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

The county of Macon was formed in 1842 from part of two counties in Tennessee and part of Allen County in Kentucky. The Register of Deeds keeps deeds, deeds of trust, and plats in Room 102 at the Courthouse, and the index is available online through TitleSearcher. The Assessor of Property and the County Trustee share their offices in the county complex, Suite A and B at 201 Nature Trail Way.

The county is located on the Highland Rim, on the other side of the Kentucky border, an hour from Nashville, and the drive is a growing market force. The typical time for farmhouses, Lafayette in-town homes, and new homes built for commuters to Nashville to move is 30 to 60 days. Red Boiling Springs has an interesting history; it was a resort town built around its mineral springs.

Recent records reveal the underlying factors influencing the local real estate market, with a median home value of $168,350 and median rent of $767, alongside a median household income of $44,256.5 and a median real estate tax rate of 0.52 as a percentage of the property’s assessed value.

How to Look Up Macon County Property Records

The state assessment site lists each parcel's owner, appraised value, and Map-Group-Parcel number. The Trustee’s portal shows and accepts the tax bill. Except for military discharges, the documents on the Register of Deeds are posted on TitleSearcher, and searching the index is easy.

Who Keeps Macon County Property Records

Property records are maintained at the county level, and the Public Records Act makes them available to Tennessee residents. Macon County divides the tasks into three categories:

• According to the Register of Deeds, deeds, powers of attorney, plats, leases, wills, and military discharges are registered in the office. It collects the taxes and state taxes levied on recordings, which include charges levied on records of an obligation. All of the information, except military discharges, is available on TitleSearcher.

• The Assessor of Property estimates the market value of every parcel, assigns the Map-Group-Parcel number, and retains the record cards at Suite A, 201 Nature Trail Way. Direct questions to (615) 666-3688.

• Since the early days of 1842, when Daniel Parsley was the first County Trustee, the County Trustee has been responsible for collecting the County's taxes. Back then it included a dog tax to compensate farmers for sheep that were lost. Today it means property taxes, as the Trustee in Tennessee is the tax collector.

Delinquent tax cases are filed with the Clerk & Master of the Chancery Court. Lafayette and Red Boiling Springs have a separate bill for city taxes.

How to Search Macon County Property Records Online

This is one of the counties where the whole search can happen from one desk.

• Point to the parcel in the state assessment site. Type in the address or owner name in Macon County and then copy the Map-Group-Parcel number, value, and class.

• Draw the boundary on TNMap to view the boundary on the Highland Rim terrain along with the Kentucky line.

• Navigate to Macon County in TitleSearcher and search the Register's index by grantor and grantee. Build up the chain of title for each sale, on both sides.

• Trace the chain of title in reverse, using the same index for deeds of trust, liens, and releases. The price is shown on the sworn value of each deed.

• Go to the Trustee’s portal to make sure all taxes are up to date for both county and city.

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

As an elected official, the Register of Deeds keeps records for Lafayette to Red Boiling Springs and all the ridge communities in between in Room 102 of the Courthouse. In Tennessee, a deed of trust is used for home loans, instead of mortgages, making it the instrument used for most financed home purchases. The state recording taxes are also paid by the Register: the tax on recording of debts (such as UCC fixture filings) and the tax on transfer of ownership on sales.

Document types recorded include:

• Warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, and other conveyances

• Deeds of trust, releases, assignments, and modifications

• Liens, judgments, and marriage settlements

• Powers of attorney, leases, and wills

• Plats, surveys, and military discharge records

Except for military discharges, the office records are available through TitleSearcher, and Macon is one of the most difficult small counties to search in the region.

Assessor of Property: Ownership, Values, and Parcel Data

The Assessor appraises each parcel at market value, and Tennessee taxes a fraction based on the class. The Map-Group-Parcel number is assigned by and the record cards are kept by the office; the data is entered into the state assessment database by the office. The Assessor knows and can confirm the county's place in the reappraisal cycle and values the property accurately at the time of each State reappraisal.

Use the state assessment site or call to find:

• The person who holds the most recent deed to the land

• The Map-Group-Parcel number and legal description

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

• Property classification (residential, farm, commercial, etc.)

• Characteristics like square footage, year built, and acreage

County Trustee: Tax Bills and Payments

The Trustee collects property taxes. There is a collection box in the drive-thru for nighttime payments.

Taxes are due the first Monday of October and are payable without interest until the last day of February. The Trustee also oversees the state Tax Relief program for seniors, disabled homeowners, and qualifying veterans.

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

There is no state property tax in Tennessee. Macon County property taxes are billed by the County and by the municipalities of Lafayette and Red Boiling Springs.

How the bill is figured

Residential and farm property is evaluated at 25% of its appraised value; commercial and industrial property is evaluated at 40% of its appraised value. A home appraised at $180,000 carries a $45,000 assessed value; at a combined 2% rate, that’s a $900 bill. The rate does not always apply to the entire appraisal.

Exemptions and relief

Appealing your value

Begin with the Assessor, as the property details will have been corrected in many cases before they become appeals. The formal path is from the County Board of Equalization in June to the State Board of Equalization, based on the case of comparable sales.

GIS Maps and Parcel Viewer

The state carries the county’s parcel mapping. The TNMap assessment viewer draws every Macon County boundary over aerial imagery, linked to the Comptroller’s assessment data.

Details available include:

• Parcel boundaries with ownership and acreage

• Appraised and assessed values by parcel

• The Highland Rim ridges and the Kentucky line in aerial view

• Property classes and record-card data

• Statewide layers through TNMap

Maps are not for surveying purposes; they are only for assessments. Produce any boundary that is important with the recorded plat and a licensed survey.

Foreclosure and Tax Sales

There are two types of sales:

Deed-of-trust foreclosure

The deed of trust provides for a substitute trustee to be named who is required to advertise and sell the defaulted loan pursuant to the provisions of Title 35 of the Tennessee Code. No court order is necessary. It's a different job from the county's tax collector: a private substitute trustee.

Chancery Court tax sale

Delinquent taxes pass through the Courthouse. Most sales are followed by a one-year right of redemption; the county sues in the Chancery Court, which then carries out the court-ordered sale; the Clerk & Master is the one who conducts the sale. Tennessee does not auction the property; it is auctioned through the court process, rather than tax lien certificates.

Costs to Access Property Records

The state portals are free, and TitleSearcher’s index can be searched before you commit to fees. Copies and recording carry charges.

The Register collects recordation taxes at recording, with the fee varying by document type and page count. The sworn value on the deed becomes the public record of the price.

How to Record a Document

Tennessee Code Title 66 Chapter 24 is the title under which the recording is recorded. There are four steps:

• Prepare to Tennessee standards: notarized signatures, a complete property description, and preparer and return addresses.

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

• Pay the recording fee and the recordation taxes: $0.37 per $100 of the transfer; and $0.115 per $100 of secured debt over $2,000.

• Record in Room 102 or by mail, with payments. The initial forms are returned after indexing.

FAQs

Quick Reference: Your Macon County Property Records Checklist

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