Montgomery County Recorder: Search Deeds, Mortgages, Releases and Land Records
The official Ohio office is the Montgomery County Recorder. People often search for “Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds,” but Ohio uses the title County Recorder.
The Recorder preserves deeds, mortgages, mortgage releases, assignments, leases, easements, liens, plats, powers of attorney, transfer-on-death documents and many other instruments affecting property in Dayton, Kettering, Centerville, Miamisburg, Huber Heights, Vandalia and throughout Montgomery County.
What Do You Need From the Montgomery County Recorder?
Address → Parcel → Legal Description → Owner → Recorder → Deed
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Which Website Should You Open?
How to Search and Print a Montgomery County Deed
Montgomery County provides a particularly useful homeowner benefit: deeds and releases can be searched and printed online for free.
How to Search Montgomery County Recorder Records by Name
RISS includes a dedicated name search with fields for Last/Firm Name, First Name, Side(s), Index Type, Start Date, End Date and Sort Order.
How to Find a Montgomery County Deed From an Address
The fastest route starts with the Montgomery County Auditor, because the Auditor’s real-estate system can search directly by address.
Use the Deed Transfer Conveyance Search
Montgomery County also maintains a separate Conveyance Form Search. It can be useful when you are tracking the county transfer process rather than merely viewing the final recorded deed.
Montgomery County Tract Index: Search by Legal Description
Montgomery County is unusual because it maintains an extensive Tract Index based on geographical/legal-description information in addition to the normal alphabetical grantor/grantee index.
The county’s historical research guide specifically recommends starting with the present owner and working backward through the property’s chain of ownership.
How Far Back Do Montgomery County Deed Records Go?
Montgomery County Records Center & Archives
The Records Center & Archives is a separate historical-research location from the Recorder’s normal 5th-floor office.
- Location
-
Reibold Building
117 South Main Street
6th Floor
Dayton, OH 45422 - Phone
- 937-225-6366
- Hours
-
Monday-Friday
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
closed weekends and federal holidays
Mortgage Paid Off? Search for a Release or Satisfaction
Paying off your mortgage does not produce a new ownership deed.
The Montgomery County Recorder explains that the lender records a Release/Satisfaction of Mortgage to show that the mortgage has been paid.
How to Check Liens in Montgomery County Recorder Records
The Recorder’s Office is one of multiple county offices where liens can appear. Recorder lien records can be researched in RISS, but the Recorder explicitly states that its office does not perform title searches.
Montgomery County Deed Copy and Certified Copy Fees
How to Record a Deed in Montgomery County, Ohio
Deeds transferring property generally involve more than the Recorder. The document can need review/stamping through the Auditor’s Deed Transfer Department and, where applicable, the County Engineer before final Recorder filing.
Requirements That Commonly Prevent Deed Rejection
Recorder Recording and Copy Fees
Why Is Montgomery County’s Current First-Two-Page Fee $39?
Ohio’s statewide base/housing-trust framework under Ohio Revised Code §317.32 totals $34 for the ordinary first two pages.
Current Ohio law also allows a county recorder to collect a document-preservation surcharge of up to $5. Montgomery County’s current published schedule charges $39, reflecting that current local total.
Montgomery County Conveyance / Transfer Fee
The Recorder’s fee is not the only amount that can apply when ownership is being transferred.
The Montgomery County Auditor currently states that a taxable deed transfer has a mandatory conveyance fee of:
Can You E-Record a Montgomery County Deed?
Montgomery County’s Recorder currently accepts non-transfer documents through eRecording.
However, deeds and other documents that require an Auditor Transfer or No Transfer stamp still have to go through the Auditor’s Deed Transfer Department before recording.
How to Register for Montgomery County FAN Alerts
The Recorder’s Fraud Alert Notification (FAN) System is a free service for Montgomery County property owners.
After enrollment, the system can notify the registrant by mail, email or text whenever a document is recorded concerning the registered property.
Transfer on Death and Future Ownership Planning
The Recorder’s Good Deeds Program provides forms and educational information for homeowners considering a Transfer on Death (TOD) designation.
A TOD designation can name a beneficiary for real estate without transferring current ownership during the owner’s lifetime.
Recorder vs Auditor vs Treasurer vs Engineer
Where Do You Search Montgomery County Property Taxes?
Use the Montgomery County Treasurer, not the Recorder, when you need current tax payments, prior-year balances or receipts.
Montgomery County Recorder Address, Phone and Hours
Montgomery County Recorder
- Recorder
- Lori Kennedy
- Physical Location
-
County Administration Building
451 W. Third Street
5th Floor
Dayton, OH 45422 - Main Line
- 937-225-4275
- Copy Center
- 937-225-6494
- mcrecorder@mcohio.org
- Fax
- 937-225-6388
Hours & Visit Details
- Office Hours
-
Monday-Friday
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. - Document Recording Ends
- 4:00 p.m.
- Parking
- Adjacent parking garage with entrances from Second Street and Vista View Drive.
- Public Computers
- Recorder, Auditor and Treasurer research terminals are available in the office.
Recording a Document by Mail
Montgomery County accepts qualifying documents by mail.
- Mailing Address
-
Montgomery County Recorder’s Office
451 W. Third Street
Dayton, OH 45422
How Long Does Montgomery County Keep a Newly Recorded Document?
The Recorder’s current preparation checklist says submitted documents are held overnight so imaging can be secured.
