Medina County, Ohio • deed and land-record research guide
Medina County Recorder: Search Deeds, Mortgages, Liens and Property Records
The Medina County Recorder’s Office makes a permanent
public record of documents affecting land in Medina County, Ohio.
Common recorded instruments include deeds, mortgages, mortgage releases,
easements, leases, mechanics liens, land contracts, powers of attorney,
survivorship deeds and other documents affecting ownership or
encumbrances.
The current Medina County Recorder is
Linda Hoffmann. The Recorder’s Office is located in
the County Administration Building at
144 N. Broadway Street, Room 117, Medina, Ohio 44256.
Fastest property-to-deed route:
search the Medina County Auditor by address, owner or parcel →
save the parcel number, legal description and current owner →
open the Recorder’s AVA Land Records Search →
search the owner and other likely parties in several ways →
narrow by approximate transaction date and document type →
open the correct instrument →
save the recording/document reference →
order a certified copy only when a court, lender, probate case or
other formal process actually requires certification.
County Recorder
Linda Hoffmann
Recorder office
144 N. Broadway Street, Room 117, Medina, OH 44256
Land-record search
Medina County Recorder AVA
Address / parcel search
Medina County Auditor
Deed transfer workflow
Tax Map → Auditor → Recorder
Do not treat one failed AVA search as proof that no record exists.
The Recorder calls the online system a working index
and specifically recommends searching several ways. Newly recorded
documents are generally available through the search by the next business day.
Independent informational guide:
County-CAD.us is not the Medina County Recorder, Medina County Auditor,
Engineer, Tax Map Department, Treasurer, State of Ohio or another
government agency. Final searches, deed transfers, copies and recordings
must be completed through the responsible official office.
Choose the job before opening the record system
What Are You Trying to Do?
Search workflow for an existing property record
Address → Parcel → Owner → AVA → Document → Verify
1
Address
Start with property.
2
Auditor
Find parcel.
3
Owner
Save names/date.
4
AVA
Search Recorder.
5
Verify
Match property.
6
Copy
Order if needed.
Official Medina County resources
Which Website Should You Open?
REC
Medina County Recorder
Recorder services, fees, land records and contact information.
Open Recorder Website
AVA
Recorder Document Search
Official entry point to Medina County land-record AVA.
Open Document Search
FORM
Auditor Conveyance Forms
DTE 100, DTE 100EX, DTE 101, DTE 102 and deed resources.
Open Transfer Forms
Best route when street address is all you know
How to Find a Medina County Deed from an Address
Open the Auditor property-search website.
Enter the street address.
Start with the house number and main street name.
Simplify a failed address search.
Remove unnecessary punctuation, unit wording or abbreviations.
Open the exact parcel.
Confirm municipality/township, situs address and legal-description information.
Save the parcel number.
Save the current owner.
Review transfer/sale information.
An approximate acquisition date can make Recorder searching much faster.
Open the Recorder’s AVA search.
Search the current owner and likely prior owner.
Compare legal description and parcel clues.
The Auditor’s owner field is an excellent research starting point,
but the Auditor property record is not a substitute for reviewing the
recorded deed when legal ownership matters.
Official Recorder land-record index
How to Search Medina County Recorder AVA
Medina County routes public land-record searching through its AVA
system. The Recorder describes this database as a working index and
recommends searching several ways.
Open the Recorder’s Land Records Search page.
Select the computer/tablet search option.
Begin with the strongest party name you know.
Current owner, prior owner, spouse, trust, estate, LLC or lender can
all be useful depending on the document.
Narrow with an approximate recording period.
Review document types separately.
Deed, mortgage, release, lien, easement and land contract should
not be treated as interchangeable.
Try alternative spellings or party combinations.
The Recorder specifically recommends searching several ways.
Open the matching document information.
Verify the property before relying on it.
Recent recording:
Medina County says the general rule is that newly recorded documents
become available in the search by the next business day.
Important Ohio statewide electronic-access change
What If You Need an Older Medina County Deed?
Ohio law now requires county recorders to make electronic indexes and
electronic versions of most instruments recorded on or after
January 1, 1980 available to the public, subject to
statutory privacy and record-type exceptions.
