Scott County Recorder of Deeds: Search Records, Copies, Fees & Office Guide
If you landed here because you need a Scott County deed, ownership document, deed of trust, lien, plat, survey or older land record, the controlling office is the Scott County Recorder of Deeds in Benton, Missouri.
The fastest path depends on what you already know. For recent recorded deeds, start with Scott County’s county-linked iRecord system. If the document predates the computerized collection, if you need help identifying an older instrument, or if you are preparing a document for recording, contact the Recorder directly.
Which Scott County office should you use?
A deed search, parcel search and property-tax search are related, but they are not the same record. Using the correct office first can save considerable time.
Use for deeds, deeds of trust, plats, surveys, tax liens and other recorded instruments.
Search workflowUse when you have an address and need parcel ID, owner display, value, acreage or deed book/page clues.
Assessor workflowUse for tax bills, balances, payment questions and collection matters rather than deed recording.
Office routingUse for civil or court-filed cases. A recorded deed or lien index is not the same as a court docket.
Office routingScott County Recorder guide
Jump directly to the task you came here to complete.
How to search Scott County Recorder of Deeds records online
Scott County links users to the iRecord Search system for online Recorder of Deeds access. The county states that deeds on its computer system are available online from 1999 to the present.
Recorder indexes are built around recorded instruments. If you know the current street address but do not know the owner name, deed book/page or parcel information, use the Assessor workflow later in this guide first.
Open Scott County Recorder of Deeds ↗
Open official county-linked iRecord search ↗
Call the Recorder: 573-545-3551
Scott County iRecord subscription and printing options
Scott County’s iRecord login page publishes multiple access levels. Pricing can change, so treat the amounts below as a current planning reference and review the portal before purchasing.
| Access option | Subscription price | Image preview | Printing shown | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered User | $0.00 | No image preview shown | $1.00/page plus a $1.00 service fee shown by the portal | Basic or occasional users who want to establish access before purchasing documents. |
| Single Day — Single User | $10.00 | Yes | $1.00/page | A focused one-day deed or lien research project. |
| Monthly — Single User | $50.00 | Yes | $1.00/page | Recurring searches by one user. |
| Monthly — Sharable | $150.00 | Yes | $0.75/page | Offices or teams needing sharable access. |
| Monthly — Sharable Volume | $250.00 | Yes | $0.50/page | Higher-volume professional research. |
How to search when names, addresses or ownership have changed
A Recorder search is different from a consumer address lookup. Recorded instruments are indexed around legal transactions and parties, so the most effective search strategy often changes depending on what you already know.
Search the owner’s surname and likely name variations. For an acquisition deed, the current owner may appear as the grantee.
Search that person as a grantor around the approximate sale date, then compare the grantee and legal description.
Use the Assessor/GIS first to identify parcel details and any deed book/page or acquisition reference.
Narrow by recording year, spouse/co-owner, instrument type, legal description or book/page rather than opening every same-name result.
Search the exact entity name as well as prior individual owners when building the ownership chain.
Do not stop at the deed. Review deeds of trust and related releases or satisfactions affecting the same property and parties.
What to verify before treating a record as the correct property
Use the Scott County Assessor before searching the deed index
Scott County’s Assessor maintains the parcel and assessment side of the property record. The Assessor states that deeds are received from the Recorder and affected parcels are updated as part of the mapping process.
With a parcel identification number, the Assessor says its records can provide ownership or mailing address, deed book and page, acquisition date, lot size or acreage, taxing districts, market value, assessed value and building type.
Open Scott County Assessor ↗
Open Scott County GIS ↗
Return to iRecord ↗
How far back do Scott County land records go?
Scott County’s Recorder page distinguishes between the computerized online collection and the office’s much older historical records.
| Record collection | Published starting point | Where to begin |
|---|---|---|
| Online deeds on computer system | 1999 to present | Scott County iRecord |
| Land transfers | 1820 | Recorder of Deeds historical records |
| Deeds of trust / mortgages | 1869 | Recorder of Deeds |
| Marriage licenses | 1840 | Recorder of Deeds |
Researching a pre-1999 deed
- Identify the owner or family name associated with the property during the relevant period.
