What records does the Fulton County Recorder keep?

The Recorder maintains permanent real-estate records concerning ownership and encumbrances, including deeds and many mortgages, releases, easements, liens, land contracts and other recordable instruments affecting real property.

Can I find a Fulton County deed with only a street address?

A recorder index is commonly organized by names and recording references rather than street address. Use the Fulton County Auditor property search to convert the address into an owner name and parcel number, then search the Recorder's land-record system.

What are Ohio Recorder recording fees?

The Ohio Recorders' Association lists a statutory base fee of $34 for the first two pages of most recorded instruments and $8 for each additional page. Additional fees can apply, including a preservation surcharge or non-standard document fee, so filers should confirm the current Fulton County total before submission.

What is the Fulton County conveyance fee for a deed?

The Fulton County Auditor publishes a conveyance fee of $4 per $1,000 of total consideration, rounded up to the nearest $100, plus a transfer fee of $0.50 per parcel. These Auditor charges are separate from Recorder recording fees.

Where do I find Fulton County property value and tax information?

Use the Fulton County Auditor for parcel, ownership and valuation information. Tax-payment and tax-bill questions belong with the County Treasurer rather than the Recorder.

Does a Recorder search prove that a property has clear title?

No. Public land-record research can identify recorded documents, but a complete title examination may require interpretation of deeds, releases, liens, probate records, court matters and other instruments. Use a qualified Ohio real-estate attorney or title professional when legal title must be established.

Where can I find older Fulton County Ohio records?

Fulton County's Microfilm Center maintains public-record and archival resources. Detailed requests can be directed to the Microfilm Center when a record is not readily available through the current online systems.

Fulton County, Ohio · Deeds, mortgages, liens, releases, easements and land records

Fulton County OH Recorder: Search Deeds, Liens & Land Records

Q: Where is the Fulton County Recorder's Office in Ohio?

The Fulton County Recorder is located at 152 S. Fulton St., Suite 175, Wauseon, Ohio 43567. The office phone is (419) 337-9232 and regular published hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Q: How do I search Fulton County Ohio deeds online?

Start on the official Fulton County Recorder website and open the Fulton County Land Records Search/Fraud Sleuth resource. Search by an owner or party name and use the Auditor property search first when you only know the address.

The Fulton County Recorder in Ohio is the office to use when you need the recorded document behind a property: a deed, mortgage, mortgage release, lien, easement, land contract or other instrument affecting real estate. If you only have a street address, begin with the Auditor property search, identify the owner and parcel, and then move to the Recorder’s land-record index.

This guide takes you through that process step by step, shows which office controls each record, explains how to trace a deed chain, and covers copies, recording fees, transfer requirements, legal-description review and archival records.

Open official Recorder page Open land records search Start with an address

Current owner name Previous owner name Property address Parcel number Approximate transfer date

FULTON COUNTY RECORD INDEX DOCUMENT MATCH

REAL ESTATE FILE Recorded Instrument

Grantor Seller / person giving interest

Grantee Buyer / person receiving interest

Instrument Recording number or book/page

Legal description Land identified in the document

Recorder records are not the same as Auditor or Treasurer records. Use the Recorder for recorded ownership documents and encumbrances. Use the Auditor for parcel numbers, ownership display, valuation and conveyance forms. Use the Treasurer for tax bills and payments. Court-case details belong with the appropriate Clerk of Courts.

Recorder Wendy Hardy

Office 152 S. Fulton St., Suite 175, Wauseon, OH 43567

Phone (419) 337-9232

Published hours Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Best online start Official land-record search from the Recorder website

Choose the correct record

What are you actually trying to find?

Most failed property-record searches happen because the user starts in the wrong county system. Match your task to the record first.

RECORDED OWNERSHIP Deed or prior deed

Search the Recorder’s land records using the owner names, recording date or known instrument reference.