Medina County’s AVA system may expose additional historical material,
but the safe research rule is:
1980 and newer
Begin with the Recorder’s current electronic AVA search.
Older than 1980
Search the available index first, then contact the Recorder when the
historic document is not available through the current online interface.
An online “no result” does not prove that no historic deed, easement,
mortgage or lien exists.
Most common Recorder research task
How to Find Your Medina County Ohio Deed
Find the property through the Auditor.
Save the parcel number, current owner and legal description.
Identify the likely purchase or transfer year.
Open Recorder AVA.
Search the current owner as a receiving party/grantee.
Narrow around the acquisition date.
Identify the deed record.
Do not confuse it with a mortgage recorded during the same closing.
Compare the seller/grantor and buyer/grantee.
Compare legal-description and parcel information.
Save the recording reference and document image.
Deed search is not a complete title examination.
A professional title search can also require mortgages, assignments,
releases, judgment liens, tax liens, easements, probate interests,
mineral rights and other public records.
Common Medina County Recorded Property Documents
Warranty Deed
Common ownership-transfer instrument.
Quit Claim Deed
Conveys whatever interest the grantor holds without ordinary warranty covenants.
Survivorship Deed
Can establish survivorship ownership between qualifying co-owners.
Certificate of Transfer
Frequently associated with probate/estate property transfers.
Mortgage
Records a security interest related to real-estate financing.
Mortgage Release
Records release/satisfaction of the prior mortgage.
Mechanic’s Lien
Can record a statutory claim connected with labor/materials.
Easement
Can establish access, utility, drainage or other use rights.
Land Contract
Can evidence contractual real-property purchase rights.
Lease
Certain leases and related interests may be recorded.
Oil & Gas Documents
Recorded leases, assignments and related interests can be relevant to rural property.
Notice of Commencement
Important in Ohio construction/mechanics-lien workflows.
Identify the document before ordering a formal copy
Medina County Certified Deed Copy Fee
$2
Certified Copy Pages
Current Recorder fee per page.
+$1
Certification / Seal
Added certifying fee under the current schedule.
AVA
Research First
Use the online index to identify the correct document before ordering.
Search the deed or instrument in AVA.
Save the document reference.
Determine whether an ordinary image is sufficient.
If certification is required, call the Recorder.
Provide the exact document information.
Confirm page count and current total before paying.
Paying off a mortgage does not create a new ownership deed
How to Check Whether a Medina County Mortgage Was Released
Find the original mortgage in AVA.
Save the mortgage recording reference and lender name.
Search later records using the owner/borrower and lender.
Look for Mortgage Release, Satisfaction or related release document.
Open the later document.
Confirm that it refers to the correct mortgage.
Do not treat a lender’s zero balance as proof that the mortgage has
already been released in the county’s public land records.
A lien search is incomplete until you check what happened later
How to Search Medina County Liens and Releases
Find the correct property owner.
Search that owner in Recorder AVA.
Review mechanic’s liens, tax liens and other relevant encumbrances.
Save the original document reference.
Search forward in time.
Look for release, satisfaction, cancellation or discharge.
Verify that the release references the correct original lien.
DIY land-record searching should not be described as a title opinion.
Use a title company or Ohio attorney when lien priority, foreclosure,
probate, mineral rights or marketable title matters.
Medina County’s local conveyance workflow
How to Record a Deed in Medina County
Medina County’s official property-transfer guidance uses a
three-step local workflow.
1
Tax Map
Review legal description and map transfer requirements.
2
Auditor
Process ownership transfer and conveyance statement/fee.
3
Recorder
Record the deed as an official public land record.
Have the deed legally prepared.
County offices do not prepare deeds, affidavits or legal instruments.
Complete signatures and notarization.
Take the conveyance to Tax Map.
The Tax Map Department reviews the legal description and map-related transfer.
Move to the County Auditor.
Submit DTE 100 or DTE 100EX.
Pay applicable conveyance and parcel-transfer fees.
Take the approved deed to the Recorder.
Pay the Recorder fee.
