In 2017, a Coolidge real estate agent talked a woman into investing $185,000 of an inheritance in a joint project. The money was supposed to buy a vacant lot, but the agent never bought it1. A federal jury convicted the agent, Sarah Kelley, of wire fraud and money laundering in 2021, and she was sentenced to 46 months in prison2.
A real land purchase leaves a deed in Pinal County property records, and so does a fake one. A deed is the signed paper that moves ownership, or title, to a new owner, and recording files it in the public record. This guide shows owners of desert land how to read those records from far away, and which free alerts to turn on.
How do you search Pinal County property records for a vacant lot?
Start with the Assessor's free parcel search, then follow its links to the deeds at the Recorder. The Assessor values land for taxes and keeps the owner record for each parcel, or numbered piece of land3. The Recorder files deeds in the official record.
- Open the Assessor's Parcel Search. Type your name in the owner box, last name first. Each result shows a parcel number, its owner and its mailing city and state4.
- Search by location if the lot has no street address. Use the parcel number, the subdivision, or the section, township and range from the land survey grid. Lots on a recorded subdivision map, or plat, also have cabinet, slide and lot numbers.
- Open the parcel's details. Note the owner, the tax bill mailing address, the date of recording and the document numbers.
- Click the newest document number. It links to that recording in the Recorder's system. Check the type of document, its date and the names on it.
- Search your name at the Recorder. Run a Party Name search in the Recorder's Document Search for each spelling you use. Its records start on May 23, 19805.
- Check the tax bill. The details page links to the Treasurer's Parcel Inquiry, which lists bills by parcel number or owner name6.
What should your Pinal County Assessor record show?
Check three lines: the owner, the tax bill mailing address and the date of recording. If one changed and you didn't change it, find the document behind it and call the Assessor at 520-866-63617.
The Assessor updates the owner when land is sold, transferred, combined or split3. So a name you don't know usually means a new deed was recorded.
The mailing address matters as much. The Treasurer says Arizona law doesn't require it to mail tax bills, and it tells owners to confirm their address with the Assessor6. If someone changes that address, your tax notices go to them.
The owner box also has a Parcel Alert List line. It reads NO on the county parcel above.
Which free alerts watch Pinal County land?
Three free alerts watch Pinal land, and each one follows something different. The Recorder's alert follows your name, the Assessor's follows your parcel number, and the state's Early Real Estate Sales Alert System (ERAS) follows pending sales8. Arizona requires a recorder alert in every county9, and our map of free county alerts shows the other states that do.
| Recorder's Recording Notification Service | Assessor's Parcel Alert List | State's ERAS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run by | Pinal County Recorder | Pinal County Assessor | Arizona Department of Real Estate |
| Watches | Documents recorded under a name you enter | New deeds and mailing-address change requests for your parcel | Pending sales that an escrow officer enters |
| How you hear | The Assessor's Office contacts you | Text, email or both | |
| How to join | Online | In person, with a government-issued ID | Online |
| Blind spot | Papers recorded before you join, or under a spelling you didn't add | Owners who can't get to an office | Sales that no escrow officer enters |
The Recording Notification Service takes a few minutes. On its sign-up page, enter your email and each version of your name, last name first, as a separate entry. Add any trust or company that holds the land, then confirm by email10.
Pinal has run this alert since June 30, 2021, and more than 2,680 people had joined by December 202211. It covers only documents recorded after you join, and the page warns that the names and emails on its list are public records10.
The Parcel Alert List takes one trip. Bring a government-issued ID to an Assessor's office in Florence, Apache Junction, Casa Grande, Maricopa or San Tan Valley, and fill out a one-page form7. The office then contacts you about any new deed or mailing-address change request for your parcel.
In January 2025, Assessor Douglas Wolf told county supervisors who gets targeted. "We have a lot of properties that have no debt on them, no mortgage, and those are the people they target," he said12.
Live out of state? Call 520-866-6361 and ask if there's another way to join. Arizona law requires every assessor to offer an opt-in email or text notice of these changes by January 1, 202713.
ERAS can warn you before a sale closes. Register at earlyalert.azre.gov with your parcel number, typed without dashes or spaces14. It works only if an escrow officer, the neutral party who holds a sale's money and papers, enters the deal.
What should out-of-state lot owners check each year?
Set up the alerts once, then look at your parcel twice a year. ALTA, the title insurance trade group, says criminals often target deals where the owner lives outside the local market15. The FBI adds that they can find owners' details on county and state websites16.
- Name alert. Each version of your name, and any trust or LLC that owns the land, is on the Recorder's list.
- State alert. Your parcel number is registered with ERAS.
- Parcel Alert List. You signed up in person, or called the Assessor about other options.
- Mailing address. The tax bill address on your parcel is yours.
- Taxes. Bills over $100 can be paid in two halves, due October 1 and March 1. Unpaid taxes can be sold each February as a lien, a claim on the land, and the buyer can move to foreclose three years later6.
- Records. The owner and the date of recording still match your last real deal.
Can someone sell your land in Arizona without you knowing?
Yes, and vacant land is their top target. In ALTA's 2026 survey, 82% of title firms rated vacant land at least a somewhat common target of fake sellers, against 25% for primary homes15.
The FBI says they pose as owners with fake IDs, email accounts and internet phone numbers. Then they contact a local agent and a title company, the firm that runs the closing16. Our guide to seller impersonation lists more warning signs.