Search deed records

FINANCING RECORD Mortgage or release

Look for the mortgage and then separately verify whether a release, satisfaction or assignment was later recorded.

Check mortgages

PROPERTY IDENTITY Owner, parcel or value

Use the Auditor when you have an address but need the owner name, parcel number, acreage or assessment information.

Use the Auditor first

ENCUMBRANCE Lien or easement

Search the Recorder for recorded liens and real-estate instruments, then inspect the actual document and later releases.

Research liens

FILING A DOCUMENT Record a new deed

Check Auditor conveyance requirements, county legal-description standards and Recorder formatting and recording fees.

Prepare a recording

OLDER MATERIAL Historical or archived record

Use the Recorder and Fulton County Microfilm Center when the material is not readily available in the current online index.

Find older records

Fulton County Recorder guide

Jump directly to the task you need instead of reading every section.

Official search workflow

How to search Fulton County Ohio deeds and land records

The Fulton County Recorder maintains permanent land records and provides an official Fulton County Land Records Search/Fraud Sleuth link from the county website. When you know the owner’s name, this is the correct place to begin.

Open the official Recorder website Go to the county Recorder page. This page is the safest bookmark because it links to the current county-approved search service even if the underlying vendor changes later.
Open Fulton County Recorder

Select “Fulton County Land Records Search” The Recorder page includes a quick link to the county’s land-record search. The county site also identifies the resource with Fraud Sleuth.
Open the official land-record search page

Search the most specific owner name you know For a purchase deed, search the current owner as a grantee because the grantee is generally the party receiving the property. If a result is missing, shorten the search to a surname or company-name keyword.

Narrow by date or document type If the search system offers date and document-type filters, use the approximate purchase year and a deed category to remove unrelated mortgages, releases, easements and liens.

Open the candidate record and verify the land Do not accept a result only because the name matches. Compare the legal description, parcel reference, municipality or township, prior deed reference and other property details.

Save the official recording reference Record the instrument number, reception number, book/page or other identifier shown by the system. This is the fastest way to retrieve the document again or request a copy from the Recorder.

Fastest search habit: identify the parcel in the Auditor system first, then search the Recorder using the exact owner name found on that parcel. This avoids confusing two people with similar names.

When you only know the address

Convert a Fulton County street address into a deed search

Recorder indexes are designed around recorded instruments and parties. A homeowner, buyer or researcher often starts with only “123 Main Street,” which is better handled first through the Fulton County Auditor’s real-estate property search.

1. Address Your starting information

2. Auditor parcel Find owner + parcel number

3. Recorder index Search the owner name

4. Deed image Verify the recorded document

Open the Fulton County Auditor property-search page Open official Fulton County property search

Follow the “Real Estate Information Property Search” link The county directs users to its Schneider/QPublic property-search application.
Open the Fulton County QPublic search

Search with a simple address Start with the street number and main street name. If the full address fails, remove apartment/unit text, directional words or street suffixes and broaden the search.

Write down the owner and parcel number Also note the legal description, acreage, township or village and transfer information. These details help separate similarly named owners.

Return to the Recorder’s land-record search Search the owner shown by the Auditor, then locate the deed or other recorded instrument that matches the parcel.
Continue to Recorder records

Owner names can update at different times. A recently signed deed, the Recorder index and the Auditor ownership display may not all change simultaneously. For a recent closing, search both the seller and buyer and use the recording date and legal description to confirm the transaction.

Record decoder

Fulton County land-record search fields explained

What common Recorder search terms mean
Field	Meaning	Best use	Common mistake
Grantor	Person or entity giving, selling, releasing or encumbering an interest.	Search sellers, borrowers or parties granting an easement.	Searching a buyer only as grantor for the acquisition deed.
Grantee	Person or entity receiving an interest.	Search buyers and lenders receiving a mortgage interest.	Assuming every grantee is the property owner.
Instrument number	Unique recording identifier assigned to a filed document.	Reopen a known document quickly.	Confusing it with the Auditor parcel number.
Book / page	Traditional volume and page reference used for recorded documents.	Historical deeds and references cited inside newer instruments.	Typing the reference into an address field.
Recording date	Date the instrument became part of the Recorder’s official record.	Narrow searches around a purchase, refinance or lien.	Assuming it must equal the date the document was signed.
Legal description	Formal description identifying the land affected by the instrument.	Confirm that a same-name result affects the correct property.	Treating a mailing address as a substitute for the legal description.