The original is then generally returned the next business day to the address on the included self-addressed stamped envelope.
Local Tips That Make Deed Research Faster
Buying Montgomery County Property? Research in This Order
Common Montgomery County Recorder Search Mistakes
County-CAD.us Research Standards
See how Recorder, Auditor, Treasurer, state-law and county historical sources are researched.
Read Sources & MethodologyReview verification, corrections and update standards.
Read Editorial PolicyTell County-CAD.us when a Recorder URL, fee or county procedure changes.
Contact County-CAD.usReview the limits of independent public-record guidance.
Read DisclaimerOfficial Sources Used for This Montgomery County Recorder Guide
Used for current Recorder, office services and navigation.
Open Recorder WebsiteUsed to verify Lori Kennedy as current Montgomery County Recorder.
Open Recorder ProfileUsed for current RISS interface, legal disclaimer, online search and contact details.
Open RISSUsed for free deed/release printing, mortgage satisfaction, lien research, owner lookup and historical index information.
Open Recorder FAQUsed for current $39 recording fee, additional pages, mortgage marginal notation, copies and certification.
Open Recorder FeesUsed for marital status, dower, legal description, preparation statement, first-page margin and return-envelope requirements.
Open Preparation ChecklistUsed for the current non-transfer-only eRecording limitation and Auditor routing for deeds and other transfer/no-transfer instruments.
Open eRecordingUsed for the $3-per-$1,000 conveyance charge, $0.50-per-parcel fee and transfer workflow.
Open Deed TransferUsed for address-search formatting, owner identification, sale information and Deed Reference workflow.
Open Property Search WalkthroughUsed for free mail/email/text property-recording alert information.
Open FAN SystemUsed for chain-of-title, tract-index, legal-description and historical property-research methodology.
Open Research GuideUsed for historical deed, mortgage, plat, tract-index and archive coverage.
Open Historical Records GuideUsed for the statewide Recorder fee framework and document-preservation surcharge authority.
Open Ohio Fee LawMontgomery County Recorder of Deeds FAQs
1. How do I search Montgomery County Ohio deeds online?
Open the Montgomery County Recorder’s RISS system and enter as a Guest. Accept the legal disclaimer, then search using the property owner’s name or the legal description. After locating the correct result, select Get Documents, find the deed row and open the document-image icon. RISS provides a printable PDF that can be saved or printed.
2. Can I get a Montgomery County deed copy online for free?
Yes. The Montgomery County Recorder states that deeds and mortgage releases can be searched in Records Online Search and printed for free. If you cannot print the document yourself, the Recorder Copy Center currently charges $2 per page, and certification costs an additional $1.
3. How do I find a Montgomery County deed if I only know the address?
Start with the Montgomery County Auditor’s real-estate search at mcrealestate.org. Search by street address, open the correct parcel and save the current owner, parcel ID and legal description. The most recent sale may include a clickable Deed Reference. If it does not, use the owner and legal-description information to search the Recorder’s RISS system.
4. How far back do Montgomery County Ohio deed records go?
Montgomery County historical deed records begin in 1805. The Recorder maintains deed records and indexes, while the County Records Center and Archives preserves historical deed books, deed indexes, mortgages, mortgage indexes, plats and tract records. For older title-chain research, use the Alpha/Grantor-Grantee and Tract Index resources rather than relying only on a modern web search.
5. What should I search after paying off my Montgomery County mortgage?
Search for a Release or Satisfaction of Mortgage rather than a new deed. The Recorder explains that the lender records the release to show the mortgage has been paid. Find the original mortgage first, save its reference, then search later Recorder records and verify that the release relates to that mortgage.
6. How much does it cost to record a deed in Montgomery County Ohio?
The Montgomery County Recorder’s current published fee is $39 for the first two pages and $8 for each additional page for ordinary deeds, mortgages and similar instruments. A $20 standardization charge can apply when the required clear three-inch top margin is missing. Deed transfers can also involve separate Auditor conveyance fees.
7. What is the Montgomery County Ohio deed conveyance fee?
The Montgomery County Auditor currently states that the mandatory conveyance fee for a taxable deed transfer is $3 per $1,000 of actual sale price plus $0.50 for each parcel transferred. Exempt transfers use a separate Statement of Reason for Exemption process. This Auditor transfer charge is separate from the Recorder’s recording fee.
8. Can Montgomery County deeds be electronically recorded?
Montgomery County currently accepts qualifying non-transfer documents through eRecording. Deeds and documents requiring an Auditor Transfer or No Transfer stamp still need to pass through the Auditor’s Deed Transfer Department before recording. The Recorder currently lists Simplifile for its non-transfer electronic-recording process.
9. What is the Montgomery County FAN property fraud system?
FAN stands for Fraud Alert Notification. It is a free Montgomery County Recorder program that can notify an enrolled property owner by mail, email or text when a document is recorded concerning the registered property. The alert does not block a document from recording and does not automatically mean that an unfamiliar filing is fraudulent.
10. Where is the Montgomery County Recorder office in Dayton?
The Montgomery County Recorder is on the fifth floor of the County Administration Building at 451 W. Third Street in Dayton, Ohio 45422. Lori Kennedy is the current Recorder. The main phone number is 937-225-4275 and the Copy Center is 937-225-6494. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but document recording stops at 4:00 p.m.
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