Find Deed Records in Drew County
Drew County deed records are maintained by the Circuit Clerk in Monticello, the county seat. The Circuit Clerk acts as the ex-officio county recorder under Arkansas law and keeps all recorded instruments affecting real property in Drew County, including deeds, mortgages, liens, and plats. If you need to search title, verify ownership, or get a copy of a recorded document, the Circuit Clerk's office is your primary source.
Drew County Deed Records Overview
Access Drew County Deed Records
The Circuit Clerk's office in Monticello is the official custodian of all deed records in Drew County. The office records warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, deeds of trust, mortgages, releases, liens, powers of attorney, plats, and other instruments that affect title to real property within the county. Under Arkansas law, each document is indexed by grantor and grantee name. That indexing system allows anyone to trace a chain of title by searching forward or backward through ownership history using names alone.
For online access, ARCountyData.com provides free property and ownership data for Drew County compiled from assessor and clerk records. You can search by owner name, parcel number, or property address. The portal is a useful starting point when you need to identify who owns a parcel or want to confirm a legal description before contacting the courthouse directly.
Drew County also has historical deed data that may be available through other research channels. Land records, court records, divorce files, and military records are distributed across different offices. The Circuit Clerk holds deed and court records. The County Clerk has marriage and probate records. The County Assessor maintains land assessment data. If your search spans multiple record types, you may need to contact more than one office.
The ARCountyData portal shown below provides a searchable interface for Drew County property records without the need to visit the courthouse in Monticello.
The ARCountyData portal for Drew County shows property ownership, parcel data, and related assessment information compiled from local county records.
Circuit Clerk Contact and Services
The Drew County Circuit Clerk's office is located in the courthouse in Monticello. The office maintains land records as the ex-officio recorder for the county. Standard hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, though it is always a good idea to call ahead and confirm hours before making a trip, especially around holidays.
Services at the Drew County Circuit Clerk office include recording new deeds and instruments, providing certified and uncertified copies of recorded documents, assisting with name index searches, and swearing in notaries public. The staff can help you find records once you know the grantor's or grantee's name. They cannot conduct an official title search or provide legal advice, but they can show you how the index works and where older deed books are kept.
Mail requests for copies are accepted. Include the instrument number or book and page reference if you have it, along with a check for the applicable copy fee and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Plain copies run $0.50 per page and certified copies cost $5.00 each. Allow extra time for mail requests during busy periods.
Note: The Drew County Circuit Clerk handles deed recording and land records. If you need marriage licenses, probate filings, or voter registration records, contact the County Clerk instead. Both offices are located in the Monticello courthouse complex.
Online Tools for Drew County Property Records
Beyond ARCountyData, several other state and county-linked tools are worth checking when researching Drew County deed records. The Arkansas Judiciary Case Search is a free portal that lets you look up circuit court cases by name or case number. It covers civil, criminal, domestic relations, and juvenile cases. For deed research, the court search is valuable because judgment liens, foreclosures, and probate orders all affect the chain of title even though they are not recorded as deed instruments in the land records.
Tax-delinquent property in Drew County falls under the Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands. The COSL tracks properties where real estate taxes have gone unpaid. When a county tax collector certifies delinquent property to the COSL, the Commissioner notifies the owner and lien holders, then conducts a public auction. Winning bidders get a limited warranty deed. The COSL auction site lists current and past sales and includes parcel maps for research purposes.
Historical deed research for Drew County is supported by the Arkansas Digital Archives. The Archives holds digitized land records including swamp land patents, forfeited deeds, and early land commissioner documents. Drew County was formed in 1846 and has deed records going back to the mid-nineteenth century. Some of the earliest deed books may also appear on FamilySearch.org, where digitized records from many Arkansas counties have been made freely available. Drew County historical records on FamilySearch include probate files, will books, and tax records from the late 1800s, which can supplement deed searches in older transactions.
Note: For property boundary disputes or questions about a legal description in an older Drew County deed, the Arkansas State Land Surveyor's Office maintains original survey plats and corner certificates that may help clarify lot lines and boundary references.
Recording Fees and Document Requirements
Drew County follows the statewide recording fee schedule established under Arkansas Code § 21-6-306. The fee to record any instrument is $15.00 for the first page and $5.00 for each page after that. Deeds, mortgages, deeds of trust, releases, powers of attorney, liens, plats, and most other recorded documents all fall under this same rate. A two-sided page counts as two pages for billing purposes.
The Real Property Transfer Tax applies to most property sales in Drew County at $3.30 per $1,000 of consideration for transactions over $100. The Circuit Clerk collects this tax when the deed is presented for recording. Transfers between close family members, spousal transfers, transfers in and out of living trusts, and divorce-related conveyances often qualify for exemption. If you believe your transfer is exempt, you can note the basis for exemption on the deed or bring documentation to the recording counter at the time of filing.
Document formatting requirements set under Arkansas Code § 14-15-403 apply to all instruments submitted for recording in Drew County. White 8.5 by 11 inch paper is required. The first page must have a blank 2.5-inch margin at the top right corner for the recorder's stamp. All other margins must be at least half an inch. The last page needs a 2.5-inch clear margin at the bottom. Documents that do not meet these formatting rules may be returned unfiled.
Beginning August 5, 2025, Act 752 requires anyone filing a deed in Arkansas to present a valid photo ID at the time of submission. Exceptions cover licensed attorneys, real estate brokers, bank representatives, and government employees filing in an official capacity. This requirement is in effect at the Drew County Circuit Clerk's office as it is statewide.
Electronic recording is available in many Arkansas counties through approved vendors. Contact the Drew County Circuit Clerk directly to confirm whether e-recording is currently accepted and which vendors are approved for the county.
State-Level Resources for Drew County Deed Research
The Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands is a key resource when a Drew County property may have a tax delinquency history. The COSL site lets you check whether a parcel has been certified as delinquent, search parcel maps, and review auction history. If a prior owner's tax debt went unpaid, that parcel could have passed through a tax deed sale. Verifying COSL records is an important step in any thorough title investigation for Drew County real estate.
The Arkansas Secretary of State provides certified entity records for companies that appear as grantors or grantees in Drew County deeds. When an LLC or corporation transfers property, the Secretary of State's records confirm the entity's legal name, current standing, and registered agent. This is especially useful in commercial transactions or when reviewing a chain of title that includes corporate grantors.
The Arkansas State Land Surveyor's Office holds historical survey data including General Land Office plats and corner certificates that pre-date county deed records in some cases. For researchers tracing original federal land grants or working through an old metes-and-bounds description, the State Surveyor's records can confirm how the original parcel boundaries were established before the land entered private ownership.