Ownership history

How to trace a Fulton County deed chain

If you need more than the current deed, work backward one recorded transfer at a time. A deed chain is strongest when every step is tied to an actual recording reference rather than a name copied from a third-party property website.

Find the newest deed into the current owner Search the current owner as grantee and locate the instrument that appears to have transferred the parcel to that owner.

Read the grantor name and prior-recording reference The prior owner becomes your next search target. A prior deed reference inside the document can save time.

Search the prior owner backward Repeat the process, checking the legal description each time so you do not accidentally jump to another parcel owned by the same person.

Watch for non-sale transfers Ownership can change through survivorship, estate or probate documents, certificates of transfer, trusts, divorce-related instruments and other transactions that do not look like a conventional sale.

Build a recording-reference list Keep a simple table with date, document type, grantor, grantee and instrument or book/page reference. That list makes later copy requests much faster.

A self-made deed chain is research, not a title opinion. Determining legal ownership can require analysis of probate, divorce, foreclosure, unreleased liens, easements, legal descriptions and documents outside a simple deed sequence. Use a title company or Ohio real-estate attorney when the result will be used for a purchase, loan, lawsuit or boundary dispute.

Debt documents

How to check mortgages, releases and assignments

Finding a mortgage in the index does not tell you by itself whether the debt is still outstanding. Recorded real-estate research should normally continue until you identify the later instrument that changes or terminates that mortgage interest.

Mortgage

Shows the recorded security interest created in connection with a loan.

Assignment

May transfer a recorded mortgage interest from one lender or holder to another.

Release / satisfaction

May document that the recorded mortgage interest has been released or satisfied.

Practical search sequence

Search the owner or borrower name around the purchase or refinance date.

Open the mortgage and note lender, date and recording reference.

Search later records for a release, satisfaction, assignment or modification.

Check referenced instrument numbers to make sure a release applies to the correct mortgage.

A zero loan balance, cancelled check or lender statement is not the same thing as finding the recorded release. If a paid mortgage still appears unreleased in the public record, contact the lender, title company or a qualified attorney for the appropriate correction process.

Encumbrance research

Searching Fulton County liens, easements and other recorded interests

The Recorder keeps instruments affecting land, including many liens and easements. Search broadly enough to find both the original instrument and any later release, amendment or termination.

How to investigate common recorded documents
Document	What to search	What to verify
Lien	Owner/debtor name, creditor name and filing date.	Property affected, amount or claim, and any later release.
Easement	Current/prior owner and neighboring or utility parties.	Location, purpose, width, legal description and amendments.
Land contract	Seller and buyer names.	Property description and later deed, release or forfeiture-related records.
Restriction / covenant	Subdivision or owner names and referenced prior instruments.	Whether the restriction actually applies to the parcel and whether amendments exist.

Court case versus recorded lien: use the Clerk of Courts for the underlying court docket. Use the Recorder when you need to determine whether a real-estate-related instrument was recorded against land. These systems answer different questions.

Document copies

How to get a copy or certified copy of a Fulton County deed

If the online system provides a document image, you may be able to review or print it for research. When an institution, court, lender, government agency or title professional requires an official certified copy, contact the Recorder directly.

Locate the document first Search online and write down the instrument number, book/page reference, recording date and parties.

Decide whether you need plain or certified A plain copy is usually sufficient for personal research. A certified copy contains the Recorder’s certification and may be required for a legal or administrative use.

