In April 2024, more than 20,000 people had signed up for the Franklin County Auditor's free property alerts. The Recorder's free alert had more than 650 users1. The Recorder says to use both.
The Recorder is the county office that keeps the official copy of deeds, mortgages and liens (claims for money owed on a home). This page turns its tools into a printable list.
What is on the Franklin County Recorder, Ohio checklist?
Seven tasks, and all but one cost nothing.
- Set up the Recorder's free Property Alert for every spelling of your name.
- Turn on the Auditor's free Property eAlerts for your parcel.
- Find your deed by parcel number and save a free copy.
- Check that your paid-off mortgage shows a release.
- Decide if a transfer on death affidavit fits your family.
- Never pay a company for a copy of your deed.
- Save the numbers to call if a document looks wrong.
The office is on the 18th floor of 373 South High Street in Columbus, (614) 525-3930. It takes documents to record until 3:45 p.m. on weekdays2. Staff "cannot offer legal advice or perform a title search for you"3.
How do you set up the Recorder's free Property Alert?
Make a free account on the Recorder's search site, then add every form of your name. When a document with that name is recorded, you should get an email within 24 hours4.
- Open the Recorder's Property Alert page and click "Create a Property Alert."
- Register with an email and a password. It is free5.
- Pick "Enter a Name" and type your last name first, such as "Smith, Mary."
- Add other versions: with a middle initial, nicknames, past last names, and any trust or LLC that owns your home.
The alert matches names, not parcels, and only sees documents filed at the Recorder4,6. You can add a parent's name from your own account, since profiles work for any name.
Why add the Auditor's eAlerts as well?
Because the Auditor watches your parcel, not your name. The Recorder's page says to sign up with both offices "since each utilize different systems of records"6.
The Auditor's free Property eAlerts email you when the owner, owner address or value changes on your parcel7.
- Search for your home with the Auditor's "Find Your Property" tool.
- Open your parcel summary page.
- Click "Sign Up for or Manage Property eAlerts."
- Fill in the form, then confirm from the email the Auditor sends.
Far more owners use the Auditor's alert than the Recorder's
Show the numbers
| Auditor's Property eAlerts | 20,000+ |
|---|---|
| Recorder's Property Alert | 650+ |
Source: 2024 Deed/Title Fraud Strike Force report, Franklin County, sign-ups as of April 3, 2024
How do you find your deed and print a free copy?
Get your parcel number from the Auditor, then search the Recorder's records with it. You can't search the Recorder's records by street address8.
A deed is the signed paper that passed the home to you. A parcel number is the county's ID for your lot.
- Look up your address on the Auditor's property search and copy the parcel number.
- Go to the Official Records Search at franklin.oh.publicsearch.us. No account is needed9.
- Search by parcel number or name, and open your newest deed.
- Print it for free. A certified copy costs $2 a page plus $1 per document10.
Check that the owners named are you. More help: how to find the deed to your house.
Did your lender file a mortgage release?
When you pay off a home loan, your lender files the release of mortgage. The Recorder does not release liens itself8.
- Search your name or parcel number in the Official Records Search.
- Look for a release of mortgage dated after your payoff.
- Call your old lender if you can't find one.
Is a transfer on death affidavit right for your home?
It names who gets your home when you die, so the home can skip probate, the court process after a death. Ohio law says it only counts if it is recorded before you die11.
The transfer on death designation affidavit (TOD) is a sworn form. It doesn't change who owns the home today, and you can change it by recording a new one12.
- Download the right TOD form free from the Franklin County Law Library13.
- Copy the legal description (the official wording that identifies your lot) from your current deed.
- Sign it in front of a notary.
- Take it straight to the Recorder, not the Auditor14.
- Pay $34 for the first two pages and $8 for each extra page15.
The Recorder, Probate Court and Clerk of Courts run a Good Deeds program on this planning16. Ask a lawyer if a TOD suits your family.
What should you do with a letter offering your deed?
