Who owned this property? When did they buy it? Who did they buy it from?
Were there restrictions on the use of this property?
Every time a property is sold, a Deed is filed at Register of Deeds. It shows
- Date of sale
- Buyer and seller
- Reference to the PREVIOUS Deed (if you are lucky, you can use that info to build a “chain of title” reaching back in time — see video below)
- Most Deeds give a reference to the Plat Map that created the neighborhood
- Deeds may include Restrictions — original requirements about what could be built on the property (see video below)
How to Find Deeds in Mecklenburg County
Step 1: Go to Polaris 3G website. Enter the address in the search field and click on magnifying glass.
Step 2: Scroll down the left side to find the deed line. A link will look like this, “02024-516.” This means “Deed book 2024, Page 516.” Write down these numbers. Click on the link.
Step 3: At the bottom of the page, “acknowledge” the disclaimer. Then on the next page, click at the top on “imaging system only.” (For post-1990 deeds this step is slightly different — see Step 6 below.)
Step 4: In the new page the drop-down menu should say “Deed.” Enter book number in Book field and page number in Page field. Click on “View Page.” This will download the page to your computer as a PDF.
Step 5: Open the file in your PDF viewer, and there is your deed!
Step 6: For post-1990 deeds, there’s a simpler disclaimer system. Just click to “acknowledge”disclaimer and you’ll go right to the deed! (To download it, you can click at the upper left on “this image,” then “get items now.”)