Finding Federal And Other Tax Lien Records In Your Community

Every time a lien is filed on someone's personal property or real estate, the taxing authority filing the lien must make the tax lien records available to the public. No one can be denied access to the lien information including the type of property being liened; the address of the liened property; the name of the current owner; the amount of tax due; and an auction date for the sale of the lien.

Although tax lien information is public record, that doesn't mean it's always easy to access it, or find what you're looking for - let alone understand it when you do.

On the local level, tax lien records may be kept in large ledger books, and filed away in old cabinets in the basement of the tax office. In some, more modern offices, records may be easy to find, using sophisticated filing methods, and county internet searches of liened property being made available at public auction.

Some, older, less modern offices often found in more rural areas, may make the inquisitor sift through dozens of files and paperwork stacks in order to gather the information they seek. Depending on the jurisdiction you're researching, locating the property liens records available could take minutes to tap into the correct database, or literally days sorting through a multitude of public records.

State and federal tax lien record information is usually a bit easier to locate since they are kept in more modern government office facilities, using more sophisticated sorting sources. Most state governments house a dedicated tax lien office in or around the capitol building. Here investors can sort through state tax lien records in every county of that particular state. From there the investor can research individual properties either by using similar state databases, or on their own.

The CCH Standard Federal Tax Reporter is an excellent source for finding tax lien records in a specific area. It is a federally-produced publication which lists tax liens filed by location.

Although it is possible to peruse a variety of free public databases for tax lien information, it is generally a lot more work and trouble than paying to join a for-profit search engine. These databases usually range in price from $20-$100 a month (depending on how in depth and sophisticated they are to use), and are a combination of hundreds of free government listings that would normally require searching individually.

When searching for federal or any other tax lien records, there are many searching options. You can search by:

  • state
  • county
  • geographic area
  • address
  • owner's name
  • type of property
  • date of sale
  • and more

The search options are limitless, giving investors a variety of ways to find the tax liens they are most interested in purchasing at auction.

For more information on federal tax lien record listings contact:

  • irs.gov
  • autotrack.com
  • lexis.com
  • knowx.com

Federal Tax Lien Search