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

Hickman County is unusual in that it has only one incorporated city and over twenty unincorporated communities. The deeds, deeds of trust, and plats are held by the Register of Deeds; the index is accessible online via TitleSearcher. The county dates from 1807 and encompasses about 613 square miles of Middle Tennessee hill country.

The county still capitalizes on its unhurried charm, as Minnie Pearl, raised in Centerville, grew up at the actual railroad stop of Grinder's Switch, just outside the city. The typical time for homes to sell in Tennessee is 30 to 60 days, including Centerville, from in-town homes to farms and acreage that draw buyers from Nashville, an hour’s drive away.

Recent records reveal the underlying factors influencing the local real estate market, with a median home value of $160,100 and median rent of $809, alongside a median household income of $52,920.5 and a median real estate tax rate of 0.64 as a percentage of the property’s assessed value.

How to Look Up Hickman County Property Records

Nearly everything is covered at three stops. This is the state assessment site, which displays the Map-Group-Parcel number, owner, and appraised value for each parcel. The tax bill is displayed on and collected via the Trustee’s portal; a $2.75 convenience fee is charged for payments made by card. The index of the Register of Deeds is available for browsing through TitleSearcher, for which a membership fee is charged.

Who Keeps Hickman County Property Records

The Tennessee Public Records Act leaves Hickman County records open to Tennessee residents. The records are divided in three ways:

• Deeds, deeds of trust, liens, and plats are held by the Register of Deeds and indexed through TitleSearcher.

• The Property Assessor values all parcels at market value, assigns Map-Group-Parcel numbers, and retains record cards.

• The County Trustee collects the county's property taxes.

Delinquent-tax suits run through the Clerk & Master in the Chancery Court. Centerville bills its own city taxes separately.

How to Search Hickman County Property Records Online

This county’s whole chain can be worked from one desk.

• Locate the parcel in the state assessment site. Enter the address or owner name in Hickman County and select and copy the Map-Group-Parcel number, value, and class.

• To view the boundary on TNMap, see the parcel against the ridges and river bottoms.

• Using TitleSearcher, search both sides of each sale for Hickman County in the Register's index by grantor and grantee.

• Run the same index on the chain of title, matching each grantor to the preceding grantee, and run the same index on deeds of trust, liens, and releases. The sworn value on each deed records the price.

• Close at the Trustee’s portal to confirm the taxes are current.

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

An elected officer, the Register of Deeds keeps records for Centerville and all Hickman County communities ranging from Lyles and Bon Aqua to Only and Coble. Most financed purchases are made with a deed of trust in Tennessee instead of a mortgage. The Register also collects the state recordation tax when 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, leases, and plats

• Military discharges and UCC fixture filings

Take note of the split week before driving in for this office, which is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday to 5:00 p.m. Deeds require the parcel number and an Oath of Consideration that must be notarized, and e-recording will be coming but is not available yet.

Property Assessor: Ownership, Values, and Parcel Data

Each parcel is appraised at market value by the Assessor, and taxes are based on a fraction of that amount in Tennessee. The office provides the Map-Group-Parcel number, maintains the record cards, and inputs assessments to the state assessment database, which are adjusted to market value at defined state reappraisals.

Use the state 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 property taxes in Suite 105, the lower floor of the administration building, weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Taxes are due the first Monday in October, and the final day of February is the deadline before monthly interest starts.

Online payments are made through the state Trustee portal and have a $2.75 convenience fee. The Trustee also runs the state Tax Relief program for those who meet income and asset thresholds for seniors, veterans, and disabled homeowners.

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

The state does not have a property tax in Tennessee. Hickman County and Centerville each bill their own property taxes.

How the bill is figured

Residential property is taxed on 25% of its market value; commercial and industrial property is taxed on 40%. A home appraised at $170,000 carries a $42,500 assessed value; at a combined 2.20% rate, the bill is $935.

Exemptions and relief

Appealing your value

Always call the Assessor first at (931) 729-2169, as corrected information resolves many cases. The formal appeal is made to the County Board of Equalization in June, then to the State Board of Equalization.

GIS Maps and Parcel Viewer

The state is responsible for the county's parcel mapping. The TNMap assessment viewer overlays all Hickman County boundaries over aerial imagery that is tied to the Comptroller’s assessment data and updates the data around the first day of every month.

Details available include:

• Parcel boundaries with ownership and acreage

• Appraised and assessed values by parcel

• The Duck and Piney River country in aerial view

• Property classes and record-card data

• Statewide layers through TNMap

A tax map is for assessment, not surveying purposes. Record the plat with a licensed survey to prove any boundary.

Foreclosure and Tax Sales

There are two types of sales:

Deed-of-trust foreclosure

If the loan defaults, the substitute trustee provided for in the deed of trust advertises the property and sells it at public auction as set forth in Title 35 of the Tennessee Code. There is no requirement to get a court order. The County Trustee is not that private trustee.

Chancery Court tax sale

The delinquent taxes pass through the courthouse. Most sales have a one-year right of redemption, and the county sues in the Chancery Court, which is presided over by the Clerk & Master, who conducts the sale. Tennessee's property is sold through the court.

Costs to Access Property Records

The state portals are free, and TitleSearcher's index can be searched prior to fees. All copying and recording fees are charged.

The Register will register the tax on the deed of record and on the deed; the sworn value will become the public record of the price.

How to Record a Document

The Tennessee Code is the source for the recording requirements (Title 66, Chapter 24). There are four steps:

• Prepare the document to meet the standards of Tennessee: notarized signatures, full property description, and preparer and return addresses.

• Attach deed requirements: tax parcel number, Oath of Consideration that is signed and notarized with the deed.

• Include the recordation fee plus recordation taxes: $0.37 per every $100 of the transfer, $0.115 per $100 of secured debt over $2,000.

• Document everything in Suite 104 (be aware of the split weekly hours) or send it in with the fees. E-recording arrives soon. The originals are returned after indexing.

FAQs

Key Contacts and Official Portals