Shelby County Recorder: Deeds & Records

Official office

Shelby County Recorder, Ohio

County Recorder

Jodi Siegel

Office address

129 E. Court Street, 2nd Floor, Shelby County Annex, Sidney, OH 45365

Recorder telephone

937-498-7270

Recorder email

recorder@shelbyco.net

Online index coverage

July 1, 1989, forward

Standard recording charge

$39 for the first two pages; $8 for each additional page

Public access

CountyFusion Recorder search through the official county website

Shelby County provides an online Recorder index beginning July 1, 1989.

The Recorder’s official homepage links to its CountyFusion land-record search system. Starting from that homepage helps you avoid unrelated court-record searches.

1. Open the official Shelby County Recorder webpage.

   Use the county government website as your entry point.

   Open Recorder Homepage

   After opening: select Recorder’s Search from the available Recorder links.

2. Read the search portal’s terms.

   Follow the county’s link to CountyFusion. Accept the displayed access terms if prompted.

3. Choose your search method.

   Begin with a grantor, grantee or another name appearing on the document.

   When you already have a volume, page or instrument reference, use the relevant reference-search option if available.

4. Review the matching records.

   Compare document names, parties, recording dates and property descriptions.

5. Open the document when available.

   Use any image-viewing or printing option provided by the portal. Availability can vary by document and access method.

6. Save the recording information.

   Keep the volume and page, document number or other reference for future copy requests or title research.

Search by name, not only address

For a property sale, the grantor generally transfers an interest in real estate. The grantee receives that interest.

If you purchased a house, searching your name as grantee may help locate the deed.

When examining a previous transfer, try the earlier owner’s name. Mortgages may appear under related parties or lenders.

Only know the property address?

Use the Shelby County Auditor’s real estate search to identify the owner, parcel and property information.

After opening: enter an address, owner name or parcel number. Open the matching property record, then use its ownership information for Recorder research.

Need records before July 1989?

Shelby County’s land-record history dates to the county’s creation in 1818.

Documents recorded before the online index period may require research through older office records.

Contact the Recorder before visiting. Provide the parties’ names, approximate recording year and any known legal description.

The Recorder maintains permanent records of instruments affecting real estate in Shelby County.

Does a recorded deed prove clear ownership?

A recorded deed is evidence that a particular instrument was accepted for recording.

It does not guarantee the absence of mortgages, liens, easements or competing ownership claims.

A title professional can examine the chain of title when a transaction requires more than a simple deed lookup.

Ohio deed recording can involve the County Auditor, mapping requirements and the Recorder.

Check the transfer process before submitting. A deed that requires an Auditor conveyance endorsement should not be treated like an ordinary mortgage release.

1. Prepare the legally appropriate deed.

   Confirm the parties, signatures, legal description and any required acknowledgment.

   Use an attorney or title professional for questions involving inheritance, trusts, survivorship or ownership changes.

2. Confirm the legal description.

   Shelby County requires a complete legal description. Missing parts of the description can cause the document to be rejected.

3. Check Auditor and conveyance requirements.

   For ownership transfers, confirm whether a conveyance form, Auditor endorsement, transfer fee or mapping review is required.

4. Check document formatting.

   Ohio recording standards address page sizes, margins, font size, legibility and other physical requirements.

5. Calculate the Recorder fee.

   Shelby County’s published fee is $39 for the first two pages and $8 for each additional page.

6. Include a return envelope.

   The Recorder requires a self-addressed stamped envelope or return postage for mailed documents.

7. Submit the original and correct payment.

   Use the current office location and recording acceptance hours.

8. Keep proof of recording.

   Retain the recorded instrument information and verify the document appears in the public index.

Local recording requirements worth checking

After opening: review the legal-description requirement, return-envelope instructions, fee schedule and document-specific notes.

Shelby County’s Recorder fee schedule was updated January 1, 2025 following Ohio Senate Bill 94.

The $5 increase supports preservation, digitization and ongoing county recording costs.

Example: Four-page deed

The $55 example excludes any nonstandard-document surcharge, marginal notation, Auditor conveyance charge or other applicable fees.

Auditor conveyance fees are separate

The Recorder’s FAQ identifies an Auditor conveyance fee of $4 per $1,000 and an Auditor transfer fee of $0.50 per parcel.

Whether a deed is taxable or exempt depends on the actual transaction and Ohio conveyance rules.

Check the current Auditor requirements rather than automatically adding conveyance tax to every ownership transfer.

UCC recording

Shelby County lists $12 for qualifying UCC-1 and UCC-3 filings, plus $4 for each indexed name.

This is separate from the standard deed-recording fee.

After opening: confirm the number of pages, any marginal notations, whether the document is nonstandard and whether another office collects a separate transfer fee.

Shelby County Recorder provides copies of recorded documents, including records that cannot be obtained through online access.

The official copy-request guidance asks requesters to identify the document’s volume and page whenever possible.

1. Find the recording information.

   Search the online index or contact the Recorder to identify the volume and page.

2. Open the Copy Requests page.

   The Recorder provides a Copy Request Form for documents not available online.

   Open Official Copy Request Instructions
3. Complete the document details.

   Include the parties’ names, recording reference and the document you need.

4. Submit the request.

   Use the county’s published email or fax instructions.

5. Arrange payment.

   The county accepts the payment methods described on its Copy Requests page.

Where to send a copy request

Email: recorder@shelbyco.net

Fax: 937-498-7272

For frequent copy requests, Shelby County also offers a prepaid account arrangement.

Ask the office to confirm the current certification fee when a bank, court or other agency requires a certified deed instead of a regular copy.

After opening Copy Requests: select the Copy Request Form, enter the volume/page reference, and follow the email or fax submission steps. Staff process requests in the order received.

Shelby County offers a free property-recording notification tool called FraudSleuth.

The service can notify registered users when a newly recorded document matches their monitored names.

1. Open the Recorder homepage.

   Find the FraudSleuth section on the official county page.

2. Select the registration link.

   Open the CountyFusion service and locate the FraudSleuth registration option.

3. Create an account.

   Save your login information and accept the service’s applicable terms.

4. Add names to monitor.

   Include relevant spelling variations or different forms of your recorded name.

5. Review email notifications.

   Compare unexpected recorded-document alerts with your known property transactions.

After opening: select Register with FraudSleuth. Follow the account-setup instructions on the linked service.

The Shelby County Recorder serves land located throughout Shelby County, not just property in Sidney.

That includes properties in Anna, Botkins, Fort Loramie, Jackson Center, Russia and other communities within the county.

Historical documents can require different research

Shelby County was established in 1818. The Recorder’s historical records extend back to that period.

Land now within Shelby County was formerly part of Miami County. For very early transactions, the property’s historical jurisdiction may matter.

Tract indexing is available

Unlike some recorder offices that primarily rely on party names, Shelby County’s FAQ confirms that it has tract-based geographical indexing.

Ask Recorder staff how best to use the tract information when researching a chain of title or land description.

Older cemetery plat information

The Recorder website also links to Works Progress Administration cemetery plat maps covering local townships.

These resources can be useful for historical, genealogical and land-location research, although they are not substitutes for current title records.