State records guide
Title research in Oregon
Facts below are taken from Oregon statutes and official sources, each linked, each checked on the date shown. General information, not legal advice.
An Oregon title search runs through the county clerk's deed and mortgage records in one of 36 counties. A trust deed can be foreclosed by advertisement and sale with no redemption afterward. A tax foreclosure sells the parcel to the county, generally with two years to redeem, and ORS 312.520 governs what happens to unredeemed property.
What an Oregon title search has to account for
| Where deeds are recorded | The Oregon county clerk keeps the deed and mortgage records and a record of maps, plats, contracts, powers of attorney and other interests affecting title. Source: ORS 205.130, checked 2026-11-06. |
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| Recording jurisdictions | Oregon has 36 counties, so the search is run in the clerk's records for the county where the parcel lies. Source: State of Oregon, Oregon Counties, checked 2026-11-06. |
| Mortgage foreclosure process | An Oregon trustee may not foreclose a trust deed by advertisement and sale unless the trust deed, its assignments and any successor trustee appointment are recorded in the mortgage records, there is a default, a notice of default is recorded, and the other conditions in the section are met. Source: ORS 86.752 and 86.797, checked 2026-11-06. |
| Redemption after a mortgage foreclosure sale | A person whose interest a trustee's sale foreclosed may not redeem from the purchaser. After an execution sale, except as those sections provide, the judgment debtor's right to redeem expires 180 days after the sale and a lien claimant's after 60 days, and another lien claimant may redeem from a redeeming lien claimant within a further period. Source: ORS 18.964, with ORS 86.797, checked 2026-11-06. |
| Delinquent property tax sales | Oregon real property becomes subject to tax foreclosure once three years have passed from the earliest delinquency, except as otherwise provided by law. The county forecloses by judgment, the property is sold to the county, and parcels not redeemed are deeded to the county by the tax collector. A later section governs what the county then does, including a public high bid auction. Source: ORS 312.010 and 312.200, checked 2026-11-06. |
| Redemption after a tax sale | Except where a county ordinance shortens the period for waste or abandonment, the county holds tax-foreclosed property for two years from the date of the foreclosure judgment. During that period a person with an interest at the judgment date, an heir or devisee, a lienholder of record or a municipal corporation with a lien may redeem by paying the full judgment amount with interest, a penalty of five percent and a fee. Source: ORS 312.120, checked 2026-11-06. |
| Transfer-on-death deed | An individual may transfer property to one or more designated beneficiaries effective at death by a transfer on death deed, naming primary beneficiaries and alternates who take only if no primary beneficiary qualifies or survives. Oregon transfer on death deed rules, ORS 93.948 to 93.979, section by section. Source: ORS 93.953, checked 2026-11-06. |
| Marital property system | On dissolution the court divides property as is just and proper. Except for property acquired by gift, inheritance or the like, it starts from a rebuttable presumption that both parties contributed equally to property acquired during the marriage, whether held jointly or separately. Oregon community property and entirety rules, section by section. Source: ORS 107.105, checked 2026-11-06. |
| Condominium lien priority | An Oregon condominium association's assessment lien is prior to a homestead exemption and all other liens except tax and assessment liens and a first mortgage or trust deed of record. The section also puts the lien ahead of that first mortgage or trust deed where the association gives the lender written notice and its other conditions are met. Source: ORS 100.450, checked 2026-11-06. |
Who records deeds in Oregon?
Oregon land records belong to the county clerk. ORS 205.130 has the clerk keep the files and records of deeds and mortgages, and a record of maps, plats, contracts, powers of attorney and other interests affecting title that are required or permitted to be recorded.
Some liens start elsewhere. ORS 18.150 has the court administrator note a judgment lien in the register of the circuit court. The report traces the chain of title as far back as the county's records go, with document images of the key instruments, and verifies findings with the assessor, tax office, recorder and courts.
How does an Oregon trust deed foreclose?
Oregon allows foreclosure of a trust deed by advertisement and sale, on conditions. ORS 86.752 says a trustee may not use that route unless the trust deed, its assignments and any successor trustee appointment are recorded in the mortgage records, there is a default, a notice of default is recorded, and, for a residential trust deed, a certificate of compliance or another filing the section lists is recorded.
Once the trustee sells, ORS 86.797 says a person whose interest the sale foreclosed and terminated may not redeem from the purchaser. A failure to give notice to a person entitled to it does not affect the sale as to those notified, and ORS 86.767 gives an omitted person its own remedy. An execution sale is different: ORS 18.964 ends the judgment debtor's right to redeem 180 days after the sale and a lien claimant's after 60 days, except as those sections provide, and another lien claimant may redeem from a redeeming lien claimant within a further 60 days. An auction title report for an Oregon sale reports the foreclosing lien's position and the liens that would survive, in dollars, for the bidder's attorney.
What happens to Oregon property with unpaid taxes?
ORS 312.010 makes a parcel subject to tax foreclosure once three years have elapsed from the earliest delinquency, except as otherwise provided by law. The county obtains a judgment, and ORS 312.100 orders the property sold to the county. ORS 312.120 has the county hold it for two years from the judgment date unless sooner redeemed, while ORS 312.122 lets a county by ordinance deed the property after a 30 day period where there is waste or abandonment.
During that period any person with an interest at the judgment date, an heir or devisee of that person, a lienholder of record or a municipal corporation with a lien may redeem by paying the full judgment amount with interest, a penalty of five percent and a fee. When the period runs out the tax collector deeds the property to the county, and ORS 312.200 ends every right of redemption on that deed. ORS 312.270 vests title in the county free from liens and encumbrances, except assessments a municipal corporation levied for local improvements.
