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

Not many counties in Tennessee can display a deed from 1828 on your computer, but Hardeman County can. It has an index and images that go back that far through a pay-per-use system online, supporting approximately 22,200 parcels on 670 square miles of West Tennessee. The Register of Deeds, the Assessor of Property, and the County Trustee all conduct their business out of the Courthouse located at 100 North Main Street in Bolivar. The county seat, named for Venezuelan Simón Bolívar, was established in 1823 along with the county.

The Hatchie, Tennessee’s longest free-flowing scenic river, threads the county’s bottomlands, and the bird-dog country around Grand Junction hosts the national field trials each winter. Homes trade affordably and at a small-town pace, inside Tennessee’s typical 30 to 60 days, from Bolivar’s historic district to farmland and the seven other towns. Agriculture and timber anchor the economy.

Recent records reveal the underlying factors influencing the local real estate market, with a median home value of $119,900 and median rent of $780, alongside a median household income of $44,208 and a median real estate tax rate of 0.61 as a percentage of the property’s assessed value.

How to Look Up Hardeman County Property Records

The search is covered by three steps. The state assessment site displays the owner of each parcel, the appraised value, and the Map-Group-Parcel number. The Trustee’s balances run through the state Trustee system online. The Register of Deeds has provided document service at its counter and offered a fee-based title search service since 1828.

Who Keeps Hardeman County Property Records

Tennessee's property records are stored at the county level and available to Tennessee citizens via the Public Records Act. Hardeman County shares the responsibility in three ways:

• The Register of Deeds records deeds, trust deeds, liens, charters, and military discharges; county records begin in the early 1800s.

• The Assessor of Property keeps the records of roughly 22,200 parcels in the county, determines the market value of each parcel, and assigns Map-Group-Parcel numbers.

• The County Trustee receives the county's property taxes at the Courthouse. The Trustee's role in Tennessee is to be the tax collector.

How to Search Hardeman County Property Records Online

• Search for the parcel in the state assessment location. Under Hardeman County, enter the address or owner name and copy the Map-Group-Parcel number, value, and class.

• For mapping the boundary, use TNMap, where parcels extend to the Hatchie bottoms.

• Search the Register’s index by grantor and grantee at the counter or by the office's pay-per-use online service, which indexes records back to 1828.

• Trace the chain of title back, and perform the same index on deeds of trust, liens, and releases. On each deed, the price is recorded as the sworn value.

• Please call the Trustee at (731) 658-5541 to verify that the taxes are current.

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

Bolivar, Grand Junction, Hickory Valley, Hornsby, Middleton, Saulsbury, Silerton, Toone, and Whiteville are served by an elected officer, the Register of Deeds, who keeps records for each of these. On most financed purchases, Tennessee uses a deed of trust to secure home loans, instead of a mortgage. The state recordation tax is also paid to the Register at recording.

Document types recorded include:

• Warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, and other conveyances

• Deeds of trust, releases, assignments, and modifications

• Liens, charters, and judgments

• Powers of attorney and plats

• Military discharges and UCC fixture filings

Note the schedule: Monday through Thursday the Register closes at 4:30 p.m. and on Friday remains open until 5:00 p.m.. Documents are indexed by party name, legal description, date range, instrument type, and book and page.

Assessor of Property: Ownership, Values, and Parcel Data

The county has approximately 22,200 parcels that are appraised by the Assessor at market value, and Tennessee has a class-based tax on each of those parcels. The office assigns the Map-Group-Parcel numbers, maintains the record cards, and contributes to the state assessment database, using values adjusted at each state-scheduled reappraisal.

Use the state assessment site or 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

Property taxes are due the first Monday of October and are payable until the last day of February, after which interest is applied.

The Trustee administers the state Tax Relief program for qualifying seniors, disabled homeowners, and qualifying veterans. Homes inside Bolivar and the other towns receive separate city bills.

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

There is no state property tax in Tennessee. In Hardin County, property owners are billed either by the County or the City in which a property rests.

How the bill is figured

Residential and farm property hold a 25% assessment rate, and commercial and industrial property is assessed at 40%. A home appraised at $120,000 carries a $30,000 assessed value; at a combined $2.20 rate, the bill is $660.

Exemptions and relief

Appealing your value

Begin at the Courthouse, where the Assessor will be able to help you. Many disputes can be resolved with corrected information. The formal appeal is submitted in June to the County Board of Equalization, then to the State Board of Equalization with similar sales as evidence.

GIS Maps and Parcel Viewer

The state does the county's parcel mapping. The TNMap assessment viewer overlays all the Hardeman County boundaries on top of aerial imagery and is associated with the Comptroller’s assessment data.

Details available include:

• Parcel boundaries with ownership and acreage

• Appraised and assessed values by parcel

• The Hatchie bottoms and farm country in aerial view

• Property classes and record-card data

• Statewide layers through TNMap

Tax maps are for assessment purposes and NOT surveying. Show any boundary of importance with a record plat and licensed survey.

Foreclosure and Tax Sales

There are two types of sales:

Deed-of-trust foreclosure

If a loan defaults, the alternate trustee designated under the deed of trust advertises and sells the property under Tennessee Code, Title 35. No court order is necessary. That private trustee has nothing to do with the county's tax collector.

Chancery Court tax sale

The process of delinquent taxes moves through the courthouse. The county sues in Chancery Court, and the Clerk & Master holds the sale. Most sales allow for a one-year right of redemption. The property is not sold by tax lien, only in court in Tennessee.

Costs to Access Property Records

The state portals are free. Fees apply to copies, the online title search, 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 Tennessee Code for recording is found in Title 66, Chapter 24. There are four steps:

• Create a document that meets the requirements of the state of Tennessee: notarized signatures, complete property description, preparer and return addresses.

• Indicate the deed requirements: tax parcel number that appears on any conveyance, and the signed, notarized Oath of Consideration.

• The recording fee (plus recordation taxes): $0.37 per $100 of the transfer, $0.115 per $100 of secured debt over $2,000.

• Record at the Courthouse or by mail with fees. The original returns are returned after indexation.

FAQs

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