Monroe County, Indiana

Emergency Office Staged Re-Opening Notice

To Our Title Companies, Abstractors, and All Customers,

As you know, Monroe County Government offices are generally closed to the public under emergency procedures during the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. We apologize for the inconvenience this situation has brought about.

Major Update, 12 June 2020: We are accepting appointments for the public to come in to conduct business in our office. Here is what you need to know:

• Call 812-349-2520 to schedule an appointment, or email us with your request.
• For recordings at the counter, we will take appointments between 8:30 and 3:30. We have have no more than two at the counter at any one time.
• Specify whether you need to do recording work at the counter, or research work on the computers and in books.
• If you are recording a deed, plat, or anything that needs to go through the other offices, we will receive your document(s) in the Recorder's office along with fee payment, and send you on your way. We will handle routing those documents to the other offices as needed. We will return them by mail or by another scheduled visit for pick-up.
• Unless there is compelling reason to bring recordings in person, we strongly encourage you to continue using the US Mail for submitting documents.
• We are offering two-hour blocks for computer/book research, one block per day per customer. Appointment times run between 8:30 and 4:00. (We ask that you try to wrap up a few minutes before 4pm.)
  
• We are limiting to three people in the research area at any one time. Please work only at designated workstations.
• We ask that you wipe and sanitize the workstation when you are finished, with supplies that we have available.
• Please come equipped with your own face covering and pens. We will have disposable masks available for those who do not have them. Gloves will be provided for handling books.
• When you arrive for your appointment, please call us, so that a staff member may come to the door to let you in.
• We will ask you about any COVID-related symptoms you have had in the past 72 hours, and take your temperature with a no-contact digital meter. (If you have had symptoms, please stay home, as you would not be granted access to the building.)

We also have three other methods available for submitting documents for recording:

• US mail to our PO box, as normal (preferred address).
  • Monroe County Recorder
  • PO Box 1634
  • Bloomington, Indiana 47402
• Mail to the Courthouse (this likely will take longer to reach us):
  • 100 W. Kirkwood Ave., Room 122
  • Bloomington, Indiana 47404
• Drop-off at our Justice Center. Please enclose documents in a clearly marked envelope. Leave it with security at the side entrance of the Justice Building. (Update: The drop-off is no longer available at the Justice Building.)
• Electronic recording:
  • Non-transfer documents can be submitted via Simplifile or CSC/iRecord.
  • Update: As of Friday, 17 April 2020, we are able to accept transfer documents (deeds, etc.) via Simplifile. We strongly encourage using this method if at all possible.

Our schedule of fees can be found here.

With regard to online searching recorded documents, Doxpop.com continues to be available.

Update, 20 April 2020: Our Miscellaneous Record Indexes are now available on Doxpop for the years 1963 to 1991 (Misc Indexes 1 through 11). You will need to be logged in and use Advanced Search, or access them directly at this link. I am working on scanning older Misc Indexes.

Indiana Recorders are currently looking at manageable ways to provide access to records that have not yet been digitized. We hope to have more information soon.

Finally, if you have a question or request that can be put into email, that is my best way to stay organized on such requests and address them more completely and accurately: eschmitz@co.monroe.in.us

Stay safe, and stay well!

-Eric

What Does the Monroe County Recorder Do?

In 1816, the Office of County Recorder was the first local office created by the State of Indiana constitution.  It is the primary duty of County Recorders to record instruments submitted for recording and maintain those records for perpetuity.

A County Recorder processes and stores a range of documents, most related to real estate, that are submitted for recording.  Documents must meet all necessary conditions.  Please visit our "Fee Schedule" and “Recording Requirements”  pages for more information. 

Visit the GIS Website

Some of the Recorder's Office documents, along with a multitude of other property information, can be found on Monroe County's newly updated and innovative GIS website at https://www.co.monroe.in.us/department/division.php?structureid=150

Documents Processed by Indiana County Recorders

• Deeds
• Mortgages
• Assignments
• Releases
• Powers of Attorney
• Real Estate Contracts
• Annexations
• Trustee Elections
• Affidavits
• Surveys
• Federal Tax Liens
• Mechanics Liens
• Delinquent Sewer Liens
• Military Discharges (often referred to as the "DD-214" forms)
• Cemetery Deeds
• Officials' Bonds
• Subdivision Plats
• Horizontal Condominium Plats
• Firms Doing Business Under Assumed Names
• Miscellaneous Documents

Other Office Responsibilities Include:

• File Uniform Commercial Code instruments
• Supply copies of any recorded instrument and certifies, upon request, to those recorded

Access Records Online

Online document viewing from January 1991 to present.  Residents get six free searches per month, and businesses pay a subscription fee based upon usage. Directions for use of the DoxPop service can be found in the comprehensive help section on their website.

If you require a document older than January 1991 that is not yet available in DoxPop, please contact our office and let us know what you need. Requests made before 2pm should be available in DoxPop by the following morning.

Property watch fraud alert system free to Monroe County residents. The service allows you to receive alerts whenever your name or property information is entered on a new recorded document. This new service is provided to the residents of Monroe County at no charge.