Save the final recorded document number/reference.
All three offices are located in the Medina County Administration
Building at 144 N. Broadway Street, making it possible
to complete an in-person transfer workflow within the same building
when the document is ready and each approval is available.
Tax Map recommends allowing at least 30 minutes for deed-transfer review,
with additional time during busy periods. Do not arrive near closing
on a filing-deadline day expecting all three steps to be completed immediately.
Step 1 of many Medina County conveyances
What the Medina County Tax Map Department Checks
The County Engineer serves as the county’s Tax Map Draftsman.
Tax Map personnel review deeds, parcel splits, surveys and subdivision
plats and maintain parcel mapping information.
Legal description
Confirm that the conveyance includes an acceptable property description.
Parcel transfer mapping
Update or verify the ownership transfer against county tax maps.
New/split parcels
More complex legal descriptions can require additional review.
Survey / plat issues
Tax Map is the stronger starting point than the Recorder for map approval questions.
Step 2 — County Auditor
DTE 100 vs DTE 100EX
DTE 100 — Conveyance Fee Statement of Value
Used for transfers subject to Ohio’s real-property conveyance fee.
DTE 100EX — Exemption Statement
Used when the conveyance qualifies for a statutory exemption from
the real-property conveyance fee.
Do not claim a DTE 100EX exemption simply to avoid a conveyance fee.
Use the exemption statement only when the transaction actually falls
within an applicable Ohio exemption.
Ohio Conveyance Fee vs Recorder Fee
These are different charges collected by different offices.
Conveyance / transfer fee
County Auditor
Processes the taxable or exempt transfer into county tax records.
Parcel transfer fee
County Auditor
Ohio law provides a per-transfer/entry charge.
Recording fee
County Recorder
Records and indexes the legal instrument in the official land records.
Current Medina County Recorder schedule
Medina County Recorder Fees
$34
First Two Pages
Current fee for many deeds, mortgages, liens and similar instruments.
$8
Each Additional Page
Added after the first two pages.
$4
Marginal Notation
Current fee per notation.
$5
Federal Tax Lien
Current listed Recorder fee.
$2
Certified Copy
Per page, plus certification/seal fee.
$20
Non-Standard Surcharge
Additional fee when ORC 317.114 formatting requirements are not met.
The Recorder states that 50% of the ordinary recording fee is the
basic Recorder fee and 50% is directed to the Ohio Housing Trust Fund.
FEE
Live Recorder Fee Schedule
Always recheck immediately before filing.
Check Current Fees
Medina County has a specific local easement workflow
Recording an Easement or Right-of-Way
Medina County has published a special procedure for easements and
rights-of-way: the instrument must first receive the required
County Auditor endorsement before the Recorder can accept it.
Prepare and notarize the easement instrument.
For applicable road/highway or mapping matters, start with Tax Map.
Obtain the County Auditor’s required endorsement.
Take the endorsed instrument to the Recorder.
Pay the recording fee.
Save the final recording reference.
Medina County’s published guidance states that qualifying hard-copy
easement/right-of-way instruments should not simply be mailed directly
to the Recorder without the required Auditor endorsement.
For eRecorded easements, the Recorder’s published process routes the
instrument through the Auditor review before final Recorder acceptance.
Electronic document recording
Medina County eRecording
Medina County accepts electronic recording from filing customers
through approved eRecording companies. The Recorder specifically
identifies title companies, attorneys and lending institutions as
common users.
Simplifile
Approved Medina County eRecording provider.
ePN
Approved electronic-recording provider.
CSC eRecording Solutions
Approved electronic-recording provider.
File & Go
Recorder identifies this service for Notice of Commencement filings.
Select an approved provider.
Create the provider account.
Prepare a compliant document.
Upload the document and required indexing information.
Include Auditor/Tax Map routing requirements where applicable.
Submit electronically.
Monitor acceptance or rejection.
Save the final recorded image/reference.
Free early-warning service
Medina County Property Fraud Alert
The Recorder offers a free automated Property Fraud Alert service.
It monitors Recorder land-record activity and notifies registered
participants when a transaction involving their monitored information
is recorded.
