Cannon County, TN Property Records: Search Deeds, Owners, Tax Records, and Maps

Cannon County has a paper trail, too; it's just as homemade as the weave of its white oak baskets, and there is no online deed index at all except through the Woodbury Courthouse. The Register of Deeds, the Assessor of Property, and the County Trustee are in the same building. For the oldest books, the county even maintains a separate archive. The county was organized in 1836, under the name of Governor Newton Cannon.

Farm communities on the East Fork of the Stones River are found in two towns, Woodbury and Auburntown, and Murfreesboro's industrial growth is pushing in from the west. The typical selling time for homes and farms in Tennessee is about 30 to 60 days, but craft heritage, cattle, and Rutherford County commuters are holding up demand.

Recent records reveal the underlying factors influencing the local real estate market, with a median home value of $201,450 and median rent of $848.5, alongside a median household income of $60,010.5 and a median real estate tax rate of 0.49 as a percentage of the property’s assessed value.

How to Look Up Cannon County Property Records

For free, the state assessment site displays each parcel's owner, appraised value, and the Map-Group-Parcel number. The Trustee receives a tax bill from the courthouse. The Register of Deeds is for deed-type documents, and zoning questions are referred to the county Planning Department at (615) 563-5263.

Who Keeps Cannon County Property Records

The Public Records Act provides Tennessee citizens easy access to property records, which are maintained at the county level. Cannon County divvies up the job in three ways in one building:

• The Register of Deeds records deeds, deeds of trust, liens, and plats, and takes the state recordation taxes on recording. There is no Internet search system; the index is stored at the counter.

• The Assessor of Property appraises each parcel at market value, retains the record cards, and places a Map-Group-Parcel number on them.

• The County Trustee acts as the county's banker and tax collector.

Delinquent-tax suits are heard by the Clerk & Master in the Chancery Court. Town taxes are also levied separately in Woodbury and Auburntown; the county archives are full of far more in-depth Trustee, Assessor, and court records for those who wish to dig deep.

How to Search Cannon County Property Records Online

The deed index is not available online; the parcel side is available in person.

• Identify the parcel at the state assessment site. Enter the address or owner name under Cannon County and copy the Map-Group-Parcel number, value, and class.

• Follow the chain backward, matching each grantor to the prior grantee, and run the same index for deeds of trust, liens, and releases. The sworn value on each deed records the price.

• Close with the Trustee at the courthouse to confirm taxes are current.

Register of Deeds: Deeds, Deeds of Trust, and Plats

The Register of Deeds, an elected official, records for Woodbury, Auburntown, and the farm communities from Readyville to Gassaway. Tennessee secures home loans with deeds of trust rather than mortgages, so that is the instrument on most financed purchases. The Register also collects the state recordation taxes, due upon recording, with conveyances stating the total value or consideration, whichever is greater.

Document types recorded include:

• Warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, and other conveyances

• Deeds of trust, releases, assignments, and modifications

• Liens, judgments, and amendments

• Powers of attorney and plats

• Increased military discharges and UCC fixture filings

There’s no online index; plan at the counter, over the phone, through the mail, or by fax.

Assessor of Property: Ownership, Values, and Parcel Data

Each parcel is appraised at market value by the Assessor, then a fraction based on the class is taxed by the county. The office assigns the Map-Group-Parcel number, keeps the record cards, and enters the value in the state's assessment database, which is revised when the state reappraises.

Use the state assessment site or visit the courthouse to find:

• The current owner of record for any parcel

• The Map-Group-Parcel number and legal description

• The appraised value and the assessed value after the class ratio

• The property class, such as residential, farm, or commercial

• Characteristics like square footage, year built, and acreage

County Trustee: Tax Bills and Payments

The Trustee, who is a banker and tax collector for the county, bills and collects from the courthouse. Taxes are due the first Monday in October, and the last day of February is the closing day before monthly interest kicks in.

The Trustee administers the state Tax Relief program for qualifying seniors, disabled homeowners, and veterans. Homes inside Woodbury and Auburntown receive separate town bills.

Property Tax in Cannon County: Classification, Exemptions, and Appeals

There is no state property tax in Tennessee. A Cannon County bill includes both county and town taxes, where applicable.

How the bill is figured

The assessment rates are 25% on residential property and 40% on commercial and industrial property. A home appraised at $200,000 carries a $50,000 assessed value; at a combined 2% rate, the bill is $1,000. The rate does not reflect the entire appraisal.

Exemptions and relief

Appealing your value

Begin at the courthouse with the Assessor, as corrected information often resolves cases. In June, the formal appeal is made to the County Board of Equalization, which is then followed by the State Board of Equalization with similar sales as proof.

GIS Maps and Parcel Viewer

The state maintains the county's parcel mapping. The TNMap assessment viewer overlays all of the boundaries from the Comptroller's assessment data on aerial imagery from the Crown of the Contour. Questions on zoning and subdivision are answered by the county Planning Department at (615) 563-5263.

Details available include:

• Parcel boundaries with ownership and acreage

• Appraised and assessed values by parcel

• Short Mountain, the Stones River forks, and the farm valleys in aerial view

• Property classes and record-card data

• Statewide layers through TNMap

Tax maps are not survey maps, but maps used for assessment. Record a plat and licensed survey to prove any boundary that is important.

Foreclosure and Tax Sales

There are two types of forced sales.

Deed-of-trust foreclosure

Upon default of a loan, the substitute trustee provided for by the deed of trust advertises and sells the same pursuant to the provisions of Title 35 of the Tennessee Code. There is no need for a court order. The private trustee is not the county’s banker in the county courthouse.

Chancery Court tax sale

Unpaid taxes proceed through the courthouse. For most sales, there is a right of redemption for one year after the sale is filed in the Chancery Court and conducted by the Clerk & Master.

Costs to Access Property Records

The state portals are free of charge. There is a cost for copies and recording, depending on the document and the means of retrieval.

How to Record a Document

Recording follows Title 66, Chapter 24 of the Tennessee Code. There are four steps:

• Prepare the document to Tennessee standards: notarized signatures, a full property description, and preparer’s return address.

• Add the deed requirements: the tax parcel number, the stated total value or consideration, and the signed Oath of Consideration.

• Bring the recording fee plus the recordation taxes, due upon recording: $0.37 per $100 on the transfer, $0.115 per $100 on secured debt over $2,000.

• Record in the Register’s office or by mail with fees. The originals are returned after indexing.

FAQs

Quick Reference: Your Cannon County Property Records Checklist

Key Contacts and Official Portals