Contact the Recorder with the recording reference Call (419) 337-9232 or visit the office at 152 S. Fulton St., Suite 175, Wauseon, OH 43567.

Confirm the current copy charge and delivery method Ask the office what the current charge is for the number of pages you need and whether the copy can be mailed, picked up or otherwise delivered.

Save money and time: give the office an instrument number or book/page instead of asking staff to research a broad owner history from scratch.

Filing a document

Before recording a deed in Fulton County, Ohio

Recording a deed is not simply a matter of walking a signed document to the Recorder. Ohio real-estate transfers commonly involve the County Auditor, transfer/conveyance forms, applicable conveyance fees and Fulton County’s legal-description requirements before the Recorder accepts the instrument into the land records.

Prepare the deed correctly The deed must meet Ohio execution, acknowledgment and formatting requirements. For a transaction with legal consequences, use an Ohio attorney or experienced title professional rather than relying on a generic internet form.

Check Fulton County conveyance standards Fulton County publishes land-transfer policies for deeds, easements, affidavits and other instruments using legal descriptions.
Review official transfer and conveyance requirements

Complete the required Auditor conveyance form A taxable transfer commonly uses the DTE 100 Statement of Value and Receipt. Exempt transactions may instead require the appropriate exemption statement.
Open Fulton County Auditor real-estate forms

Resolve legal-description review when required County standards are intended to improve the accuracy of land descriptions. When the transfer involves a new description, split, survey issue or other special situation, the Engineer, Auditor and Planning functions may become part of the review.

Pay Auditor conveyance and transfer fees These charges are separate from the Recorder’s recording fee. See the fee explanation below before calculating the final filing amount.

Present the accepted instrument to the Recorder After the transfer requirements are satisfied, the document proceeds to the Recorder for recording, indexing and preservation.

Recorder costs

Ohio recording fees that apply to most Fulton County documents

Ohio Recorder fees are established primarily by state law. The Ohio Recorders’ Association currently lists the following base schedule for most common real-estate instruments.

Common Ohio county-recorder fee categories
Item	Published fee	Practical note
Most deeds, mortgages, leases, easements and similar instruments	$34 for the first two pages + $8 for each additional page	Each printed side is treated as a page for the fee schedule.
Marginal-reference documents	$34 first two pages + $8 each additional page + applicable reference charge	Assignments, releases and modifications can involve reference fees.
Non-standard document fee	$20 additional per non-conforming document	Avoidable when document-format rules are followed.
Plat / condominium drawing	$0.10 per square inch, subject to statutory minimums	Confirm county-specific size and submission requirements before filing.

Confirm the exact Fulton County total before submitting. Ohio law permits a county-level document-preservation surcharge of up to $5 per document, and surcharge participation can change. Call the Recorder at (419) 337-9232 when you need the precise amount for a filing.

View Ohio Recorder fee schedule Confirm with Fulton County Recorder

Avoid a rejection or extra fee

Ohio document-standardization rules

For documents prepared after June 30, 2009, Ohio’s Recorder standardization rules generally require the following formatting. A non-standard instrument can trigger an additional $20 recording charge.

Computer font size of at least 10 point.

Paper no smaller than 8½ × 11 and no larger than 8½ × 14.

Black or blue ink.

No highlighting.

One-inch margins on each side and bottom.

Three-inch top margin on the first page for official endorsements.

One-and-one-half-inch top margin on later pages.

Check statutory exceptions before assuming every document is covered.

Review official Ohio standardization guidance

Separate Auditor charges

Fulton County deed conveyance and transfer fees

Do not confuse the Recorder’s recording fee with the Auditor’s transfer charges. Fulton County’s official real-property transfer page publishes:

Conveyance fee

$4.00 per $1,000 of total consideration, with the consideration rounded up to the nearest $100.

Transfer fee

$0.50 per parcel in addition to applicable conveyance charges.