Open the Recorder’s Property Fraud Alert page.
Follow the registration link.
Register the owner-name information you want monitored.
Select the offered notification method.
When an alert arrives, open Medina County AVA yourself.
Verify the actual document before assuming fraud.
Property Fraud Alert is an early-warning system. It does not block
recordings, guarantee that a recording is legitimate or fraudulent,
or replace title insurance.
Medina property research uses several separate county offices
Recorder vs Auditor vs Tax Map vs Treasurer
Your task
Correct office
Why
Deed / mortgage / lien
Recorder
These are recorded land documents.
Address / parcel / owner / value
Auditor
Auditor maintains assessment and parcel-tax records.
Legal description / map transfer
Engineer Tax Map
Reviews conveyance descriptions and maintains tax-map information.
DTE 100 / conveyance fee
Auditor
Auditor processes ownership transfer into county tax records.
Property-tax payment
Treasurer
Treasurer receives and accounts for real-estate tax payments.
Complete title examination
Title company / attorney
Recorder staff maintain public records but do not issue legal title opinions.
Medina-specific shortcuts
Local Tips That Prevent Failed Searches and Rejected Deeds
Start with the Auditor when you have only an address.
Get parcel, owner and legal-description clues before opening AVA.
Search AVA more than one way.
This is the Recorder’s own recommendation.
Recent deed? Check again next business day.
New documents may not appear instantly on recording day.
Do not confuse mortgage with deed.
They can be recorded at the same closing.
Use Tax Map before Auditor for a conveyance.
The legal-description/map review is the first local transfer step.
Use DTE 100 or DTE 100EX.
The Auditor needs one of the applicable conveyance statements.
Keep three inches blank at the top of page one.
It helps avoid Ohio’s non-standard-format surcharge.
No highlighting.
Ohio’s standard recording rules prohibit highlighted document text.
Use blue or black ink.
Other colors fall outside the standard format.
Easements need Auditor routing.
Do not mail an unendorsed easement directly to the Recorder.
Paid mortgage? Find the release.
Do not rely only on the lender balance.
Use the free fraud alert.
Monitoring is easier than repeatedly searching your name manually.
Pre-1980? Ask about historical access.
Online absence is not proof that the document does not exist.
County staff do not prepare deeds.
Have the legal instrument completed before beginning the three-office transfer.
Before Calling the Recorder
Have as many of these details as possible:
- property address;
- parcel number;
- current owner or prior owner;
- document type;
- approximate recording year;
- recording/document number if known;
- legal-description or subdivision information;
- whether you need an online search, ordinary copy, certified copy or recording assistance.
Useful due-diligence sequence
Medina County Property Record Checklist
Correct parcel
Match Auditor parcel number and situs address.
Latest deed
Confirm grantor, grantee and legal description.
Mortgages
Identify recorded financing interests.
Mortgage releases
Confirm prior mortgages were properly released.
Liens
Review relevant lien documents and later releases.
Easements
Read the actual recorded instrument.
Surveys / Tax Map
Use mapping resources for property context.
Taxes
Check current and delinquent status separately.
Fraud alert
Register owner-name monitoring after acquisition.
Professional title review
Use for purchases and high-stakes ownership decisions.
Primary official research
Official Sources Used for This Medina County Recorder Guide
Medina County Recorder
Verified current Recorder identity and official land-record role.
Open Recorder
Recorder Contact Information
Verified official address, phone and staff email addresses.
Open Contact Page
Recorder Land Records Search
Verified AVA access, working-index warning, multi-search recommendation
and next-business-day indexing guidance.
Open Land Records Search
Recorder Fees
Verified current recording, certified-copy and non-standard-document fees.
Open Recorder Fees
Recorder Services
Verified permanent land-record duties, fraud alert and eRecording services.
Open Recorder Services
Property Fraud Alert
Verified free automated property-record notification service.
Open Fraud Alert
Medina County eRecording
Verified approved providers and electronic-recording process.
Open eRecording
Medina County Auditor
Verified parcel/owner/address search and Auditor office information.
