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

Unicoi means fog in Cherokee, and the county was one of the smallest in Tennessee. It's 186 square miles, surrounded by the Unaka Mountains, and divided by the Nolichucky River. Erwin is the home of the property records. The Register of Deeds can be found at 100 North Main Avenue, Suite 202. The Assessor of Property responds via the county offices, while the County Trustee collects from his or her office, which is in proximity. The county was formed in 1875, which was quite young in East Tennessee.

Erwin is a railroad town, and it continues to rely upon these for its heritage: the railroad, the national fish hatchery, and the rafting business on the Nolichucky. Typical 30-60 days to sell homes in Tennessee—from Erwin and Unicoi town lots to cove properties at Flag Pond and Limestone Cove. The steady demand of commuters from the Tri-Cities metro area helps fuel Johnson City.

Recent records reveal the underlying factors influencing the local real estate market, with a median home value of $180,900 and median rent of $681, alongside a median household income of $51,556 and a median real estate tax rate of 0.58 as a percentage of the property’s assessed value.

How to Look Up Unicoi County Property Records

Almost all of them can be done with three stops. The state assessment site is free to every user and provides the owner, appraised value, and Map-Group-Parcel number of each parcel. The Tax Calendar is explained in simple terms on the Trustee’s page and is connected to the state payment system. Recorded documents are available on the Register of Deeds in Suite 202 and by phone (423) 743-6104.

Who Keeps Unicoi County Property Records

Tennessee keeps property records at the county level, and the Public Records Act opens them to Tennessee citizens. Unicoi County splits the work three ways:

• Deeds, deeds of trust, liens, and plats are recorded with theRegister of Deeds, Debbie Tittle (423) 743-6104, in Suite 202, 100 North Main Avenue. The state recordation tax is collected at the office at recording.

• The Assessor of Property, Teresa Kinsler, values and gives each property a value, as described in the county's words. The assessed value is then multiplied by the annual Board of Commissioners' rate.

• The County Trustee, Katie Bennett (423) 743-3011, promises accurate, friendly, and efficient service, mails the October statements, and receives taxes. In Tennessee, the Trustee is the tax collector. Well, that's the word settled.

Delinquent tax cases are heard in the Clerk & Master in Chancery Court. Erwin and the Town of Unicoi levy their own taxes.

How to Search Unicoi County Property Records Online

In this order, you'll never slip.

• Find the parcel in the state assessment area. Type in the address or owner name for Unicoi County and copy the Map-Group-Parcel number, value, and class.

• On TNMap, map the boundary – works out in cove country where the lines go up ridges.

• Take the owner’s name to the Register at (423) 743-6104 or Suite 202. Tennessee indexes by grantor and grantee; they work both sides of each sale.

• Follow the grantees and the grantor of each back up to the grantor before it, and repeat this process for deeds of trust, liens, and releases. It is recorded on each deed by the Sworn Value of the deed.

• To confirm that taxes are up-to-date, check the Trustee's page or contact (423) 743-3011.

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

The Register of Deeds is elected and records for Erwin, the Town of Unicoi, Flag Pond, and all the coves in between. On most financed purchases, Tennessee secures its home loans by deed of trust, not with mortgages. The state recordation tax is also collected by 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 & plats

• A military discharge or an UCC fixture filing

Assessor of Property: Ownership, Values, and Parcel Data

The Assessor appraises all parcels for market value; Tennessee taxes a percentage based on class. The office assigns the Map-Group-Parcel number, maintains the record cards, and adds values to the state's assessment database, values being trued in line with the market at each state-scheduled reappraisal.

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 page provides a calendar that is more informative than most. Notices are mailed at the beginning of October, and payment is due by the end of February. Taxes become delinquent March 1, at 1.5% per month interest. The office reiterates the warning: Tennessee does not require mailed notices, and owners are presumed to know that taxes are due if they are not mailed.

The Trustee also administers the state Tax Relief program for qualifying seniors, disabled homeowners, and disabled veterans.

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

Tennessee has no state property tax. A Unicoi County bill is county money plus town money in Erwin or Unicoi, and it begins with a fraction.

How the bill is figured

The assessment rates for residential and farm property are 25 percent of appraised value, and 40 percent for commercial and industrial property. A home appraised at $180,000 carries a $45,000 assessed value; at a combined $2.00 rate, the bill is $900. The rate will never reach the maximum appraisal.

Exemptions and relief

Appealing your value

Start with the Assessor at (423) 743-3801, since corrected details settle many cases. The formal appeal goes to the County Board of Equalization in June, then the State Board of Equalization, with comparable sales as evidence.

GIS Maps and Parcel Viewer

The state carries the county’s parcel mapping. The TNMap assessment viewer draws every Unicoi County boundary over aerial imagery, linked to the Comptroller’s assessment data, with the gorge and the mountain wall plain on the map.

Details available include:

• Parcel boundaries with ownership and acreage

• Appraised and assessed values by parcel

• The Nolichucky Gorge and the Unaka Front in aerial view

• Property classes and record-card data

• Statewide layers through TNMap

Maps for tax purposes are not maps for survey; and mountain lines need care! Recorded plat and licensed survey to prove any boundary that is of any importance.

Foreclosure and Tax Sales

Two sales, two trustees, no relation between them.

Deed-of-trust foreclosure

In default of a loan, the substitute trustee designated in the deed of trust advertises and sells under the provisions of Title 35 of the Tennessee Code at public auction. Filing of a court order is not necessary. That's not the county's tax collector.

Chancery Court tax sale

Taxes get delinquent and go through the courts. The county sues in Chancery Court, the Clerk & Master of the Court holds sales, and a right of redemption exists for most sales for one year. The property is sold by the court in Tennessee, never with tax lien certificates.

Costs to Access Property Records

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

How to Record a Document

Recording follows Title 66, Chapter 24 of the Tennessee Code. Four steps:

• Properly format the document according to Tennessee standards: Notarized signatures, complete property description, preparer and return address.

• Include the deed requirements: tax parcel number, the signed Oath of Consideration.

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

• Send to Suite 202 or mail to P.O. Box 305, with fees. Original returns for the index.

FAQs

Quick Reference: Your Unicoi County Property Records Checklist

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