Fulton County provides an example in which total consideration of $100,001 is rounded to $100,100, producing a $400.40 conveyance fee. Exempt transfers may follow different documentation rules, so use the correct DTE form rather than assuming a sale-type conveyance fee applies.

Check Fulton County conveyance rules Open DTE and real-estate forms

Legal descriptions & survey records

Where surveys, plats and description review fit into a deed search

A deed tells you what land is being conveyed, but it does not automatically establish the physical location of every boundary on the ground. Fulton County separately provides survey and engineering resources, and its Recorder page links to printable county plats and land surveys.

Need an existing survey or plat?

Use the County Engineer’s map and survey resources and the land-survey link provided by Fulton County.

Open Engineer maps and land surveys

Preparing a new legal description?

Check the county’s conveyance standards before filing. Fulton County has a dedicated deed/legal-description review function through the Engineer.

Review land-transfer standards

Do not use a tax parcel map as a boundary survey. When a fence, building, driveway, easement or encroachment depends on an exact boundary, use the recorded documents together with a licensed professional surveyor.

Archival research

Finding older Fulton County records through the Microfilm Center

Fulton County’s Microfilm Center handles public-record and archival functions and is useful when the document you need is not easily found through a current online application.

Microfilm Center

152 S. Fulton St.
Suite 55
Wauseon, OH 43567

Microfilm: (419) 337-9234

Records Division: (419) 337-9262

How to make an efficient request

Provide as much of the following as possible:

Owner or party names
Approximate year
Document type
Parcel or legal-description information
Book/page or other known reference

Open official Microfilm Center page

Property-record monitoring

Use Fulton County’s Fraud Sleuth resource carefully

The county website labels its Recorder search resource as Fulton County Land Records Search/Fraud Sleuth. If the linked service offers name-based recording alerts, registering your ownership-name variations can help you notice an unfamiliar filing sooner.

Register likely names

Include the forms of your name or business name that are actually used in recorded documents.

Read every alert

A new filing can be completely legitimate, such as a refinance, release, easement or planned transfer.

Investigate unfamiliar filings

Obtain the document, contact the Recorder and seek legal help promptly if the instrument appears unauthorized.

A recording alert is an early-warning tool. It does not replace title insurance, legal review or a professional title examination, and it generally does not prevent a document from being submitted for recording.

Open Fulton County Land Records Search/Fraud Sleuth

Troubleshooting

What to do when you cannot find a Fulton County deed

Common search problems and the fastest fix
Problem	Likely reason	Next step
Address gives no Recorder result	Recorder indexes are document- and party-based.	Use the Auditor to identify the owner, then search that name.
Too many people have the same surname	The name search is too broad.	Add a first name, date range, document type or parcel verification.
Current owner produces no acquisition deed	Spelling, trust/entity ownership or recent recording lag.	Search surname only, company keywords, spouse/co-owner and prior owner.
Mortgage appears but no release is obvious	Release may be indexed differently or under lender/borrower name.	Search later dates and use the mortgage instrument reference.
Old document image is unavailable	Older records may require archival access.	Contact the Recorder or Microfilm Center with the book/page and names.
Legal description does not match expected acreage	Split, combination, survey, exception or later conveyance.	Compare prior deeds, Auditor parcel history and county survey/description resources.

Official Fulton County contacts

Which Fulton County office should you contact?

Recorder, Auditor, Engineer and Microfilm responsibilities
Office	Use it for	Contact	Official resource
Recorder	Deeds, mortgages, releases, liens, easements, recorded land documents and copies.	(419) 337-9232	Recorder website
Auditor – Real Estate	Parcel search, owner display, value, conveyance forms and transfer charges.	(419) 337-9200	Auditor website
Engineer	Land surveys, county engineering maps and deed/legal-description review.	(419) 335-3816	Engineer website
Microfilm Center	Older, archival and public-record requests.	(419) 337-9234 / (419) 337-9262	Microfilm Center

Fulton County Recorder

152 S. Fulton St.
Suite 175
Wauseon, OH 43567

Phone: (419) 337-9232

Published hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Before making a special trip

Call first when you need a certified copy, are filing an unusual instrument, need an exact fee calculation, are researching an older record or have a legal-description issue.

