Skip to content
Order a search

Service 03

The exposures that never reach the county record.

Comprehensive municipal compliance research covering the charges a standard title search can't see. We check with the municipality itself for open code violations, unpaid utilities, permit status, and assessments that can attach to the property after closing.

Municipal Lien Solutions

Why it matters

Some of the costliest post-closing surprises are municipal — a code fine, a lapsed permit, an unpaid utility balance that attaches to the property rather than the person. None of it lives on the county record, so we ask the municipality directly and put the answer in front of you before it becomes the new owner's problem.

7 deliverables

What you can order

  1. 01

    Unrecorded Municipal Liens

    Municipal charges that attach to the property but never appear on the county record. Invisible to a standard title search, they're a frequent source of post-closing surprises — which is exactly why we go to the municipality directly.

  2. 02

    Code Violations

    Open building- or property-code issues that can carry fines or cloud title. Surfaced before closing so they can be cured or negotiated, not discovered by the new owner.

  3. 03

    Utility Balances

    Outstanding water and sewer account balances owed on the property. In many municipalities these attach to the property itself, so an unpaid balance becomes the buyer's problem if it isn't caught.

  4. 04

    Open & Expired Permits

    Permits still open or lapsed that can complicate a sale. Often a signal of unfinished or uninspected work a municipality can later require to be closed out.

  5. 05

    Special Assessments

    Local assessments — for improvements and similar municipal projects — levied against the property. These can represent a significant obligation a standard tax search won't show.

  6. 06

    Environmental Liens

    Environmental charges recorded against the property. They can carry substantial cost and liability, so confirming their presence or absence is essential before closing.

  7. 07

    Unpaid Utility Fees

    One-off municipal service charges beyond standard account balances — final-read fees, connection or disconnection charges, and similar. We account for the full picture so no municipal obligation is left to attach after the sale.