Courthouse Research for Renewable Energy
Courthouse research for renewable energy involves visiting courthouses to review land-related documentation, understand how property has changed hands over time, and identify encumbrances. Land research performed in courthouses is often summarized into run sheets and land ownership reports.
The Digital Age & Courthouse Research
Why is courthouse research still necessary in today’s era of digitized records, search engines, and artificial intelligence? Although some courthouse records are available through the Internet, many are not—especially very old records that date back to the point of granting. Such documents typically exist in hard copy format and are stored in a courthouse’s index books.
Most courthouse research activities fall into one of the following categories:
● Pulling the tax card for one or more properties
● Locating the correct index book(s)
● Checking for recorded options, mortgages, easements, and memorandums
● Scanning and saving images of documents
● Taking notes
Important Note: Memorandums—recordable documents that allude to other documents—are commonly used by energy companies. Memorandums acknowledge that an agreement exists without revealing every detail, helping avoid unnecessary attention from speculators.
Variations in Courthouse Research
Autonomy at the state and local levels lead to differences in how land records are prepared, stored, and made accessible. Such realities impact how courthouse research is performed.
For example, Indiana utilizes a township land survey system, while the neighboring state of Kentucky uses the metes and bounds method. Index books are organized by township in Indiana but not in Kentucky.
Documents are not always available at the local courthouse level. For example, Illinois and other early players in the oil and gas industry keep certain documents at the state level. In such cases, researchers may have to visit the state’s capital city to access records.
Experienced Land Pros for Courthouse Research
Looking for courthouse research support for a renewable project? Contact New Era Land Services to learn about our courthouse research capabilities.