Open Auditor
Auditor Conveyance Forms
Verified DTE 100, DTE 100EX, DTE 101 and DTE 102 resources.
Open Transfer Forms
Auditor Property Transfer Guidance
Verified local Tax Map → Auditor → Recorder conveyance sequence.
Open Auditor Guidance
Medina County Engineer Tax Map
Verified legal-description review, Tax Map contact information and transfer process.
Open Tax Map FAQ
Ohio Revised Code 317.114
Verified statewide standard recording dimensions, margins,
font/ink requirements and $20 non-standard fee structure.
Open Ohio Recording Law
Ohio Revised Code Chapter 317
Verified current statewide electronic-access requirements for Recorder records.
Open Ohio Recorder Law
Editorial verification: August 15, 2026.
Recorder fees, eRecording providers, officeholders, search systems,
conveyance requirements and government URLs can change.
Check the responsible Medina County or State of Ohio source immediately
before filing, paying or relying on a land record for a legal transaction.
10 Medina County Recorder questions
Medina County Recorder FAQs
1. How do I search Medina County Ohio deeds online?
Open the Medina County Recorder’s Document Search and continue to
the AVA Land Records Search. Start with the current or previous owner,
approximate recording date and relevant document type. The Recorder
describes AVA as a working index and recommends searching several
ways. Verify the parcel/legal description before deciding that a
matching deed belongs to the intended property.
2. How do I find a Medina County deed if I only know the address?
Start with the Medina County Auditor website and search the address.
Open the correct parcel and save the parcel number, current owner,
legal description and available transfer information. Then open
Recorder AVA, search the owner around the likely acquisition date
and verify the recorded deed against the same property information.
3. How quickly does a newly recorded Medina County document appear online?
The Medina County Recorder states that the general rule is that
documents become available in the online land-record search on the
next business day after recording. If a very recent deed or release
is missing, check again after the next business-day indexing cycle
or contact the Recorder.
4. How much does it cost to record a deed in Medina County?
The current Medina County Recorder schedule charges $34 for the first
two pages of many common documents including deeds and mortgages,
plus $8 for each additional page. Ohio-standardization rules can add
a $20 surcharge when a covered document does not meet the required
page, margin, print, ink or other format standards. Conveyance fees
collected by the Auditor are separate.
5. How much is a certified deed copy from the Medina County Recorder?
The Recorder’s current fee schedule lists certified copies at
$2 per page plus $1 for certification with the official seal.
Search AVA first and identify the exact deed or document before
requesting certification.
6. What are the Medina County deed-transfer steps?
Medina County’s official guidance uses a three-step process for many
conveyances: Tax Map reviews the legal description and map transfer,
the County Auditor processes the ownership transfer and applicable
conveyance form/fee, and the County Recorder records the final deed
as a public land record. The involved offices are located in the
County Administration Building at 144 N. Broadway Street in Medina.
7. Do I use DTE 100 or DTE 100EX for a Medina County deed?
Use DTE 100 for a conveyance subject to Ohio’s real-property
conveyance fee. Use DTE 100EX when the transfer legitimately qualifies
for a statutory exemption from that fee. Medina County’s Auditor
provides both forms through its official transfer-forms page.
8. What should I search after paying off my Medina County mortgage?
Find the original mortgage in Recorder AVA and then search later
records for a Mortgage Release, satisfaction or similar release
instrument connected with that mortgage. Paying the lender in full
does not create a new ownership deed, and a zero loan balance should
not be treated as proof that the public mortgage release has already
been recorded.
9. Does Medina County offer property fraud alerts?
Yes. The Medina County Recorder offers a free Property Fraud Alert
service that monitors land-record activity and notifies registered
participants when matching transactions are recorded. An alert is an
early-warning tool only; users should open and verify the actual
recorded document before assuming fraud.
10. Where is the Medina County Recorder’s Office?
The Medina County Recorder’s Office is at 144 N. Broadway Street,
Room 117, Medina, Ohio 44256. The main office phone is 330-725-9782.
Linda Hoffmann is the current Medina County Recorder. Call the office
before a time-sensitive visit to confirm current counter hours and
same-day recording availability.