clerk's deed records and are both useful for due diligence on a property purchase.

Recording Fees and Filing Procedures

Recording a document with the Uvalde County Clerk costs $26 for the first page and $4.00 per additional page. If a document names more than five parties to be indexed, there is an extra $0.25 per additional name beyond five. These fees are set by Texas law and apply uniformly across the state. They cover the cost of processing, imaging, indexing, and permanently storing the document.

Documents can be submitted in person at the Uvalde courthouse, by mail with a check made payable to the County Clerk, or through eRecording services. eRecording through vendors like Simplifile and CSC is the fastest option. Title companies and lenders use eRecording routinely and can submit and receive recorded documents electronically on the same day. Mail submissions take longer and are processed in the order received.

Certified copies cost $5.00 plus $1.00 per page. Plain copies are less expensive. For most title and lien research purposes, plain copies are adequate. If you need a certified copy for a court filing or government submission, request it specifically when contacting the clerk's office.

Texas Public Information Act

Uvalde County property records are public under Texas Government Code Chapter 552. Anyone can look up and copy recorded instruments. No reason is required. You do not need to own the property or have a legal stake in it to access the records.

The clerk's office must respond to public records requests promptly. Records available online can be accessed immediately through the portal. For older or special-handling records, allow some processing time. If a request takes more than ten business days, the office must notify you. The Texas Attorney General's Open Government Division handles access disputes and publishes free guidance on Texas public records rights.

Online document images have social security numbers and financial account numbers redacted under Texas Property Code Section 11.008(k). The original paper record at the clerk's office has the full text. This is a statewide rule that applies to all Texas county clerks.

Additional Property Research Resources

The Texas Comptroller's Property Tax Assistance Division provides statewide guidance on agricultural use valuations, exemptions, and how local appraisal districts work. For Uvalde County ranch and farm owners, the Comptroller's guides on ag valuation and rollback taxes are particularly useful.

The Texas General Land Office holds over 800,000 historical land grant records, including Spanish and Mexican-era grants for South Texas. Uvalde County land was part of those early grants. If you need to trace a property back to its original patent, the GLO database is the place to start before county deed records begin.

The Texas Secretary of State's SOSDirect system covers UCC filings and business entity records. For transactions involving LLCs or corporations, SOS records verify entity status and any UCC liens filed at the state level. The Texas State Law Library offers free guides on Texas property recording, easements, and agricultural land issues.

Nearby Counties

Uvalde County is in Southwest Texas. Properties near county lines may be recorded in a neighboring county. Confirm the right county before you search.