Union County Property Records and Deeds
Union County property records are maintained by the Clerk of Court in Union, the county seat. The Clerk's office records and preserves deeds, mortgages, plats, liens, and other instruments that create or affect interests in real estate within Union County. Located in the Piedmont region of South Carolina, Union County borders Cherokee, Spartanburg, Laurens, Newberry, Chester, and York counties. Property owners, title researchers, and members of the public can access Union County property records through the Clerk of Court office in Union or through statewide online tools that index recorded instruments from across South Carolina.
Union County Quick Facts
Union County Clerk of Court
The Union County Clerk of Court serves as the official recording office for real property instruments in Union County. Under S.C. Code Ann. Section 30-5-10, counties not specifically listed as having a separate Register of Deeds perform recording duties through the Clerk of Court. Union County is one of those counties. The Clerk records deeds, mortgages, plats, mechanic's liens, lis pendens notices, easements, and other instruments affecting title to real estate in Union County.
The Union County official website at unioncounty.org provides information on county government services and departments.
The Union County Clerk of Court handles all real estate recording for the county from the county seat in Union, South Carolina.
Every instrument received at the Clerk's office is logged in the order of receipt, assigned a reel and page number, scanned, and indexed by party names and a short property description. Under S.C. Code Ann. Section 30-5-90, recording must be completed within thirty days of lodgment. The original document is returned to the submitting party after recording. The office retains microfilm copies as permanent historical records for Union County.
| Office | Union County Clerk of Court |
|---|---|
| Mailing Address | P.O. Box 703, Union, SC 29379 |
| Phone | (864) 429-1630 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM |
| Website | unioncounty.org |
Searching Union County Property Records
Union County property records can be accessed in person at the Clerk of Court office in Union. Staff can search the document index by grantor and grantee name and provide copies of recorded instruments. Bring the names of the parties and a date range if you have one. For title research, the deed index at the Clerk's office is the authoritative source for all recorded instruments in Union County.
The SC Land Records portal at sclandrecords.com provides an online index that includes instruments recorded in Union County. You can search by grantor or grantee name and view a brief legal description of the property referenced in each document. The portal also shows the book and page location where the document can be found in the Clerk's records. Use the portal as a starting point for online research, then confirm your findings against the actual documents at the Clerk's office for title purposes.
The SC Land Records portal at sclandrecords.com indexes ownership and document information for Union County parcels. This tool gives a quick overview of current ownership before undertaking a full title search at the Clerk of Court.
Note: Online records may not include every instrument recorded in Union County, particularly for older documents that were not digitized when the statewide system was implemented.
Types of Documents Recorded in Union County
The Union County Clerk of Court records all instruments that affect title to real estate within the county. Conveyance documents include general warranty deeds, limited warranty deeds, and quitclaim deeds. The Clerk also records deeds of trust, mortgages, mortgage satisfaction certificates, and assignments. Plats showing lot layouts and boundary surveys are part of the Union County record system and must be recorded to establish legal lot lines in subdivision developments.
Additional recorded instruments include easements, right-of-way grants, homeowner and condominium association documents, mechanic's liens, materialman's liens, judgment liens, lis pendens filings, and UCC fixture filings when personal property becomes attached to real estate. Recording each of these instruments creates a public notice that protects the interests of the recording party against later claims by parties who did not have notice of the instrument.
All instruments recorded in Union County must comply with S.C. Code Ann. Section 30-5-30, which requires proper acknowledgment before recording. Section 30-5-35 requires a derivation clause in deeds and mortgages executed after July 1, 1976, as well as the mailing address of the grantee or mortgagee on the face of the document. Documents that do not meet these requirements will be returned without recording.
Recording Fees and Requirements in Union County
Union County charges $15 for the first page and $2 for each additional page of a recorded instrument. Documents must be on 8.5 by 11-inch or 8.5 by 14-inch paper. The top margin of the first page must be at least three inches for the recording stamp, and all other margins must be at least one inch. Text must be legible and printed or typed in a readable font no smaller than 10 points.
