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

The name of Wartburg was derived from a German castle, and the Register of Deeds promises something most courts can't: documents will be recorded and returned to customers while they wait. That office is located at 413 N. Kingston Street, where Swiss and German settlers established a postal office in the 1840s. The Assessor of Property assesses all parcels from the first floor of the courthouse, and the County Trustee collects taxes in the immediate vicinity of the courthouse. In 1817, the county of the books was established on the Cumberland Plateau.

This is a country of wildland. The map is filled with Frozen Head State Park, the Obed Wild and Scenic River, the Catoosa wildlife lands, and Historic Rugby. Private parcels are sold in the context of public ridges. Homes sell in 30 to 60 days, on lots in the town of Wartburg, Sunbright, on a plateau farm, or a cabin tract in Tennessee. Demand is held up by timber, government land work, and commuters to Oak Ridge.

Recent records reveal the underlying factors influencing the local real estate market, with a median home value of $128,800 and median rent of $703, alongside a median household income of $46,618 and a median real estate tax rate of 0.58 as a percentage of the property’s assessed value.

How to Look Up Morgan County Property Records

There are three stops that will cover almost everything. Each parcel's owner, appraised value, and Map-Group-Parcel number are available for free at the state assessment site. The Trustee’s portal shows and takes the tax bill online. The Register of Deeds is used to serve the documents themselves by phone, fax, mail, or the while you wait counter, as there is no public web index for this office.

Who Keeps Morgan County Property Records

Tennessee has county-level property records, and the Public Records Act makes them accessible to Tennessee citizens. The task is shared among three people in Morgan County.

• Deeds, deeds of trust, liens, and plats are filed and recorded at theRegister of Deeds located at 413 N. Kingston Street, and they boast that they can record the document and return it to you while you're waiting. It is also responsible for collecting the state recordation tax at recording.

• The Assessor of Property makes an appraisal of all the parcels at the market value from the courthouse's first floor, and retains the record cards and assigns each parcel the Map-Group-Parcel number. Value questions go to (423) 346-3130.

• The County Trustee collects property taxes for the County; balances and payments are done through the online portal. The Trustee is the tax collector in Tennessee. That's all the job description says.

How to Search Morgan County Property Records Online

The parcel side is online; the deed side is down a phone line, which responds quickly.

• Mark the parcel on the State assessment site. Under Morgan County, type the address or name of the owner and copy the Map-Group-Parcel number, value, and class.

• Here, the map of private tracts abutting large tracts of public land (TNMap) is relevant.

• For the documents, call the Register at (423) 346-3105, fax (423) 346-8273, or mail P.O. Box 311 with the names and fees. Tennessee indexes by grantor and grantee, so give both sides of the sale.

• Trace back the chain of title, starting with the most recent grantor and the preceding grantee, and repeat the process for the deeds of trust, liens, and releases. The price is noted on each deed, in the presence of an oath.

• Close at the Trustee’s portal or (423) 346-3430 to confirm taxes are current.

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

The Register of Deeds is an elected official who records for the communities of Wartburg, Sunbright, Oakdale, and the plateau from Deer Lodge to Coalfield. Tennessee doesn't record mortgages; they record deeds of trust, so this is most of the time the instrument used for financed purchases. 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, judgments, and amendments

• Powers of attorney and plats

• Military discharges and UCC fixture filings

Assessor of Property: Ownership, Values, and Parcel Data

The Assessor appraises all parcels at market value from the first level of the courthouse; taxes are based on a class fraction of the market value. The Map-Group-Parcel number is assigned by the office, the record cards are retained by the office, and the values are input to the state's assessment database at state-recommended 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's office bills and collects county taxes, and the online site is open for business 24 hours a day. Taxes are due the first Monday in October, and the final day of February is before the time of the first monthly interest.

The state Tax Relief program is administered by the Trustee for seniors, disabled homeowners, and disabled veterans who qualify.

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

Tennessee has no state property tax. A Morgan County bill is county money plus any city levy, and it begins with a fraction.

How the bill is figured

Assessment value for residential and farm property is 25 percent and 40 percent, respectively, of the appraised value, and for commercial and industrial property, the assessment value is 40 percent of the appraised value. A home appraised at $140,000 carries a $35,000 assessed value; at a combined $2.10 rate, the bill is $735. The rate never reaches its full appraisal.

Exemptions and relief

Appealing your value

If you start with the Assessor at (423) 346-3130, most cases will be resolved with corrected information. The formal appeal is in June to the County Board of Equalization, then to the State Board of Equalization, using similar sales as the basis of the appeal.

GIS Maps and Parcel Viewer

The state maintains the county's parcel mapping. The TNMap assessment viewer overlays all the boundaries of the County of Tennessee over the aerial imagery, associated with the Comptroller's assessment data, and has a plain around the private tracts.

Details available include:

• Parcel boundaries with ownership and acreage

• Appraised and assessed values by parcel

• Frozen Head, the Obed Gorge, and Catoosa’s edges in aerial view

• Property classes and record-card data

• Statewide layers through TNMap

Foreclosure and Tax Sales

Two sales, two trustees, and they share nothing but the word.

Deed-of-trust foreclosure

The default of a loan results in the advertisement and sale of the deed of trust under Title 35 of the Tennessee Code through public auction conducted by the substitute trustee named in the deed of trust. No court order necessary. This private trustee is not the county tax collector.

Chancery Court tax sale

Delinquent taxes pass through the courthouse. Most sales are followed by a one-year redemption period; the county initiates suit in Chancery Court, and the Clerk & Master runs the sale. The property is sold by the state of Tennessee; no tax lien certificates are sold.

Costs to Access Property Records

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

The Register collects both 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 recording is based on the Tennessee Code Title 66 Chapter 24. Four steps:

• Complete the form to Tennessee requirements: notarized signatures, complete property description, preparer, and return addresses.

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

• A transfer of a deed of trust will include a recording fee plus recordation taxes of $0.37 per $100 of the deed of trust transfer and $0.115 per $100 of secured debt over $2,000.

• Record at 413 N. Kingston Street, where it is returned while you wait; or mail to P.O. Box 311, with fees. The original returns are after indexing.

FAQs

Quick Reference: Your Morgan County Property Records Checklist

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