Frequently asked questions

Fulton County Ohio Recorder FAQs

Where is the Fulton County Recorder’s Office in Ohio?

The Recorder’s Office is at 152 S. Fulton St., Suite 175, Wauseon, OH 43567. The published phone number is (419) 337-9232 and regular hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

How do I search Fulton County Ohio deeds online?

Use the official Fulton County Recorder website, then open the county’s Land Records Search/Fraud Sleuth link. Search by owner or party name and narrow the results with available date, document-type or recording-reference fields.

Can I search a deed using only the property address?

Start with the Fulton County Auditor property search. Find the owner name and parcel number associated with the address, then use that owner name in the Recorder’s land-record index.

Does the Recorder show property value and taxes?

Not as its primary function. The Recorder preserves recorded instruments affecting real estate. Property valuation and parcel information are handled by the Auditor, while property-tax billing and payment functions belong with the Treasurer.

How much does it cost to record a deed in Fulton County?

Ohio’s published base fee for most deeds and similar instruments is $34 for the first two pages and $8 for each additional page. Other charges can apply, including a county preservation surcharge, Auditor conveyance and parcel-transfer fees, marginal-reference fees or a $20 non-standard-document fee. Confirm the exact current total with the Fulton County Recorder before filing.

What is Fulton County’s Auditor conveyance fee?

The county publishes a conveyance fee of $4 per $1,000 of total consideration, rounded up to the nearest $100, plus a $0.50 transfer fee per parcel. Exempt transfers may require an exemption form rather than the normal taxable-transfer calculation.

How do I know if an old mortgage was released?

Find the recorded mortgage first and save its recording reference. Then search later records for a release, satisfaction, assignment or modification that specifically references the same mortgage. If the debt was paid but no release appears, contact the lender, title company or a qualified Ohio attorney.

Can the Recorder tell me whether I have clear title?

The Recorder can provide access to recorded documents, but Recorder staff do not substitute for a legal title examination. A title determination can require analysis of deeds, liens, probate matters, judgments, easements and other records. Use a title professional or Ohio real-estate attorney when legal certainty is required.

Where can I find old Fulton County Ohio land records?

Start with the Recorder, then contact the Fulton County Microfilm Center when the document is archival or unavailable through the current online search. Detailed requests with names, years and book/page references are easier to process.

Where can I find Fulton County surveys and plats?

The Recorder website links to printable Fulton County plats and land surveys, and the County Engineer maintains additional map and survey resources. For a legal boundary question, use the recorded deed and survey material with a licensed surveyor rather than relying only on a tax parcel map.

Bottom line

Use the Fulton County Recorder when you need the recorded document

For a Fulton County property, the simplest workflow is address → Auditor parcel → owner name → Recorder index → recorded document. That sequence is more reliable than starting with a paid people-search or property-data site because it takes you directly to the county systems that control the underlying public records.

Use the Recorder for deeds, mortgages, releases, liens, easements and related instruments; the Auditor for parcel and transfer information; the Engineer for survey and legal-description resources; and the Microfilm Center for older records. When you are recording a new deed, verify the Auditor’s conveyance requirements and the Recorder’s current fee before submitting the document.

Go to Fulton County Recorder Search land records Search property parcels

Official-source review

This guide is designed around Fulton County’s official Recorder, Auditor, Engineer, Microfilm Center and real-property transfer resources, together with statewide Ohio Recorder fee and document-standardization guidance. Office procedures and fees can change, so confirm filing-specific amounts directly with the responsible county office before submitting a document.

Reviewed for current public-resource availability: October 2026.