What if a fake deed is recorded on your parcel?
Get a copy, report it, and ask a lawyer about a court order to clear your title. The Recorder's FAQ says a recorded transfer changes only through a later recording5. In 2022, a county spokesperson called document disputes "beyond the statutory scope of the Recorder's Office"11.
Pinal County Recorder
A certified copy costs $1 a page plus $3 per document. Ask by email at recorder@pinal.gov or call 520-866-6830. The office may refer suspicious documents to the FBI5,18,19.
Sheriff, police and FBI
For land outside city limits, call the Pinal County Sheriff's Office at 520-866-5111. Inside a city, call its police. Then file with the FBI at ic3.gov16,20.
Pinal County Superior Court
Under A.R.S. § 33-420, an owner can ask this court for an order "to immediately clear title." Whoever knowingly records a forged claim to your land owes at least $5,000 or triple your losses, whichever is more, plus lawyer fees21.
Southern Arizona Legal Aid
It gives free civil legal help in Pinal County to people with limited means, with high priority for crime victims. Call (520) 623-946122.
Arizona also treats this as a crime. Knowingly recording a forged document is a felony under A.R.S. § 39-161, and SB 1479 made a false recorded claim a class 5 felony in 202618,21,23.
Since September 14, 2026, people recording in person in Pinal must show photo ID19. Escrow and title companies, banks, credit unions, lawyers and government offices are exempt.
Our Maricopa County guide covers the rest of that law. For the papers to gather, see our page on undoing a fraudulent deed.
Sign-up links, office addresses and phone numbers on this page were checked on October 25, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest way to find out who owns a property in Pinal County?
Use the Assessor's free Parcel Search by address, parcel number or owner name. The result shows the owner on record, and the recorded deed at the Recorder is the legal proof behind it.
How do I look up a deed in Pinal County?
Use the Recorder's online Document Search, which goes back to May 23, 1980, or click a document number on the Assessor's parcel page. A certified copy costs $1 a page plus $3 per document.
How can I search for a parcel in Pinal County by owner name?
Type the name in the owner box of the Assessor's Parcel Search, last name first. Each result lists a parcel number, its owner and its mailing city and state.
How can I access Pinal County open records?
Property records are free online through the Assessor, the Recorder and the Treasurer. For other county records, use the county's Public Records Request page.
Can someone sell your land without you knowing?
Yes. In 2023, an impostor sold a southern Arizona lot for $200,000, and the owner learned of it from a title company letter. Free alerts and a current mailing address help you hear sooner.
How do you verify someone isn't scamming you on land?
Check that the seller matches the owner in the Assessor's record and on the latest recorded deed. The FBI suggests a certified letter to the address on the tax record, and it warns about sellers who only text or email or rush a below-market sale.
Sources
- Former Coolidge real estate agent found guilty of fraud and money laundering, PinalCentral (Coolidge Examiner), October 18, 2021
- Former real estate agent sentenced to prison for wire fraud and money laundering, IRS Criminal Investigation, April 25, 2022
- Assessor, Pinal County, checked October 25, 2026
- Assessor Parcel Search and parcel details for county parcel 800-18-0170, Pinal County Assessor, checked October 25, 2026
- Recorder: Frequently Asked Questions, Pinal County, checked October 25, 2026
- Pinal County Treasurer (tax due dates, tax lien sale, mailing address), checked October 25, 2026
- Parcel Alert List (PAL) (Assessor office addresses and phones), Pinal County Assessor, checked October 25, 2026
- Pinal Assessor's Parcel Alert List (PAL), Board of Supervisors agenda attachment, Pinal County, 2025
- A.R.S. § 11-467: Recorded documents; notice to named party, Arizona State Legislature, checked October 25, 2026
- Recording Notification Service sign-up, Pinal County Recorder, checked October 25, 2026
- Pinal County Recorder's Office offers email alerts for title fraud, PinalCentral (Florence Reminder & Blade-Tribune), December 20, 2022
- New Pinal Deed Fraud Protection Program to Begin Taking Registrations Soon, Pinal Post, February 6, 2025
- A.R.S. § 11-544: Notice to owner; changed information, Arizona State Legislature, checked October 25, 2026
- Early Real Estate Sales Alert System, Arizona Department of Real Estate, checked October 25, 2026
- ALTA Critical Issues Study: Seller Impersonation Fraud, American Land Title Association, September 14, 2026
- Protect Your Property from Illegal Sales Through Parcel Owner Impersonation, FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, June 16, 2026
- N4T Investigators: Property sold without owner's knowledge highlights deed fraud risks, KVOA News 4 Tucson, July 18, 2023
- Recorder (FBI referrals, A.R.S. § 39-161), Pinal County, checked October 25, 2026
- Notice of New Recording Requirements: Effective September 2026, Pinal County Recorder, August 13, 2026
- After Hours Pinal County Sheriff's Office (county directory listing), Pinal County, checked October 25, 2026
- A.R.S. § 33-420: False documents; liability; special action; damages, Arizona State Legislature, checked October 25, 2026
- Southern Arizona Legal Aid, checked October 25, 2026
- Laws 2026, Chapter 31 (SB 1479), Arizona State Legislature, approved April 9, 2026
- Public Records Request, Pinal County, checked October 25, 2026
