Shelby County Recorder Information

Land records in Shelby County are recorded by the Register of Deeds. The office is held by Willie F. Brooks, Jr..

The website has partial indexes and images dating back to 1820. Many recorded documents may be viewed and copied from the website at no charge; others may be requested in person, by e-mail, or by written request by mail.

Checked October 2026 against the sources below. Some of them are not official publications, so confirm with the recorder's office. Sources: Willie F. Brooks, Jr. | Shelby County Register of Deeds · About Us - Shelby County Register of Deeds · CTAS: Register of Deeds Legal Issues (2023)

These government fees are separate from any Deeds.com service fees. Confirm current charges with the recorder's office.

Added at recording

Other charges

StatewideEach instrument in a document beyond the first: $5.00. Each plat, map or survey: $15.00; certified copy of a plat, map or survey: $5.00. Military discharges are recorded at no charge. A county may adopt, by two-thirds vote of its legislative body, a $2.00 electronic filing submission fee for each document recorded through its county e-filing portal. Private act recording fees above general law are superseded.

Copies of plats are $1.50 a page. The office's fee schedule lists most documents (warranty deeds, trust deeds, quit-claim deeds, powers of attorney and others) at $12.00 up to 2 pages and plat maps at $17.

Paying the office

Checks accepted are business checks. Escrow accounts are available to those doing business on a regular basis with the office; shortages are taken from the account and overages deposited there.

Transfer tax

Realty transfer tax. Thirty-seven cents (37¢) per one hundred dollars ($100). The tax is collected when the document is recorded. (statewide, T.C.A. § 67-4-409(a)(1))

StatewideThe transfer tax is based on the consideration for the transfer or the value of the property, whichever is greater, and the register collects it. The actual consideration or value must be stated under oath on the face of the instrument. A separate tax of eleven and one-half cents (11.5¢) on each one hundred dollars ($100) of indebtedness is levied on the recording of mortgages, deeds of trust and other instruments evidencing an indebtedness; it does not apply to the first $2,000 of indebtedness (T.C.A. § 67-4-409(b)). Such instruments must contain the statement "Maximum principal indebtedness for Tennessee recording tax purposes is $______."

Checked October 2026 against official publications. Sources: Fee Schedule - Shelby County Register of Deeds · Shelby County Register of Deeds FAQ · Escrow Accounts - Shelby County Register of Deeds · Tennessee Code § 8-21-1001 (2024) - Registers · Tennessee Code § 67-4-409 (FindLaw)

Confirm current requirements with the recorder's office before submitting documents.

StatewideThe register may refuse to register a writing that is illegible or cannot be legibly reproduced unless an affidavit stating that the writing is the best available original is attached. The register may refuse a writing substantially in a language other than English unless an affidavit with a complete English translation is attached.

Forms filed along with a transfer

• Certification of Electronic Document Shelby County Register of Deeds
  Each document e-filed

Submitting documents

The office does not offer individual e-filing. E-filing requires an e-file account, set up with an ACH authorization form sent to the office; setup can take 48 hours or longer.

Checked October 2026 against the sources below. Some of them are not official publications, so confirm with the recorder's office. Sources: Willie F. Brooks, Jr. | Shelby County Register of Deeds · Shelby County Register of Deeds FAQ · E-filing - Shelby County Register of Deeds · Tennessee Code § 8-21-1001 (2024) - Registers · Tennessee Code § 66-24-115 (2024) - Name of preparer of instrument · CTAS e-Li: Name and Address of Owner and Taxpayer · CTAS e-Li: Parcel Identification Number · CTAS e-Li: Legibility/Language