Lorain County, Ohio public records

In Lorain County, deeds are recorded by the Lorain County Recorder; property values come from the Lorain County Auditor; court files are split between the Lorain County Domestic Relations Court and the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas.

Last checked against official sources on November 4, 2026.

On this page

1. Where to get each record
2. Deeds and land records
3. Property values, owners and tax bills
4. Court records: which clerk keeps which case
5. Marriage records
6. Divorce records
7. Birth certificates
8. Death certificates
9. Probate records and wills
10. Voter records
11. Historical records
12. Good to know about Lorain County records
13. Office addresses, phones and hours
14. Records that are not online: public records requests
15. Questions people ask
16. Official copies vs look-alike sites
17. Sources

Where to get each record

Deeds and land records

Deeds, mortgages and other land documents for property in Lorain County are recorded by the Lorain County Recorder.⁵

Online search

recorder.dts-oh-lorain.com/paxworld²

Cost

Account³

Who runs it

Document Technology Systems, Ltd. (DTS) public access portal, linked from the Recorder's Property Search page¹⁵

Copy fee

Regular copy: $2.00 per page (download from online Property Search is free)⁴

Certified copy fee

$2.00 per page plus $1.00 for certifying with seal⁴

How to order

Download a free copy through online Property Search; for a certified copy, visit the Recorder's office³

Recording fee

$39.00 for the first two pages, $8.00 for each additional page (deeds, mortgages and most documents); 2026 schedule⁴

Earliest record

1824³

Military discharges

DD-214/NGB-22 recordings are protected: only the veteran or authorized individuals can access them; one certified copy is free³

Property fraud alert

The Recorder offers a free Property Alert program¹⁶

How deeds work in Ohio

Property values, owners and tax bills

The Lorain County Auditor (real estate appraisal and valuation) sets property values³; the Lorain County Treasurer bills and collects the tax³.

Property search

loraincountyauditor.gov/Search (search by location, parcel number, sales, name)⁶

Tax bill search

loraincountytreasurer.gov/Search (name, location, property number, account number)⁷

Tax payment

Online tax payments through payments.municipay.com/oh_lorain, linked by the Treasurer¹⁷

Parcel map (GIS)

Auditor's GIS Portal loraingis.maps.arcgis.com/home/index.html and GIS Open Data portal data-loraingis.opendata.arcgis.com¹⁸

Bulk data

The Auditor publishes free downloads of real estate data (Excel, XML, SQLite)¹⁸

Appealing a value

Board of Revision: file form DTE 1 between January 1 and March 31 (deadline for tax year 2025 values was March 31, 2026)¹⁹

How property tax works in Ohio

Court records: which clerk keeps which case

Online since

Online case dockets start October 1987; the Clerk's page also says records 'since 1988' are online¹¹

Older records

Pre-October-1987 records: in the Clerk's Records Department, 8 am to 4 pm, Monday-Friday¹¹

Fees

Copies of pleadings, process, record or files: $1 per page including certificate and seal (ORC 2303.20 schedule as posted by the Clerk)¹¹

How Ohio courts keep their files

Marriage records

Kept by the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division.⁸

Marriage license

$57.00, cash; by appointment only (440-329-5295); license valid 60 days²⁰

Certified copy

$1 per copy, by Certified Marriage License Request Form²⁰

Ohio marriage records, statewide

Divorce records

Kept by the Lorain County Domestic Relations Court.⁵

Records

Divorce case copies: Clerk of Courts Records Department, 440-329-5511²¹

Ohio divorce records: decree or state record

Birth certificates

Kept by the Lorain County Public Health, Vital Statistics.¹²

Coverage

Certified copies for anyone born in Ohio, 1908 to present¹²

Fee

$25 per certified copy; uncertified copies not available¹²

How to order

In person, by mail with application and self-addressed stamped envelope, or online/phone through VitalChek (extra fee)¹²

Genealogy

Genealogy requests by appointment only, by email¹²

Ordering an Ohio birth certificate

Death certificates

Kept by the Lorain County Public Health, Vital Statistics.¹²

Coverage

Certified copies for deaths anywhere in Ohio from 1975 to present; pre-1975 only if the death occurred in Lorain County¹³