- Collect an approximate transaction year whenever possible.
- Use the current parcel record to look for older deed book/page clues.
- Call the Recorder at 573-545-3551 before traveling if you need a particular historical volume or copy service.
- For genealogy, keep track of spelling variations, spouses, estate transfers and repeated family names.
How to get a copy of a Scott County deed
The Recorder’s county page lists copies of documents at $1 per page. Online iRecord printing charges depend on the access plan, so decide whether you need an office copy or an online image before paying.
Verify the document first, then review the iRecord printing charge associated with your subscription before purchasing pages.
Contact the Recorder and provide the names, book/page, approximate date and document type. This can reduce search time and prevent copying the wrong instrument.
Call the office because the online computer-system range begins in 1999, while historical land transfers go back much farther.
Ask the Recorder what certification is available for the particular document and confirm the current certification fee before ordering.
Information to prepare before calling
Scott County document recording requirements
Searching an existing deed and recording a new document are separate tasks. If you are submitting a deed or another instrument for recording, Scott County publishes formatting and content requirements that should be checked before delivery or mailing.
Paper and margin requirements
Information Scott County says recorded documents must contain
Scott County Recorder of Deeds fees
The live Scott County Recorder page should be treated as the controlling local reference immediately before filing because recording charges can change. The county currently lists the following core charges on its Recorder information.
| Service | Current county information | Important note |
|---|---|---|
| First recording page | $26 first page | Verify on the official Recorder page immediately before submitting because fees can be updated. |
| Additional recording pages | $3 each additional page | Applies to the county’s published standard recording structure. |
| Non-standard document | Additional $25 on first page | Can apply when published paper/margin requirements are not met. |
| Office document copy | $1 per page | Separate from iRecord subscription and online printing charges. |
Scott County Recorder of Deeds address, hours and contact information
131 S. Winchester, Room 134
Benton, MO 63736
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 78
Benton, MO 63736
Phone: 573-545-3551
Fax: 573-545-4482
Email: tmason@scottcomo.com
Monday–Friday
8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Scott County states that the Recorder office is open during the lunch hour.
The Recorder is located on the north side of the bottom/first-floor area of the courthouse in Room 134.
Scott County marriage licenses
The Recorder also handles marriage licenses. This is separate from the land-record search, but it is a common reason people contact the same office.
Scott County states that beginning May 1, 2026, applicants need to contact the Recorder to make an appointment to apply for a marriage license.
The county says both parties must personally appear and original signatures are required.
The Recorder page currently lists a $53 marriage-license fee and states that cash, debit and credit cards are accepted, with a card fee listed separately. No checks are accepted.
The county states that the license is valid for 30 days from issuance and may be used in any Missouri county.
Recorder vs. Assessor vs. Collector vs. Circuit Clerk
| What you need | Correct office | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Deed, deed of trust, lien, plat, survey or recorded instrument | Recorder of Deeds | Open Recorder page |
| Parcel number, assessed value, acreage, owner display or GIS map | County Assessor | Open Assessor page |
| Tax bill, balance or collection question | County Collector | Find Collector contact |
| Civil case, lawsuit or court-filed matter | Circuit Clerk / Court | Find Circuit Clerk contact |
Why the Assessor may show a deed reference before you search the Recorder
The Scott County Assessor says its mapping operation receives deeds from the Recorder and updates the affected parcel. That makes the Assessor a useful bridge when a user begins with an address rather than a grantor/grantee name.
The Recorder remains the office for the actual recorded instrument. The Assessor’s parcel page should be used as a search aid rather than a substitute for reading the deed.
