Property Research is by APPOINTMENT ONLY. Archives has a specific process in place to properly conduct research on site.

All items needed to start my search

• Street Address
• Parcel Number

Where can I find the information?

• Deeds are available (1810-present) in the Cuyahoga County Recorder’s Office located on the second floor of the Administration Building.
• The parcel number is available from the following sources: deed, tax bill, reappraisal notice, or the Fiscal Officer Website.
• Additional documentation of ownership changes is available in the tax map office on microfilm located on the 4th floor of the County Administration building. Original map volumes are stored at the Cuyahoga County Archives.

How to use the information?

• For properties in the City of Cleveland, researchers should check several volumes of maps, dated 1870, 1880, 1890, 1898, and atlases for the City of Cleveland for documentation of structures on the property during those years.
• For properties in the suburbs, researchers should check atlases of Cuyahoga County for 1874 and 1892, and tax maps which are dated 1860,1870,1880,1890, for ownership listings and for documentation of structures on the property during those years.
• The information to be copied from these maps is similar to that registered on more current maps. The researcher should be careful to note if a small box or outline of a building is shown on the property. This denotes that a building stood on the property in the years the map covers.
• Researching through the Treasurer's tax duplicates using the owner's names obtained from the maps will document the construction date of the building by observing significant changes in the tax values.

Important! Record as much information as possible to accurately trace the property in the Treasurer’s tax duplicates. Failure to note this information will often lead to problems because dimensions, street names, property descriptions, and the like change throughout the years. Tax duplicates (1819-1986) are held in the Cuyahoga County Archives.