Fee

$25 per certified copy¹³

SSN restriction

For five years after death the SSN is left off unless the requester is in a listed category (spouse, lineal descendant, executor, etc.)¹³

Ordering an Ohio death certificate

Probate records and wills

Kept by the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division.⁸

Updated

Updated every Saturday¹⁰

Finding a will or probate case in Ohio

Voter records

Kept by the Lorain County Board of Elections.⁸

Official page

voteloraincountyohio.gov²²

Historical records

Tax duplicates

The Records Center holds Auditor's tax duplicate records back to 1824 on microfilm for house-history research²¹

Naturalization

Historical naturalization records (1853-1986) were transferred in January 2021 to the Ohio History Connection State Archives; the Clerk can no longer certify them²³

Good to know about Lorain County records

• Lorain County abolished the Torrens land registration system in 1995; all land records now use Ohio's standard recording system.²⁴
• Recorder's oldest record dates to 1824.²⁴
• Recorded veteran discharges go back to 1865.²⁵
• Probate records are available from 1824.¹⁰
• Naturalization records moved to the Ohio History Connection State Archives in January 2021.²³
• The Clerk of Courts also runs auto title and passport offices in Elyria and Lorain.⁹
• The Clerk warns that search-engine links may not match the current court dockets.⁹
• The Auditor posted a notice about a data security incident on May 23.⁸

Office addresses, phones and hours

Records that are not online: public records requests

Request page

loraincountyohio.gov/…³¹

Where to send it

Commissioners' records: the County Clerk (Clerk of the Board); each elected office answers for its own records³¹

Fees

Inspection free; first 5 paper copies free, then 5 cents per page (Commissioners' records)³¹

Auditor policy

loraincountyauditor.gov/…⁸

How to write a public records request

Questions people ask

Other counties in Ohio with a full guide: Allen County, Ashland County, Ashtabula County, Athens County, Belmont County, Butler County, Clark County, Clermont County, Columbiana County, Cuyahoga County, Darke County, Delaware County, Erie County, Fairfield County, Franklin County, Greene County, Hamilton County, Hancock County, Huron County, Jefferson County, Knox County, Lake County, Lawrence County, Licking County, Lucas County, Mahoning County, Marion County, Medina County, Miami County, Montgomery County, Muskingum County, Pickaway County, Portage County, Richland County, Ross County, Sandusky County, Scioto County, Seneca County, Stark County, Summit County, Trumbull County, Tuscarawas County, Union County, Warren County, Washington County, Wayne County, Wood County. Every county in the state: Ohio county list.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 32 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

1. Government Units List 2026US Census Bureau
2. Property SearchLorain County Recorder
3. FAQLorain County Recorder
4. 2026 Recorder Fees & Recorded DocumentsLorain County Recorder
5. County Elected OfficialsLorain County Commissioners
6. Property SearchLorain County Auditor
7. SearchLorain County Treasurer
8. HomeLorain County Auditor
9. Clerk of CourtsLorain County Clerk of Courts (county site)
10. Search RecordsLorain County Probate Court
11. Fees ScheduleLorain County Clerk of Courts
12. Birth CertificatesLorain County Public Health
13. Death CertificatesLorain County Public Health
14. Ohio Revised Code 1329.01 – Trade name registrationOhio Legislative Service Commission (codes.ohio.gov)
15. LORAIN COUNTY PUBLIC ACCESS (DTS) login pageDocument Technology Systems, Ltd. for the Lorain County Recorder
16. HomeLorain County Recorder
17. HomeLorain County Treasurer
18. GIS / Tax MapLorain County Auditor
19. Board of RevisionLorain County Auditor
20. Marriage LicensesLorain County Probate Court
21. Records Retention CenterLorain County
22. HomeLorain County Board of Elections
23. Naturalization RecordsLorain County Clerk of Courts
24. AboutLorain County Recorder
25. VeteransLorain County Recorder
26. ContactLorain County Recorder
27. Driving DirectionsLorain County Auditor
28. ContactLorain County Treasurer
29. Office Locations and Hours of OperationLorain County Clerk of Courts
30. Probate Court homeLorain County Probate Court
31. Public Records PolicyLorain County Commissioners
32. County population totals: Vintage 2025 (July 1, 2025)US Census Bureau