ONLINE Access Windham County Connecticut Ct. Property records & deeds for title and lien searches

How to Access Windham County Connecticut Property Records and Deeds

Windham County Connecticut operates under a unique decentralized system where property records, deeds, liens, and title information are maintained by individual town clerks rather than a centralized county system. Connecticut does not have a county recording system. All documents are recorded at the office of the Town Clerk in the city or town where the property is located. This means property searches must be conducted through the specific municipality where the property is located.

Understanding Connecticut’s Municipal Record System

Unlike most states that maintain county-based recording systems, Connecticut’s 169 municipalities each maintain their own land records independently. Connecticut is very unique with 169 independent towns that house their own land records separately. This means that Connecticut differs from 47 states in the U.S. that are county based. For Windham County specifically, this means accessing records through 15 different town clerk offices.

Windham County Towns and Recording Offices

Windham County includes the following 15 towns: Ashford, Brooklyn, Canterbury, Chaplin, Eastford, Hampton, Killingly, Plainfield, Pomfret, Putnam, Scotland, Sterling, Thompson, Windham, and Woodstock. Each town maintains its own property records, requiring searchers to contact the appropriate town clerk’s office for the municipality where the property is located.

Online Property Record Access Options

Many Windham County towns offer online access to land records through various systems:

SearchIQS System: Several Connecticut towns including Windham use the SearchIQS system where all land records (including maps) are online. Land records prior to 1966 were filmed and are searchable on IQS. This system provides access to recorded documents and historical records.

Municipal Websites: Individual town websites often provide direct links to their online land record systems. For example, Hampton provides access through https://www.uslandrecords.com/ctlr/ for images of recorded documents from June 15, 1936 forward.

Types of Property Records Available

Property record searches in Windham County can access several types of documents:

Deeds and Ownership Records: Deeds transfer property ownership from one person to another and validate who owns a piece of real estate. All parties must sign deeds, and a notary must witness them.

Liens and Encumbrances: Property liens include tax liens, mechanic’s liens, and judgment liens that affect property ownership. A lien is a security interest in property that gives the lienholder a right to annex property in order to satisfy a debt or loan.

Mortgage Records: Documentation of financing secured by real property, including original mortgages and discharge documents.

Survey Records: Official property boundary documentation and subdivision maps.

Conducting Lien Searches in Windham County

Lien searches require checking multiple sources since many towns house water liens, sewer liens and tax liens in separate lien books and these liens are not recorded on the land records in many towns.

Municipal Liens: Contact the town clerk’s office directly as municipal liens may not appear in online records.

State-Level Liens: The Connecticut Secretary of State keeps records of UCC financing statements, IRS liens, judgement liens, vessel liens, and aircraft liens. Access these through the Secretary of State’s Lien Records Search website.

Federal Tax Liens: Check with the U.S. District Court and IRS records for federal tax liens.

Title Search Procedures

Professional title searches in Windham County require comprehensive examination of multiple record sources:

Historical Chain of Title: Title Search Records show historical chain of title documentation showing ownership history. This includes tracing ownership back through previous transfers.

Probate Records: Detailed probate documents are not recorded on the land records, however, can be found at the probate court. Check Connecticut probate courts for inheritance-related transfers.

Court Records: Foreclosure documents, divorce documents and civil judgements must be searched in Connecticut’s judicial courts.

Recording Fees and Requirements

To record a deed, the fee is $60.00 for the first page. Each additional page or portion of a page is $5.00. When recording a document with conveyance consideration, an additional $2.00 fee is charged to cover administrative costs.

Document requirements include:

• White 8.5 x 11 inch or 8.5 x 14 inch paper
• Permanent black ink in 10-point font or larger
• 3/4-inch clear margins
• Complete return name and address
• Proper notarization

Professional Title Search Services

Given Connecticut’s complex municipal system, many property professionals recommend using experienced local title search companies. Connecticut professional Title Searchers know the details that every independent town requires to perform a proper title search making it impossible to complete a compliant and accurate title search online.

Accessing Records Through U.S. Title Records

For comprehensive property research, U.S. Title Records (https://www.ustitlerecords.com/) provides access to property records throughout Connecticut. This site provides direct, online public access to all county property records and document images for the United States and U.S. territories, including mortgage, lien, release, deed, notice of default, conveyance, lis pendens, bankruptcy, and judgment records.

Tax Record Access

Property tax information is handled separately from land records in many Connecticut municipalities. For example, tax collection for the Town of Scotland is handled by the Town of Windham, with taxes payable by mail, in person at Windham Town Hall, or online. Contact the appropriate tax collector’s office for current tax status and payment history.

Historical Records Research

For properties with long ownership histories, records prior to town incorporation dates may be found in neighboring municipalities. For example, records prior to 1786 for Hampton are most likely in Windham, or sometimes Canterbury or Brooklyn.

Contact Information for Major Windham County Towns

Town of Windham

• Phone: (860) 465-3015
• Email: townclerksoffice@windhamct.com
• Website: windhamct.gov

Additional Resources

Town clerk contact information for all 15 Windham County municipalities is available through the Connecticut Town Clerks Association website. Each town maintains regular business hours, typically Monday through Friday, with some offering extended evening hours.

For most comprehensive property research in Windham County, plan to search records at the municipal level, check state-level lien records, and consider professional assistance for complex title searches involving multiple record sources and historical documentation.