Beaver County Deed Records
Beaver County deed records document the transfer and ownership of real property throughout this rural southern Utah county. The Beaver County Recorder's Office has maintained these records since the county was established in 1856, making it one of Utah's original counties. Warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, trust deeds, liens, and easements are all part of the public record here. Under Utah Code Title 57, every document that affects real property in Beaver County must be recorded with the County Recorder to be enforceable against third parties. Anyone may search these records in person at the recorder's office or through historical digital collections.
Beaver County Quick Facts
About Beaver County Deed Records
Beaver County is one of Utah's original counties, formed in 1856. Its deed records reflect more than 160 years of property transfers, mortgage activity, and land development in the region. The county seat is the city of Beaver, located along I-15 in southwestern Utah. The area has a long history tied to ranching, mining, and agriculture, and many of the oldest deed records in the county reflect those industries.
Utah uses a race-notice recording system for property documents. This means that a properly recorded deed takes priority over an earlier unrecorded deed, as long as the subsequent buyer did not have prior knowledge of the earlier transfer. Under Utah Code § 57-3-102, a recorded document gives legal notice to all persons of its contents. Under § 57-3-103, unrecorded documents are void against any subsequent good-faith purchaser who records first. This framework makes the Beaver County deed records an essential resource for buyers, title companies, lenders, and attorneys working in the county.
The types of documents recorded in Beaver County include warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, trust deeds, deeds of reconveyance, liens, mechanic's liens, easements, and subdivision plats. Mining claims are also a notable part of Beaver County's recorded document history due to the area's mineral heritage.
Note: Recording fees in Beaver County are set by Utah statute and county fee schedule. Call the recorder's office ahead of your visit to confirm the current fee for the document type you need recorded.
Beaver County Recorder's Office
The Beaver County Recorder's Office is the official repository for all land records in the county. Staff record, store, and retrieve land documents that make up the public record. They assist the public in locating real property parcels on ownership plats and can provide certified copies of recorded documents for a fee. The office handles everything from simple quitclaim deeds to complex subdivision plats and easement agreements.
To record a document in Beaver County, the document must meet certain requirements under Utah law. It must bear original signatures with a notary acknowledgment. It must include a complete legal description and a parcel serial number. It must also include a mailing address for the grantee. Documents that do not meet these requirements may be rejected at the time of recording. Under § 57-3-101, all documents affecting real property must be filed with the county recorder to be part of the official chain of title.
| Address | 105 East Center Street, Beaver, UT 84713 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (435) 438-6463 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
Historical Deed Records on FamilySearch
FamilySearch has digitized a large collection of Beaver County deed records dating from 1871 to 1998. These digital images were created from original records held by the County Recorder. The collection includes grantor and grantee indexes, warranty deeds, and quitclaim deeds. Microfilm copies are also available through the Family History Library for researchers who prefer working with physical media.
The FamilySearch collection is a valuable tool for anyone tracing property ownership in Beaver County back through the 19th and early 20th centuries. Genealogists, historians, title researchers, and attorneys all use this resource. You can browse and search the collection online at no cost. Knowing the grantor or grantee name, or the approximate date of a transaction, helps narrow your search through older indexes.
For a look at the digitized Beaver County deed records collection available through FamilySearch, the catalog entry at familysearch.org describes the full scope of the collection and its contents.
The FamilySearch collection covers over 125 years of Beaver County deed activity, making it one of the most complete historical property record resources available for this region of Utah.
Note: Records after 1998 are not part of the FamilySearch collection and must be accessed directly through the Beaver County Recorder's Office.
Deed Records and Utah State Archives
The Utah State Archives holds historical government records from across the state, including older land and property documents from Utah's earliest counties. While county recorders are the primary custodians of deed records, the State Archives provides context and supplementary records for researchers working on older property chains or government land disposals.
Researchers working on pre-statehood property transfers or early territorial land grants may find the Utah State Archives a useful starting point before turning to county-level deed records in Beaver County.
Beaver County Property Deed Types
Several types of deeds are commonly recorded in Beaver County. Each serves a different legal purpose in a property transaction. A warranty deed provides the strongest buyer protections. The grantor promises clear title and agrees to defend against any future claims. Warranty deeds are common in standard residential and commercial real estate sales throughout Beaver County.
A quitclaim deed transfers whatever interest the grantor holds at the time of signing, with no warranty of title. These are common in family transfers, divorce settlements, and situations where the parties know each other and trust the title. Trust deeds are used in Beaver County when real property secures a loan. The borrower conveys title to a trustee, who holds it on behalf of the lender until the loan is paid. When the loan is paid off, the lender records a deed of reconveyance under § 57-1-40 to clear the lien from the title.
Easements and liens also appear frequently in Beaver County deed records. An easement grants a right to use another's property for a specific purpose, such as a road, utility line, or irrigation ditch. Liens are claims against property used to secure payment of a debt, including mechanic's liens from contractors or judgment liens from court cases.
Related Resources for Beaver County Property Research
Several state and federal resources support property research in Beaver County. The Utah GIS Parcel Data portal offers statewide parcel boundary data that can help you locate a parcel before pulling up the deed records. This is useful when you know the general location of a property but need the legal description or parcel serial number to search the recorder's index.
The Bureau of Land Management Utah office maintains records of federal land patents in the state. Because much of the land in Beaver County was originally federal land disposed of through patents and homestead entries, BLM records often represent the oldest link in a chain of title. These records can help you trace ownership from the original federal grant all the way through to current deed records in the county recorder's files.
The Utah Division of Water Rights maintains records of water rights, which in rural counties like Beaver often accompany or affect real property transactions. Water rights are appurtenant to land in many agricultural settings, and changes in property ownership can trigger the need to update water right records as well. The Utah Tax Commission also maintains assessment data that can complement deed record research by confirming current ownership and property classification.
The Beaver County Assessor's Office works closely with the recorder's office. The assessor maintains property valuation records and tax assessment data, including information on primary residential exemptions and greenbelt exemptions for agricultural land. The assessor's office shares the same building as the recorder at 105 East Center Street in Beaver. For property tax questions, the Beaver County Treasurer at (435) 438-6428 handles collection and delinquent tax matters.
Note: Under GRAMA § 63G-2-102, deed records in Beaver County are classified as public records and are available to any member of the public upon request.
Nearby Counties with Deed Records
Beaver County borders several other Utah counties. If the property you are researching may be near a county line, it is worth checking neighboring recorders' offices as well.