Don't pay it. Your deed is free to print. Ohio law makes these letters say at the top, in large type, that they are not from a government office17.
A letter asking you to sign and return papers is a bigger warning sign. That is how a Columbus couple was targeted in 2019.
- Compare the price with the Recorder's own fee, which the letter must list at the top.
- Look up your deed yourself instead.
- Report a letter that breaks the rules to the Ohio Attorney General at (800) 282-051519.
Who do you call if a document looks wrong?
Report it to the police, tell the county offices and talk to a lawyer. Those steps come from the county's 2024 strike force report1.
- Call the Recorder at (614) 525-3930 and the Auditor at (614) 525-4663.
- File a police report with Columbus Police, or the county Sheriff's Office if the home is outside Columbus.
- Tell your mortgage company and bank.
- Talk to a lawyer. Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio helps people with low incomes, seniors and veterans for free: 1-888-246-442020.
In Ohio, a court can clear a false claim on your title (your legal ownership) through a quiet title action21. Our guide to a fraudulent deed covers the first steps.
Has deed fraud happened in Franklin County?
Yes, but rarely. The county's strike force agreed that "title fraud is rare in Franklin County"1.
Source: 2024 Deed/Title Fraud Strike Force report, Franklin County, May 2024
For how these schemes work, see our deed theft guide.
"The most common trend is senior citizens are a major target of this."
Frequently asked questions
What does a county recorder do in Ohio?
A county recorder keeps the official public record of deeds, mortgages, liens and other land papers. Ohio law lets a recorder refuse a document it has reasonable cause to believe is materially false or fraudulent24.
What are the recording fees for documents in Franklin County, Ohio?
Is property fraud alert a free service?
Print the list, then start with the two alerts
Both alerts are free. Do the rest when you can.
Open the Recorder's Property Alert pageSign-up links, fees and phone numbers on this page were checked on October 25, 2026. Moving out of Franklin County? Find out if your new county has a free alert.
Sources
- 2024 Deed/Title Fraud Strike Force: Report & Recommendations, Franklin County Auditor, Recorder, Treasurer, Prosecutor and Commissioners, May 2024 (figures as of April 3, 2024)
- Recorder (contact and hours), Franklin County Recorder's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Real Estate, Franklin County Recorder's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Property Alert FAQ's (PDF), Franklin County Recorder's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Property Alert How-To (PDF), Franklin County Recorder's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Property Alert, Franklin County Recorder's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Property eAlerts, Franklin County Auditor's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Recording FAQs, Franklin County Recorder's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Public Records Search, Franklin County Recorder's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Certified Copy Request, Franklin County Recorder's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Ohio Revised Code 5302.22, transfer on death designation affidavit, effective December 28, 2009
- Ohio Revised Code 5302.23, transfer on death designation, effective March 14, 2017
- Transfer on Death Affidavits, Franklin County Law Library, updated October 22, 2026
- Transfer & Conveyance FAQ, Franklin County Auditor's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Recording Fees, Franklin County Recorder's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Good Deeds, Franklin County Recorder's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Ohio Revised Code 1345.032, solicitations for deed copies, effective May 11, 2018
- Bill to Prevent Deed Scam Passes Ohio General Assembly (press release), Franklin County Recorder Daniel J. O'Connor Jr., January 31, 2018
- Help prevent home title fraud, Consumer Advocate, Ohio Attorney General, October 14, 2026
- Apply for help, Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio, checked October 25, 2026
- Ohio Revised Code 5303.01, action to quiet title, checked October 25, 2026
- Columbus man sentenced to more than 3 years in prison for executing scheme in attempt to steal couple's home & rental properties, U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Ohio, August 4, 2022
- Homeowners face risk of property fraud, Saima Khan, Spectrum News 1, May 16, 2026
- Ohio Revised Code 317.13, recording of instruments, effective October 24, 2024
- Living Wills, Franklin County Recorder's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Veterans, Franklin County Recorder's Office, checked October 25, 2026
