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

Jackson was named for Andrew Jackson in 1801, when he was a young judge in Tennessee, 28 years before he was president. Gainesboro's records from the county that bet on him first are at 101 North Main Street. A working index of all documents in the Register of Deeds, extending back to 1872, is maintained, and documents are sent out by email or fax upon request, at a small fee. The Assessor of Property operates from the Main floor of the courthouse. The County Trustee picks up all the money that passes through the county, including all county and school money, "all of it," as the County Trustee puts it.

Gainesboro is located on the Cumberland with a commanding view of Cordell Hull Lake, in Highland Rim country of ridges, hollows, and the Roaring River. Homes and farms are selling in Tennessee's 30- to 60-day average, bolstered by steady volume in the Cookeville community and among buyers from the lake.

Recent records reveal the underlying factors influencing the local real estate market, with a median home value of $127,700 and median rent of $611, alongside a median household income of $39,402 and a median real estate tax rate of 0.48 as a percentage of the property’s assessed value.

How to Look Up Jackson County Property Records

Almost everything is covered by three stops. The state assessment site displays the owner of each parcel, the assessed value of the parcel, and the Map-Group-Parcel number - it's free! The Trustee accepts payments online via the state system and on the premises via cards. The Register of Deeds provides documents at the counter, via mail, fax, and e-mail, and offers the TitleSearcher connection online.

Who Keeps Jackson County Property Records

The Public Records Act makes available to Tennessee citizens the property records at the county level in Tennessee. Jackson County divides up the work three ways:

• The Register of Deeds records deeds, deeds of trust, assignments, plats, court decrees, leases, liens, and releases, in the county’s own list. It collects a processing fee on every document except military discharges. It also collects the state recordation tax at recording.

• The Assessor of Property, elected county-wide every four years by the county’s own description, appraises every parcel from the courthouse main floor and assigns the Map-Group-Parcel number.

• The County Trustee's sole responsibility is to collect the county's property tax, along with all county and school grant money that travels through the county, as per the County's page. Credit and debit cards are now accepted in the office. In Tennessee, the Trustee is the tax collector. That's all, folks!

Delinquent tax suits run through the Clerk & Master in Chancery Court, at P.O. Box 342. Gainesboro bills any city taxes separately.

How to Search Jackson County Property Records Online

Work it in this order and nothing slips.

• Locate the parcel at the State assessment site. Type the address or owner name into Jackson County, and copy the Map-Group-Parcel number, value, and class.

• On TNMap, draw the boundary in a useful area in the hollow country or ridge country.

• Search the Register’s index by grantor and grantee through TitleSearcher, or contact the office at (931) 268-9012; the office will email or fax documents for a small fee.

• Create the same index for deeds of trust, liens, and releases, running in reverse from each grantor to the previous grantee. The working index extends back only to 1872, and it is supplemented by the State Library and Archives.

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

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

Gainesboro and Dodson Branch communities and the river and ridge communities between are covered by the Register of Deeds, an elected official. Deeds of trust are used to secure loans instead of mortgages in Tennessee, so it's the document on most purchases that are financed, regardless of the newer terms on the paperwork. The state recordation tax is also paid at recording by the Register.

The county's own list of document types recorded includes:

• Warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, and other conveyances

• Deeds of trust, assignments, and releases

• Liens, court decrees, and leases

• Powers of attorney and plats

• Military discharges are the one document type recorded without a processing fee

Assessor of Property: Ownership, Values, and Parcel Data

The Assessor, elected county-wide every four years, appraises each parcel at market value from the main floor of the courthouse, and Tennessee charges a fraction based on the class of the parcel. The Map-Group-Parcel number is assigned by the office, the record cards are retained by the office, and the values are updated to market at each state-scheduled reappraisal and entered into the state assessment database.

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

The Trustee is responsible for collecting the county's property tax, and all county and school grant funds that flow through the county "go through the books," as the Trustee says. Taxes are due on the first Monday in October, and the last day of February is the deadline before monthly interest is calculated.

Online payments are made through the state's Tennessee Property Tax link or in the office by credit and debit card. The Trustee oversees the state Tax Relief program for eligible seniors, disabled homeowners, and disabled veterans.

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

Tennessee has no state property tax. A Jackson County bill is county money plus city money in Gainesboro, and it begins with a fraction.

How the bill is figured

Assessment of residential and farm property is at 25 percent of appraised value, while commercial and industrial property is 40 percent. A home appraised at $125,000 carries a $31,250 assessed value; at a combined $2.30 rate, the bill is about $719. The rate is never as high as the full appraisal.

Exemptions and relief

Appealing your value

Begin with the Assessor on the Main Floor of the courthouse, as corrected information resolves many cases. It is presented to the County Board of Equalization in June and to the State Board of Equalization, with similar sales used as evidence.

GIS Maps and Parcel Viewer

The state maintains the county's parcel mapping. The TNMap assessment viewer includes all Jackson County boundaries overlaid on aerial imagery, but also uses a ssessment data from the Comptroller. The map clearly noted the bend in the Cordell Hull and the Roaring River gorge.

Details available include:

• Parcel boundaries with ownership and acreage

• Appraised and assessed values by parcel

• The lake, the Roaring River, and the ridge farms in aerial view

• Property classes and record-card data

• Statewide layers through TNMap

Tax maps are not survey maps, and river-bend lines should be cared for. Record a plat with a licensed surveyor to prove any boundary that is important.

Foreclosure and Tax Sales

Two sales, two trustees, no relation between them.

Deed-of-trust foreclosure

If a loan fails to meet the terms of the deed of trust, the substitute trustee appointed under the deed of trust advertises the sale and sells the property in public auction pursuant to Tennessee Code, Title 35. An order is not necessary. This is not the county tax collector.

Chancery Court tax sale

Delinquent taxes travel through the courthouse. The county files suit in Chancery Court, the Clerk & Master conducts the court-ordered sale, and a one-year right of redemption follows most sales. Tennessee sells the property through the court, never tax lien certificates.

Costs to Access Property Records

The state portals are available for free. Copies, a vendor index, and recording are charged fees, and the vendor fee applies to every document (except military discharges), and the office fee is applied to all copies.

How to Record a Document

The Tennessee Code (Title 66, Chapter 24) governs the recording. Four steps:

• Create a document to meet Tennessee requirements: Notarized signatures, a complete description of the property, and preparer and return addresses.

• Include the deed requirements: tax parcel number and notarized Oath of Consideration attached to the deed.

• Recordation fees (including recording and processing fees) and recordation tax: $0.37 per $100 transfer and $0.115 per $100 secured debt over $2,000.

• Record on 101 North Main or mail P.O. Box 301, including fees. E-recording arrives soon. Original returns following indexing.

FAQs

Quick Reference: Your Jackson County Property Records Checklist

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