Deeds that transfer real property in Union County are also subject to the South Carolina Deed Recording Fee of $1.85 per $500 of value, or fraction of $500, on transactions of $100 or more. This fee is split between the state ($1.30 per $500) and the county ($0.55 per $500). The Clerk collects both and remits the state's portion monthly through the MyDORWAY electronic system. Certain transfers are exempt from the deed recording fee, including those between family members meeting statutory requirements and transfers to or from government entities.
For detailed guidance on the deed recording fee, how it is calculated, and which exemptions apply, the South Carolina Department of Revenue deed recording fee page is the primary reference. This page links to SC Revenue Ruling 17-5, a comprehensive question-and-answer document covering the full range of transfer scenarios encountered in Union County and across South Carolina.
The image below links to the SC Association of Counties, which supports all 46 county recording offices including Union County.
The South Carolina Association of Counties provides resources on county government operations and property records management practices statewide.
The association works with all recording offices to promote consistent practices in handling real property instruments across South Carolina.
Property Assessment in Union County
The Union County Assessor's Office values all real property within the county for ad valorem taxation. The Assessor maintains records that include parcel identification numbers, ownership information, legal descriptions, and assessed values. These records complement the deed records at the Clerk of Court. When the Clerk records a new deed, that ownership change updates the Assessor's rolls for the following tax year.
Under South Carolina Code Title 12, Chapter 37, the assessment ratios used in Union County are the same as those applied statewide. Owner-occupied primary residences are assessed at 4% of fair market value. Agricultural property in active use also carries a 4% rate. All other real property, including commercial buildings, investment properties, and second homes, is assessed at 6% of fair market value.
South Carolina requires each county to conduct a full countywide reassessment every five years, with a one-year extension allowed by county ordinance. Between reassessments, Act 388 of 2006 caps taxable value increases at 15% for property that has not been sold or transferred. When a property in Union County is sold or otherwise transferred in a qualifying Assessable Transfer of Interest (ATI), it is reassessed at full fair market value for the next tax year. New buyers should expect their first property tax bill to reflect the purchase price of the property.
The Union County GIS mapping system provides parcel boundary data and ownership information accessible through the county's online resources. GIS data can help identify parcel numbers needed to search both Assessor and Clerk of Court records for specific properties.
Historical Property Records in Union County
Union County was established in 1785, making it one of South Carolina's older counties. It was originally called Union County because of a church union that gave the area its name before formal county organization. Deed records from the earliest period of the county are held at the Clerk of Court and at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History in Columbia. The Archives holds state land grant records, surveyor general plat books, and other collections relevant to Union County's early property history.
The South Carolina Department of Archives and History maintains the Colonial Plat Books from 1731 to 1775 and the State Plat Books from 1784 to 1868. These records document the original land grants for the region that became Union County. For research on properties with chains of title stretching back to the colonial or early statehood period, the Archives is the best resource. Researchers can contact the Archives in Columbia to access these collections and request copies of specific plat records.
Note: For properties in the Tyger River and Broad River corridors of Union County, historical boundary disputes and land grants may affect older title chains. A licensed attorney familiar with South Carolina title law can help resolve gaps or conflicts in early records.
SC Land Records Portal and Statewide Resources
The SC Land Records portal gives online access to deed and mortgage records from Union County and all other South Carolina recording districts. The portal is maintained with county recording offices as partners and is updated as new instruments are indexed. It supports searches by grantor or grantee name across multiple counties at once, which is useful when a property's history spans more than one county over time.
The South Carolina Judicial Branch at sccourts.org maintains court records that affect property in Union County. Foreclosure actions, judgment liens, and estate proceedings involving real estate all generate court records that should be checked alongside the Clerk of Court deed index when conducting a title search. Searching both the recording records and the court records together gives a complete picture of the state of title for any Union County parcel.
The South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 30, Chapter 5, is the foundation for all property recording in Union County. Reviewing key sections of the code, including 30-5-10 on which office handles recording, 30-5-30 on acknowledgment requirements, and 30-5-90 on recording order and timing, helps property owners and professionals understand what to expect when working with the Clerk of Court in Union.
Nearby Counties
Union County borders six other South Carolina counties. Each has its own recording office. Confirm the county in which a parcel is located before requesting records to make sure you contact the right office.