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

The property records went downhill, but the 1877 Courthouse continues to overlook the Cumberland River from the square in Carthage. The working offices are located at 122 Turner High Circle: the Register of Deeds is in Suite 113, the Assessor of Property is in Suite 106, and the County Trustee is in Suite 104. Their books cover 325 square miles, including the 11 counties under Cordell Hull Lake, and go back to the founding of the county in 1799.

The town boasts two nationally important figures, Secretary of State Cordell Hull and Vice President Al Gore, and their gravities continue to be a sell. The typical home takes 30 to 60 days to move, whether it's in Carthage and South Carthage river-town homes, or in the I-40 corridor along the fringes of Nashville, where commuters keep demand on the upswing. The books are completed with farms and places by the lakes.

Recent records reveal the underlying factors influencing the local real estate market, with a median home value of $210,400 and median rent of $698, alongside a median household income of $63,185 and a median real estate tax rate of 0.44 as a percentage of the property’s assessed value.

How to Look Up Smith County Property Records

Almost all are covered by the three stops. The state assessment site displays the owner of the parcel, its appraised value, and its Map-Group-Parcel number (MGPN) free of charge. The Trustees' balances pass within the state Trustee system. The Register of Deeds has digitized approximately 30 years of record books that are available to search in Suite 113 and through the office's TitleSearcher link.

Who Keeps Smith County Property Records

Tennessee has county-level property records and makes them available to Tennessee citizens under the Public Records Act. Smith County shares the responsibility in three ways.

• The Register of Deeds is used to index deeds, deeds of trust, liens, plats, and UCC filings by name, date, index type, book and page, and legal description, from Suite 113. Thirty or so years of record books are scanned, and the office responds to email at its TitleSearcher address.

• The Assessor of Property appraises each parcel at market value from Suite 106, gives each parcel a Map-Group-Parcel number, and maintains its record cards. Value questions go to (615) 735-1750.

• The County Trustee is responsible for the collection of the county's property taxes from Suite 104, relief programs, and payments for taxpayers. The Trustee is the tax collector in Tennessee. None more impressive than that.

How to Search Smith County Property Records Online

• State assessment site: Identify the parcel. Type in the address or owner's name in the Smith County field and select the copy option for the Map-Group-Parcel number, value, and class.

• Use TNMap to map the boundary, which would be useful along the Cumberland and around Cordell Hull's shoreline.

• Look for the grantor/ grantee information in the Register's index (Suite 113), electronically via the Register's TitleSearcher connection (by email), or by telephone at (615) 735-1760. Around thirty books are scanned in approximately 30 years.

• Work the chain of title backwards, with each grantee corresponding to the preceding grantor, and follow the index of deeds of trust, liens, and releases. The sworn value on each deed records the price.

• Call the Trustee at (615) 735-8242.

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

An elected official, the Register of Deeds records for Carthage, South Carthage, Gordonsville, and the county of River and Ridge. Most financed purchases in Tennessee are secured by deeds of trust instead of mortgages. The state recordation tax is paid to the Register at the time of recording.

Document types recorded include:

• Warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, and other conveyances

• Deeds of trust, releases, assignments, and modifications

• Liens, judgments, and leases

• Powers of attorney and plats

• Military discharges and UCC fixture filings.

Assessor of Property: Ownership, Values, and Parcel Data

The Assessor values each parcel at market value in Suite 106, and Tennessee taxes a fraction based on the class. The office issues the Map-Group-Parcel number, maintains the record cards, and updates the state's assessment database, adjusting values to the market at each state-reappraisal date.

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 bills and collects county taxes from Suite 104, administering relief programs and assisting taxpayers. Taxes come due the first Monday in October, and the last day of February closes the window before monthly interest begins.

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

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

There is no state property tax in Tennessee. Bill of Smith County: County money and town money in town, starting with a fraction.

How the bill is figured

The value of residential, farm, commercial, and industrial property is determined at 25 percent of appraised value. A home appraised at $210,000 carries a $52,500 assessed value; at a combined $1.90 rate, the bill is about $998. The rate never reaches the full appraised value.

Exemptions and relief

Appealing your value

Call the Assessor at (615) 735-1750 first. A lot of disputes are settled at this level by correcting details. The formal appeal will go to the County Board of Equalization in June, then to the State Board of Equalization, using comparable sales as evidence.

GIS Maps and Parcel Viewer.

The State owns the county's parcel mapping. The TNMap assessment viewer overlays all of Cumberland's loops, the Cordell Hull Lake plain, and Cumberland County boundaries over the aerial imagery, which is tied to the Comptroller's assessment information, on the map. Zoning is administered by the county Planning Office at (615) 735-3418 for subdivisions outside of the 3 towns, as well as for land use questions.

Details available include:

• Parcel boundaries with ownership and acreage

• Appraised and assessed values by parcel

• The river, the lake, and the I-40 corridor in aerial view

• Property classes and record-card data

• Statewide layers through TNMap

Foreclosure and Tax Sales

Two sales, two trustees, no overlap.

Deed-of-trust foreclosure

When a loan defaults, the substitute trustee named under the deed of trust advertises and sells at public auction under Title 35 of the Tennessee Code. No court order is required. That private trustee is not the tax collector in Suite 104.

Chancery Court tax sale

Taxes aren't paid on time and pass through the courthouse. Most sales involve a county filing a lawsuit in Chancery Court, the Clerk & Master conducting the sale, and a one-year right of redemption thereafter. The property is never sold by tax lien certificates; it is sold in the court in Tennessee.

Costs to Access Property Records

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

How to Record a Document

The Tennessee Code is used for the record (T.C. 66:24). Four steps:

• Complete the document to Tennessee standards: notarized signatures, a complete description of the property, and preparer and return addresses.

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

• To bring the recording fee plus the recordation taxes: $0.37 per $100 on the transfer and $0.115 per $100 on secured debt over $2,000.

• Please make sure to record in Suite 113 or by mail with fees. E-recording arrives soon. The initial returns follow indexing.

FAQs

Quick Reference: Your Smith County Property Records Checklist

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