DeKalb County Property Records in Georgia

A DeKalb County title search examines the recorded chain of deeds at the DeKalb County Clerk of Superior Court to confirm who owns the property, identifies every open security deed and lien, searches the General Execution Docket for judgments and fi. fa. entries against the parties, confirms that paid security deeds have been canceled, and surfaces materialman’s liens, easements, plats, and restrictions. Because Georgia is a title-theory, race-notice state where deeds require two witnesses with one being a notary, a reliable title search confirms the vesting and verifies what is recorded and properly attested, combining the Clerk of Superior Court records, indexed statewide on the GSCCCA, with the Property Appraisal data. For a DeKalb property carrying an Atlanta address, it first confirms the recording is in DeKalb rather than Fulton. You can search the GSCCCA and the appraisal site yourself for basic documents, but a complete examination across the recorded records, the General Execution Docket, and the tax records is what catches an uncanceled security deed or a recorded judgment. U.S. Title Records performs the full search and delivers it by email, with the Expanded Title Search ($375) as the most comprehensive option.

It depends on where the parcel physically sits, because the City of Atlanta spans two counties. Most of Atlanta is in Fulton County, but a meaningful portion lies in DeKalb County, and many additional properties simply carry an Atlanta mailing address while sitting in unincorporated DeKalb or a DeKalb city. This matters for a title search because Georgia records real estate documents in the county where the land is located, not by mailing address. The deeds, security deeds, and liens for a property in the DeKalb portion of Atlanta are filed with the DeKalb County Clerk of Superior Court and indexed under DeKalb on the GSCCCA, while a Fulton-side Atlanta property is recorded in Fulton. If you search the wrong county, you will not find the chain of title or the recorded liens, and you could wrongly conclude a property is clear. The reliable way to settle it is by the Tax Parcel ID and the parcel’s location, not the address line. U.S. Title Records confirms the correct recording county before searching, so the examination runs against the right record. A Property Detail Report ($29) identifies the parcel and the recording jurisdiction, and the Fulton County page covers the Fulton side.

A complete DeKalb County lien search covers several sources: the Clerk of Superior Court, indexed on the GSCCCA, for security deeds and materialman’s liens, the General Execution Docket for money judgments recorded as fi. fa. entries, the Tax Commissioner for delinquent property taxes and tax sale status, the state and federal tax authorities for tax liens, and UCC filings for business debts. A Georgia money judgment becomes a lien on real property when it is entered on the General Execution Docket, which is separate from the deed index, and Georgia liens carry different priority and perfection requirements under the lien statute, so both the index searched and the recording timing affect priority. Reading the record correctly means covering all of these, not just the Property Appraisal viewer, which does not show recorded liens. Our Lien Report ($95) covers recorded property liens, and the Full Owner Lien Report ($195) adds the judgment, tax, UCC, and bankruptcy searches against the owner.

Recorded DeKalb County deeds are public records held by the DeKalb County Clerk of Superior Court and indexed statewide through the GSCCCA and the Clerk’s Landmark system, with DeKalb records dating back to 1842. Georgia transfers use the warranty deed, which offers the strongest covenants, the limited or special warranty deed, and the quitclaim deed, which transfers whatever interest the grantor has without warranties, while a security deed, also called a deed to secure debt or loan deed, secures a loan and conveys title to the lender rather than transferring ownership outright. A DeKalb deed must be in writing, signed by the grantor, and attested by at least two witnesses with one being a notary, a deed that transfers ownership for value requires a PT-61 transfer tax form disclosing the consideration, and since 2019 the Tax Parcel ID must appear at the top of the first page or the deed cannot be recorded. A clean copy with the recording number confirms exactly how title is held. U.S. Title Records retrieves the recorded vesting deed and prior conveyances by address or parcel number. A Deed Copy is $45, and a Chain of Title assembles every deed in order for $275.

DeKalb County property records are kept by several offices. The DeKalb County Clerk of Superior Court, through its Real Estate Division in Decatur, records and maintains deeds, security deeds, the General Execution Docket and lien filings, plats, condominium floor plans, and UCC filings, and is the source of recorded title; in Georgia this Clerk also serves as Registrar of Land Records and as the collector of the intangible and transfer taxes, and the records are indexed and imaged statewide through the Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority, the GSCCCA, with DeKalb records dating back to 1842. The DeKalb County Property Appraisal Department maintains the parcel, the owner, and the assessed value, set at 40 percent of market value in Georgia, and is usually the quickest way to find an owner by address. The Tax Commissioner collects the property taxes and handles tax sales. A complete search combines the Clerk of Superior Court records, the General Execution Docket, and the Property Appraisal data. U.S. Title Records covers DeKalb and all 159 Georgia counties at the same price, by address or parcel number.

Pricing is the same in DeKalb County and across all 159 Georgia counties: Property Detail Report $29, Deed Copy $45, Title Search by Name $75, Lien Report $95, Full Owner Lien Report $195, Chain of Title $275, and Expanded Title Search $375. The $29 report is the quick ownership, parcel, and value check that also confirms the recording county, the $195 report is the recommended due-diligence search that includes the General Execution Docket, and the $375 Expanded is the full title examination with security deed cancellation and plat review. There is no account, subscription, or commitment, one fee per property, delivered as a PDF by email. See the full schedule of fees. BBB A+ since 2009.