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

In DeKalb County, 25 of its 329 square miles are underwater in Center Hill Lake, and the books comprise Smithville town lots and Caney Fork farms along the lake's edge. The offices that maintain these books are located in Smithville: the Register of Deeds, the Assessor of Property, and the County Trustee. Baron Johann de Kalb is the namesake of the county, which was organized in 1837.

Smithville throws Tennessee’s best-known Fiddlers’ Jamboree every July 4 weekend. The market hums year-round on two engines: Center Hill’s lake economy and Nashville buyers working down the Caney Fork corridor. Homes move within Tennessee’s typical 30 to 60 days, from Alexandria and Liberty Village houses to lake places and ridge farms.

Recent records reveal the underlying factors influencing the local real estate market, with a median home value of $180,500 and median rent of $831.5, alongside a median household income of $55,349 and a median real estate tax rate of 0.38 as a percentage of the property’s assessed value.

How to Look Up DeKalb County Property Records

For no cost, the county assessment site provides a parcel's owner, Map-Group-Parcel number, and appraised value. The balances are routed through the state Trustee system. Documents are recorded by the Register of Deeds, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Who Keeps DeKalb County Property Records

The Public Records Act makes Tennessee's property records available to Tennessee citizens. DeKalb County divides the work three ways:

• The Register of Deeds records deeds, deeds of trust, liens, plats, and releases, and also receives the state recordation tax at the time of recording. It's the office where the chain of title is recorded.

• The Assessor of Property values all property, including mineral rights and leaseholds, in the county.

• The County Trustee is where the county's property taxes are collected.The Trustee is the tax collector in Tennessee.

How to Search DeKalb County Property Records Online

Work it in this order, and the chain builds itself.

• Identify the parcel at the state assessment site. Type the address or owner name in the DeKalb County field and copy the Map-Group-Parcel number, value, and class.

• The lake's irregular edges are entered into hundreds of parcels in TNMap, a free tool.

• Take the owner’s name to the Register of Deeds or call (615) 597-4153. Tennessee works both sides of every sale in indexes by grantor and grantee.

• Follow the chain of title in reverse, from each grantor listed to the previous grantee, through each deed, lien, and release. The cash value is shown in an oath of value included on each deed.

• Please contact the Trustee at (615) 597-5176 to verify that the taxes are up to date.

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

Smithville, Alexandria, Liberty, Dowelltown, and the lake and ridge country between are registered to an elected official called the Register of Deeds. In Tennessee, the deed of trust is the instrument used to secure home loans instead of a mortgage. The state recording tax is also collected by the Register at recording.

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

• Military discharges and UCC fixture filings

The office is located at the Historic Courthouse.

Assessor of Property: Ownership, Values, and Parcel Data

The Assessor values all property, including mineral rights and leaseholds, and Tennessee taxes a class-based fraction of each appraisal. The office assigns the Map-Group-Parcel number, maintains the record cards, and enters the value into the state's assessment database, using market true values at each state-scheduled reappraisal.

Use the county assessment site or call 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 collects and bills county taxes. Taxes are due on the first Monday in October, and the last day of February is the closing date before the beginning of monthly interest.

The Trustee oversees the state Tax Relief program that provides relief to qualifying seniors, disabled homeowners, and disabled veterans. City bills are sent to households within the county’s four cities.

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

Tennessee has no state property tax. Properties in DeKalb County are taxed by the county and, if located within city limits, by the city.

How the bill is figured

The assessments for residential and farm property are 25% of the appraised value, and 40% for commercial and industrial property. A lake house appraised at $260,000 carries a $65,000 assessed value; at a combined 1.80% rate, the bill is $1,170.

Exemptions and relief

Appealing your value

In many cases, the Assessor's office will be able to provide the information you need and resolve the issue. In June of each year, a formal appeal is made to the County Board of Equalization, and then to the State Board of Equalization using comparable sales as proof.

GIS Maps and Parcel Viewer

The county uses the state database to carry out its parcel mapping. The TNMap assessment viewer overlays all of DeKalb County's boundaries on imagery from aerial photos and connects the boundaries to the Comptroller’s assessment data, with Center Hill's shoreline running through the center of the map.

Details available include:

• Parcel boundaries with ownership and acreage

• Appraised and assessed values by parcel

• The lake, the Caney Fork, and the ridge farms in aerial view

• Property classes and record-card data

• Statewide layers through TNMap

Tax maps are used for assessing purposes, not surveying, and shoreline parcels should be given extra effort. Record any plat with a licensed survey to prove a boundary.

Foreclosure and Tax Sales

There are two types of sales:

Deed-of-trust foreclosure

The substitute trustee designated in the deed of trust advertises and sells the property under the provisions of Title 35 of the Tennessee Code upon default of the loan. There is no need for any court order. That private trustee isn't the County's tax collector.

Chancery Court tax sale

Delinquent taxes go through the courthouse. Most sales of property occur after the county files suit in the Chancery Court. The Clerk & Master conducts the sale, and a one-year right of redemption ensues. Tennessee does NOT sell the land through a tax-lien certificate, but through the court.

Costs to Access Property Records

The state portals are free. Fees apply to copies and recording.

The Register collects recordation taxes at recording, and the sworn value on the deed becomes the public record of the price.

How to Record a Document

The following information is taken from Title 66, Chapter 24 of the Tennessee Code. There are four steps:

• Ensure it is prepared to Tennessee standards: notarized signatures, full property description, and preparer and return addresses.

• Incorporate the deed requirements: tax parcel number and signed and notarized Oath of Consideration.

• Transfer: $0.37 per $100 for the recording fee and $0.115 per $100 of the secured debt over $2,000.

• Record documents with the Register of Deeds or mail them with the fees. The marked-up document becomes part of the permanent record, and the original one is given back to you.

FAQs

Quick Reference: Your DeKalb County Property Records Checklist

Find your task on the left and take the path on the right.

Key Contacts and Official Portals