Fairfield County Land Records

Fairfield County maintains property transfer documents through individual town clerks across its 23 municipalities. Each city or town records deeds, mortgages, liens, and related land documents in their own office. Connecticut has no county-level recording, so you must contact the town clerk where the property sits. Bridgeport serves as county seat, but that does not affect land records filing. The majority of Fairfield County towns now offer online access to deed indexes and images through subscription portals. This makes it easier to search without visiting clerk offices during regular business hours.

Accessing Deed Records in Fairfield County

Connecticut law requires all deeds and property conveyances to be filed with the town clerk where land is located. No county recorder exists. Fairfield County has 23 separate recording offices. Bridgeport, Stamford, Norwalk, Danbury, and Greenwich are among the larger municipalities with their own systems. Online databases now cover most towns through portals like US Land Records and RecordHub. Some towns use SearchIQS or custom platforms built by Cott Systems.

Recording fees follow state guidelines set under Connecticut General Statutes Section 7-34a. The base fee is seventy dollars for the first page. Each additional page costs five dollars. If MERS appears as nominee on a mortgage or other document, the fee jumps to one hundred sixty dollars for the first page. Real estate conveyance tax returns must accompany deeds when consideration exceeds two thousand dollars. Town clerks forward these to the Department of Revenue Services within ten days.

Look for recorded deeds, mortgage releases, assignments, quit claims, easements, and property liens in town land records. Maps and subdivision plats also get filed there. Many towns now digitize historical books going back decades. Bridgeport has land record images from June 1983 to present. Danbury completed a backfile project scanning 66 years of documents. Check each town website for coverage dates and subscription requirements.

Bridgeport Land Records

Bridgeport City Clerk maintains all land records for properties within city limits. The office sits at 45 Lyon Terrace. You can call them at (203) 576-7208 between 9 AM and 4 PM on business days.

This screenshot shows the main land records page for Bridgeport. Online indexes date to January 2, 1948. Scanned document images begin June 1, 1983. Map indexes and images go back to September 23, 1835.

Bridgeport provides an online land records database through US Land Records. You can search by grantor, grantee, book and page, or document type. The system runs 24/7. Some features require paid subscription. Basic searches are free.

Stamford Deed Recording

The Stamford Town Clerk handles all deed filings at 888 Washington Boulevard. Phone is (203) 977-4054. Email goes to townclerk@StamfordCT.gov. Regular hours run 8 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday. The vault opens 8 AM to 3:30 PM for public access.

Stamford charges seventy dollars for first page recording. Each additional page adds five dollars. Nominee assignments or releases cost one hundred sixty dollars flat. Nominee documents besides assignments or releases start at one hundred sixty dollars for page one, then five dollars per page after that. Copies are one dollar per page when you come in. Certifications cost two dollars per document. The conveyance surcharge is two dollars for property sales over two thousand dollars.

Stamford land records online go back to 1998. You can access them through the city website subscription service. Records include deeds, mortgages, liens, releases, and maps. Search by name, book, page, or date range. The city maintains both paper and digital formats for older records in the vault.

Norwalk Property Documents

Norwalk City Clerk Office is at 125 East Avenue. Contact them at (203) 854-7747. Hours are 8:30 AM to 4 PM. They accept recordings until 4:15 PM. All land transactions in Norwalk must be recorded there under state law.

Norwalk provides this online portal for land records searches. The city offers a unique Property Alert Service where you can register for free email notifications whenever a document gets recorded with your name. Sign up at their portal to protect against deed fraud.

Recording costs seventy dollars first page, five dollars each page after. Add two dollars for conveyance consideration over two thousand. Document copies are one dollar per page. Certifying copies runs two dollars. Map filing is twenty dollars each. Subdivision maps with three or more parcels cost thirty dollars. Foreclosed property registration fees are seventy dollars. The clerk cannot give legal advice or title information over the phone.

Danbury Town Clerk Services

Danbury Town Clerk sits at 155 Deer Hill Avenue. Phone number is (203) 797-4521. Office hours are 8:30 AM to 4 PM each business day. Land records access is through RecordHub platform when searching online.

This page outlines Danbury recording services. The town finished a major backfile scanning project. They digitized 476 books with 384,135 pages covering 66 years of historical land records. Now electronic records stretch back much further than the previous 30-year window. The office processes around 18,390 land record documents each year.