Why you may not find the Scott County deed you expected
| Problem | Likely reason | What to try next |
|---|---|---|
| No result for the street address | Recorder indexes are not primarily address-based parcel databases. | Use the Assessor/GIS to obtain the owner, parcel number and deed book/page. |
| Too many people with the same name | Name-only searches can match multiple recorded instruments. | Add recording year, co-owner, document type, legal description or deed reference. |
| Current owner does not appear in older records | Ownership may involve an LLC, trust, estate, spouse, prior surname or multiple transfers. | Search current and prior names and trace the chain backward. |
| Deed is older than the online collection | County describes online computer-system deeds as 1999 to present. | Contact the Recorder for historical land-transfer records. |
| Parcel owner and deed appear inconsistent | A recent deed may not yet be reflected across every downstream property record, or you may have selected the wrong parcel/instrument. | Confirm recording details with the Recorder and parcel-update status with the Assessor. |
| You found a deed but need the tax balance | The Recorder does not perform the Collector’s tax-billing function. | Use the Scott County Collector. |
Scott County Recorder of Deeds FAQs
Where do I search Scott County, Missouri deeds online?
Start with the official Scott County Recorder of Deeds page, then use the county-linked iRecord system. The county states that online deeds on its computer system cover 1999 to present.
Can I search a Scott County deed for free?
The iRecord portal currently displays a $0 registered-user subscription option, but document access, printing, service fees and image-preview capabilities vary by plan. Review the live subscription table before purchasing or printing anything.
How much does the Scott County Recorder charge for copies?
The Recorder’s official county page lists copies at $1 per page. Online iRecord printing charges differ by subscription option.
How far back do Scott County land records go?
The Recorder states that land-transfer records begin in 1820, deeds of trust/mortgages begin in 1869, and marriage-license records begin in 1840. Those historical ranges extend well beyond the 1999-to-present computerized online deed collection.
Can I find a deed using only a property address?
Your better first step is often the Scott County Assessor/GIS. Use the address to identify the correct parcel, owner and any deed book/page or acquisition information, then use those details in the Recorder search.
Does the Scott County Recorder tell me who currently owns a property?
A recorded deed provides evidence of a recorded transfer, while the Assessor maintains the parcel assessment record and owner display used for assessment. For serious title questions, review the relevant recorded instruments rather than relying only on the name displayed in a parcel database.
What is the address for the Scott County Recorder of Deeds?
The office is at the Scott County Courthouse, 131 S. Winchester, Room 134, Benton, Missouri 63736. Its mailing address is P.O. Box 78, Benton, MO 63736.
What time does the Scott County Recorder open?
The office lists Monday through Friday hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and says it remains open during the lunch hour.
What records does the Scott County Recorder maintain?
The county lists land transfers, deeds of trust, city plats, county surveys, federal and state tax liens, military discharges and marriage licenses among the office’s responsibilities.
Is the Scott County GIS parcel line a legal property boundary?
No. The county GIS warns that its cadastral map is informational and is not a property-boundary survey. Use the deed, recorded plat and professional surveying when legal boundary accuracy is required.
Scott County Recorder and property-record links
Office details, services, copy information, recording requirements, historical record ranges and marriage-license instructions.
Open official Recorder page ↗County-linked online Recorder search with registration, subscription and printing options.
Open iRecord ↗Parcel identification, ownership display, deed reference clues, acreage, values and mapping information.
Open Assessor page ↗Map-based parcel research useful when you begin with a property location rather than a deed reference.
Open GIS ↗Contact information for the Recorder, Assessor, Collector, Circuit Clerk and other county offices.
Open county directory ↗Start with the record that matches your actual task
For a Scott County Recorder of Deeds search, use the county-linked iRecord system when the deed is within the computerized collection and you have enough information to identify the instrument. If you only know the street address, start with the Assessor/GIS to obtain parcel and deed-reference clues. For records older than the online collection, copies, recording questions or historical research, contact the Recorder in Benton.
Most failed searches happen because the user starts with the wrong office or searches with too little identifying information. Confirm the parcel, trace the correct grantor/grantee names, verify the legal description and recording details, and only then purchase or rely on the document.