A 2025 act changed what follows. ORS 312.520 lets the county keep the property for public purposes or transfer it to a nonprofit, has a former primary residence in a residential zone listed with a real estate broker, and calls for a public high bid auction of other property and of listings that do not sell. ORS 312.500 to 312.560 also address surplus, and section 13 of the act ties those sections to claims where the claimant received the ORS 312.125 notice on or after May 25, 2023. ORS chapter 275 separately provides for a sheriff's sale on published notice. The report states the surviving liens, taxes and assessments in dollars for the buyer's attorney.
How does an Oregon transfer on death deed affect a probate search?
Oregon adopted the Uniform Real Property Transfer on Death Act. ORS 93.953 lets an individual transfer property to one or more designated beneficiaries effective at death, and ORS 93.961 requires the deed to be recorded before the transferor's death. ORS 93.969 passes the interest only if the beneficiary survives, and subject to the conveyances, mortgages, liens and other interests on the property at death. ORS 93.973 addresses creditor claims and statutory allowances.
A probate title search in Oregon finds the decedent's property by name and reports vesting at death, how title passes and the liens to pay.
How does Oregon divide property at divorce?
ORS 107.105 has the court divide property on dissolution as is just and proper. Except for property acquired by gift, inheritance or the like under subparagraph (D), it starts from a rebuttable presumption that both parties contributed equally to property acquired during the marriage, whether held jointly or separately.
Subparagraph (E) says that after a petition is filed, the parties' rights in marital assets are a species of co-ownership, and a transfer under the judgment is a partitioning. The report states the recorded judgment or deed it finds, and what that means for title is a legal conclusion for an Oregon attorney.
Does an Oregon condominium association lien beat the first trust deed?
Usually not, but it can. ORS 100.450(1) makes the lien for unpaid assessments prior to a homestead exemption and every other lien except tax and assessment liens and a first mortgage or trust deed of record. Subsection (7) adds that the lien is also prior to that first mortgage or trust deed if the association gives the lender 90 days' written notice in the required form, the lender does not start foreclosure or take a deed in lieu in that time, the borrower is in default on principal and interest, and the notice and an affidavit are recorded.
Subsection (2) says recording the declaration perfects the lien, with no further recording required, though a notice of claim of lien must be recorded before a suit to foreclose. A clean index does not rule out a lien. Planned communities follow a separate section, ORS 94.709. The report states any recorded notice of claim of lien it finds.
Which package fits an Oregon property?
Every package covers Oregon property wherever it is recorded. Pick by situation:
- Probate law firm: Find every property a decedent held, how it was vested and what has to be paid before it passes. $595 per estate.
- Real estate law firm: A preliminary report with schedule-style exceptions and print-ready exhibits for your matter. $695 per property.
- Builders and developers: Multi-parcel research on access, easements, restrictions, mineral reservations and entity ownership. $995 first parcel.
- Auction buyer: Know the total cost to own, which liens survive the sale and whether to bid at all. $395 for 1 property.
- Home buyer: Confirm the seller owns the home and learn what has to be cleared before you pay. $449 per property.
- Home seller: Find the old mortgage, judgment or name mismatch before a buyer's title company does. $449 per property.
Questions about Oregon title research
Which office keeps Oregon deed records?
The county clerk in each of Oregon's 36 counties. ORS 205.130 has the office keep the deed and mortgage records and a record of maps, plats, contracts, powers of attorney and other interests affecting title. The search is run for the county where the parcel lies, and ORS 18.150 has a judgment lien noted in the circuit court register.
Can an Oregon borrower redeem after a trustee's sale?
A person whose interest the trustee's sale foreclosed and terminated may not redeem from the purchaser, under ORS 86.797, and ORS 86.767 gives an omitted person its own remedy. An execution sale differs: ORS 18.964 lets the judgment debtor redeem within 180 days after the sale and a lien claimant within 60 days, with further 60 day periods for other lien claimants, except as those sections provide.
Does Oregon sell tax liens or tax deeds to the public?
At the foreclosure stage the property is sold to the county, not offered as a public certificate sale. Once three years have elapsed from the earliest delinquency the county forecloses by judgment, and the property can generally be redeemed for two years from the judgment. After that, ORS 312.520 lets the county keep or transfer it, list a former primary residence with a broker, or hold a public high bid auction.
Where does an Oregon transfer on death deed show up in a title search?
As a recorded deed. Oregon's Uniform Real Property Transfer on Death Act lets an individual transfer property to one or more designated beneficiaries effective at death, and ORS 93.961 requires recording before the transferor's death. A beneficiary who does not survive takes nothing, and one who does takes subject to the liens on the property at death.
What rule divides Oregon property on divorce?
ORS 107.105 directs a division that is just and proper. Except for property acquired by gift, inheritance or the like under subparagraph (D), it sets a rebuttable presumption that both parties contributed equally to property acquired during the marriage, whether held jointly or separately. The report states the recorded judgment or deed it finds, and an Oregon attorney reads the effect.
Does an Oregon condo association lien come ahead of the mortgage?
Usually not, but it can. ORS 100.450 makes the lien prior to a homestead exemption and all other liens except tax and assessment liens and a first mortgage or trust deed of record. Subsection (7) puts it ahead of that first mortgage or trust deed after 90 days' written notice to the lender, where the lender has not moved to foreclose, the borrower is in default, and the notice is recorded.