Danbury fees may differ slightly from state standard. First page recording has been listed at fifty-three dollars in some sources but likely updated to seventy under recent statute changes. Additional pages are five dollars. State transfer fee is two dollars. Maps with two parcels or less cost ten dollars. More than two parcels runs twenty dollars. Copies are one dollar per page. Map copies are three dollars. Certified copies add two dollars per document.

Fairfield Town Land Records

Fairfield Town Clerk Office is at 611 Old Post Road. Call (203) 256-3090 for information. Office hours run 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Last land recording accepted at 4 PM each day.

Fairfield provides online searches through SearchIQS. Land record indexes available online go back to 1929. Earlier records require in-person research at the clerk office. The database includes deeds, mortgages, liens, releases, and other property documents.

Standard recording fees apply in Fairfield. Seventy dollars for first page. Five dollars each additional page. Nominee documents follow the one hundred sixty dollar first page rule. You can pay by check or cash in person. Some offices do not accept credit cards for recording fees, so verify payment methods before visiting.

Recording Requirements Under State Law

Connecticut General Statutes Section 47-10 governs deed recording. The law states no conveyance is effective against other persons except the grantor and heirs unless recorded in the town where land lies. Deeds take effect as of delivery date when properly recorded. Unrecorded deeds may be valid between parties but do not provide constructive notice to third parties or future buyers.

Documents must meet formatting standards. Black ink only. Minimum ten-point font. White paper measuring 8.5 by 11 inches or 8.5 by 14 inches. Grantor signature required. Printed or typed names beneath all signatures. Notary acknowledgment needed. Two witness attestations. Grantee current mailing address on deed face. Missing grantee address triggers a five dollar penalty under CGS Section 7-34a. Missing printed names beneath signatures adds one dollar extra.

Form OP-236 must accompany deeds when consideration exceeds two thousand dollars. This is the Real Estate Conveyance Tax Return. File it through the myCTREC portal operated by Connecticut Department of Revenue Services. State conveyance tax is 0.75 percent for residential property up to eight hundred thousand dollars. Above that amount, excess gets taxed at 1.25 percent. Non-residential property pays 1.25 percent on full consideration. Municipal conveyance taxes vary by town.

Electronic Recording Options

Most Fairfield County towns accept electronic document submission. Four vendors operate statewide systems approved by town clerks. Simplifile can be reached at (800) 460-5657. Corporation Service Company uses (866) 652-0111. eRecording Partners Network phone is (888) 325-3365. Indecomm Global Services has numbers (651) 766-2350 and (612) 269-5452.

You need a customer ID from the town clerk before using e-recording. Contact the specific town clerk office to set up an account. Documents upload through vendor portals. The system validates formatting and fee calculations. Approved documents get recorded same day if submitted during business hours. The clerk emails back a stamped recorded copy with book and page numbers.

E-recording saves time and travel. You do not need to visit the clerk office. Attorneys and title companies use it for bulk filings. Some transactions still require in-person filing. For example, documents needing original signatures or those with complex attachments may not qualify. Check with your town clerk about e-recording eligibility for specific document types.

Searching Historical Records

Each Fairfield County town maintains grantor-grantee indexes. These alphabetical lists show who conveyed property and who received it. Indexes typically include document type, date recorded, book and page number, and brief property description. Older indexes exist in bound volumes at clerk offices. Newer ones are digital and searchable online.

Connecticut follows the Marketable Record Title Act under CGS Sections 47-33b through 47-33l. This creates marketable title when you have an unbroken chain for 40 years or more. The root of title must be recorded at least 40 years prior. Claims and defects arising before the root automatically get extinguished. This simplifies title searches by limiting how far back you must research.

Town clerks cannot perform title searches for you. They maintain the records but do not interpret legal ownership. Hire a title company or real estate attorney for professional title examination. Some abstract companies specialize in Connecticut land records. They will research chains of title and identify any clouds or defects.

Fees and Costs Across Fairfield County

Public Act 25-168 updated recording fees effective July 1, 2025. Standard recording is seventy dollars first page, five dollars each additional. This applies statewide to all towns. MERS nominee recordings cost one hundred sixty dollars first page. MERS assignments or releases are flat one hundred sixty dollar fee regardless of pages. Other MERS documents add five dollars per page beyond page one.

