What are Maine Property Records?
Maine property records are legal documents containing information about real estate and lands in the state. These documents are recorded and maintained by local administrators. According to Manie's Freedom of Access Act (FOAA), property records are maintained as public records. Hence, local administrators make these records available to the general public upon request.
When selling or transferring property, the standard practice is to review the property records. This is because they contain important information about the ownership of a specific property, such as deeds, mortgages, liens, and surveyors' plans/maps. They are also used to resolve real estate issues such as inheritance, boundary lines, wills, property shares, and lien disputes.
Maine property records are maintained at the county level by each county's register of deeds. Property tax records, however, are kept separate from these records. Town and city assessor offices instead maintain property tax records. The general responsibility for locating, equalizing, and evaluating taxable property within a county's boundaries rests with the assessor's office.
Are Maine Property Records Public?
Under Maine's Freedom of Access Act, property records are public and available to the general public upon request from their custodian. Each Maine county Register of Deeds is their respective county's custodian of property records. Thus, interested persons can obtain the property records of a particular real estate or land through the Register of Deeds of the county where the property is located.
In addition to public entities like a county's registry of deeds, property records are also available through third-party aggregate websites. When using third-party websites to look up public property records, a searcher must be aware of the precise location of the property and the information regarding its owner.
Property records are available for public viewing through government agencies or third-party aggregate websites. Accessing property records through third-party sites is typically straightforward, and the records are not geographically limited. However, because the sites are not government-affiliated and run independently, the information contained in the records may vary. Searching parties should include the following information to obtain complete property records:
- The property’s exact location.
- The property owner’s details.
What Information is Included in Maine Property Records
Common details about Maine properties that are recorded in their property records include:
- Deeds
- Mortgages
- Liens
Maine property mortgage records contain information about any loans taken out against a property by its owner. Prospective buyers often utilize this information to make informed decisions about a property's actual value. Inquirers can also look up a property history with public records on mortgages, including whether or not the mortgage was transferred to another lender and its current status.
Maine property liens are claims or charges on a property to ensure the payment of its owner's debt, duty, or obligation to a lender. These are typically released when the property owners repay their debt and the lender sever a recordable lien release document.
Maine property deeds are legal documents that memorialize land transactions in the state. These documents are registered with the register of deed in the county where the property is located and are listed under the last name of the grantor (seller) and the grantee (buyer). According to a publication by the University of Maine, deeds generally fall under one of four categories in Maine:
General Warranty Deed
A general warranty deed is a document that transfers ownership of a property and often includes six (6) covenants (commitments or promises) made by the seller to the buyer. These six covenants provided by a general warranty deed are categorized into the present and future covenants. There are namely three present covenants.
- Covenant of Seisin
- Covenant of Right to Convey
- Covenant Against Encumbrances
Similarly, there are also three types of future covenants
- Covenant of Further Assurances
- Covenant of Quiet Enjoyment
- Covenant of Warranty
Special Warranty Deed
Special warranty deeds are comparable to general warranty deeds, with one significant exception. Covenants on special warranty deeds often only cover title breaches that were the grantor's fault or happened while the grantor was still the registered owner of the property.
Quit-claim Deed
A quit claim deed, also known as a release deed, is a deed that transfers ownership interest of a property from one person to another. This type of deed nullifies any ownership interest a former property owner might have in the asset once the sale or transfer of ownership has been finalized.
Bargain and Sale Deed
A bargain and sale deed is a type of agreement that guarantees that the seller of a property is the legal owner of the property and has the authority to transfer title ownership. A bargain and sale deed, however, makes no guarantees to the grantee that the property is free of liens or other claims. Therefore, if these problems are uncovered after the property conveyance, the buyer may be held liable for their repayment.
Where to Search Maine Public Property Records
Interested persons can search for Maine public property records by visiting a county's Register of Deeds office. These offices are the custodians of property records of their respective counties. Most County Registers of Deeds offices also provide help online resources inquirers can use to search public property records of local properties located within their county's boundaries.
How to Do a Property Records Search in Maine
Anyone that wants to conduct a property record search in Maine needs to know where the property is located and the name of the owner registered to the property. The name could be an individual's or organization's name. With this information, the inquirer may visit the Register or Deed office in the county where the property is located. Most register offices provide in-office public access terminals inquirers can use to conduct a public property record search, view, and print images of these records. Registers typically charge $1 for standard copies and between $2 to $5 for certified copies of property records.
Anyone who's unable to visit the physical address of a Register of Deeds office can opt to search property records online. Most county registers of Deeds offices maintain online property records search portals on their official website for this specific purpose. Some examples of these online search portals include the Cumberland County property search portal and the Sagadahoc County registry of deeds website. Searches are performed on both the in-office terminals and online search portals by providing the business name or last name of the person a property is registered to.
How to Find the Owner of a Maine Property Using Public Records
In performing necessary due diligence before purchasing or renting a property, Maine state residents typically look up the details about the property owner. Generally, interested persons can find the owner of a property in Maine by reviewing the tax records for the property. These records are held and maintained by the assessor's office of the city or town where the property is located. Hence, record seekers can contact or visit the appropriate city or town assessor office to inquire about a property tax record. Furthermore, some assessor offices provide helpful online resources record seekers can use to search tax records online. Note that the property parcel ID or address is usually required to locate property tax records.
What are Maine Property Records Used For?
Generally, uses of Maine property records depend on the type of property records. Inquirers can inspect property survey records to ascertain the legal dimensions of a parcel of land. Property survey records are also used to settle boundary disputes.
Inquirers can inspect property ownership records to discover the property's previous owners. A property's deed is also maintained as part of the property ownership records. Deeds are generally used to transfer ownership of a property. Meanwhile, property sale records are used to determine how a property has exchanged hands between previous owners. Property sale records are also referenced when valuing a property. Inquirers can also look up property records to find out if a property has any liens or mortgages placed against it.
How to Find Maine Property Tax Records
Interested parties can find public property tax records through the assessor's office of the city or town where the property is located. Most towns and city assessors' offices provide helpful online resources interested persons can use to search local property tax records on their official websites. These resources typically include online property records search portals inquirers can use to look up tax records of property and property tax maps. For instance, Lewiston city's Assessor's Department maintains both an online property tax record search portal and property tax maps.
What to Do When You Can't Find Property Records in Maine
Maine property records are maintained at the county level by the county Register of Deeds office. The register, in turn, makes these records publicly available upon request. However, property records are not always available through the county register. Hence, if a record seeker cannot find a particular property's record through a county Register of Deeds, they can use third-party websites like StateRecords.org to find these records.