Copy fees are one dollar per page. Certification costs two dollars per document. Map filing runs twenty dollars. Subdivision maps with three or more parcels are thirty dollars. Foreclosed property registration is seventy dollars. Add two dollars conveyance surcharge when property consideration exceeds two thousand dollars. If grantee address missing, add five dollars. If names not typed under signatures, add one dollar.

Municipal conveyance taxes vary. Stamford charges 0.0035 up to $999,999.99 and 0.0050 above one million. Danbury local rate is 0.0025. State conveyance tax is 0.0075 for residential under eight hundred thousand and 0.0125 above that or for non-residential. These rates apply to the sales price or fair market value, whichever is higher.

Major Cities in Fairfield County

Fairfield County has twelve cities and towns with populations over 25,000. Each operates independent land recording systems. Visit their town clerk offices for local deed research.

• Bridgeport - Population 151,599
• Stamford - Population 139,134
• Norwalk - Population 93,661
• Danbury - Population 88,692
• Fairfield - Population 65,300
• Greenwich - Population 64,594
• Stratford - Population 53,610
• Shelton - Population 42,805
• Trumbull - Population 38,073
• Newtown - Population 28,029
• Westport - Population 27,996
• Ridgefield - Population 25,300

Additional Recording Information

Town clerks record various document types beyond standard warranty deeds. Quit claim deeds transfer whatever interest the grantor owns without warranties. Mortgage deeds create liens against property for loan security. Assignments transfer mortgage interests from one lender to another. Releases discharge mortgages when loans get paid off. Affidavits can correct errors or provide additional title information.

Easements and restrictions also get recorded. Utility easements grant rights to run lines across property. Access easements provide road or driveway rights. Conservation easements limit development. Restrictive covenants impose use limitations. These all run with the land and bind future owners. Connecticut law now provides forms to remove unlawful restrictive covenants such as discriminatory race-based restrictions.

Liens appear in land records too. Mechanics liens claim payment for construction work or materials. Tax liens secure unpaid property taxes. Judgment liens arise from court orders. Lis pendens notices warn of pending litigation affecting title. UCC fixture filings for business personal property may be recorded with the town clerk instead of Secretary of State in certain cases.

Property Fraud Alert Services

Some Fairfield County towns offer free fraud alert systems. Norwalk provides a Property Alert Service where you can sign up for email notifications whenever documents record under your name.

Register your name and email address to receive automatic alerts. This helps detect deed fraud where criminals record fake documents to steal property. The alert comes within hours of recording. You can then investigate and challenge fraudulent filings quickly. Other towns use similar systems through SearchIQS or other vendors.

Monitor your property regularly even without alert services. Check land records every few months to verify no unexpected documents appear. Identity theft sometimes includes deed fraud. Scammers forge signatures and record fraudulent deeds or mortgages. Early detection prevents major losses. Report suspicious activity to local police and the town clerk immediately.

Connecticut State Resources

The Connecticut Secretary of State provides business entity information but not land records. Business filings, trade names, and UCC records go through that office. Land records remain with town clerks under Connecticut's decentralized system.

Connecticut Department of Revenue Services handles conveyance tax administration. Their website at portal.ct.gov/drs has forms and instructions. Form OP-236 is the main conveyance tax return. Download it or file electronically through myCTREC. Questions about conveyance tax can go to DRS at 1-800-382-8963 or 1-860-297-5962.

The Connecticut Judicial Branch maintains court records separate from land records. Judgments, divorces, probate matters, and foreclosure proceedings appear in court files. Some documents like judgment liens and lis pendens get recorded with town clerks after court filing. Check both court records and land records for complete title information.

Nearby Connecticut Counties

Fairfield County borders several other Connecticut counties. Each has similar town-based recording systems. New Haven County sits to the east. Litchfield County is north. Westchester County, New York, lies to the west across the state line. Properties near county borders may have related documents in neighboring jurisdictions.

Check the appropriate town clerk for land located in other counties. Hartford County includes the state capital and surrounding towns. New London County covers southeastern Connecticut. Middlesex, Tolland, and Windham counties fill out the rest of the state. All use the same basic recording system with town clerks maintaining land records.