deedplatState guides / Tennessee / Shelby County
Shelby County property data
Where Shelby County's property records live, how its tax and foreclosure sales work, and what Deedplat puts on one map, including Memphis.
- 7Cities and towns
- 353,000Parcels
Where the records are
The county offices an investor deals with in Shelby County, and what each one puts online.
Deeds and mortgages
Shelby County Register of Deeds. Free online property search of recorded indexes and images, with partial coverage back to 1820.
Owners and values
Shelby County Assessor of Property. Free residential and commercial property search with owner, appraisal and assessment, plus recent qualified sales and a tax calculator.
Tax sales
Shelby County Trustee and Chancery Court Clerk and Master. The Trustee posts the sale schedule and a downloadable CSV of every property in the sale, and bidding is online at ZeusAuction.com.
Foreclosure sales
Substitute trustees (notices in The Daily News, Memphis). The Daily News lists foreclosure notices online with borrower, property address and advertised auction date.
Parcel maps
Shelby County Register of Deeds GIS. Free online parcel map from the Register of Deeds.
How property is sold here
Shelby County follows Tennessee's rules, with its own calendar and offices. Read the Tennessee guide for how the state works.
Tax sales
Tennessee sells the property itself, not tax liens, and the former owner keeps a right to redeem after the sale. In Shelby County, delinquent taxes for the county, Memphis and the other cities are sold by the Chancery Court Clerk and Master in online auctions on ZeusAuction.com, two to four times a year. Tax Sale 2301 is set for October 27, 2026 and Tax Sale 2302 for April 13, 2027, with notices published in The Daily News and the property list posted by the Trustee.
Foreclosure sales
Most Tennessee foreclosures are non-judicial trustee's sales held by a substitute trustee at public auction, not by the sheriff. In Shelby County the notices run in The Daily News in Memphis, which lists each property and its advertised auction date.
Assessed values
Shelby County reappraises all real property every four years; the last reappraisal took effect January 1, 2025 and the next is set for January 1, 2029.
Transfer tax
Tennessee charges a realty transfer tax of $0.37 per $100 of the price and a mortgage tax of $0.115 per $100 of debt (first $2,000 exempt), collected by the Register of Deeds, with no added Memphis or county transfer tax.
Land bank
The Shelby County Land Bank sells tax sale properties the county took back, at the Assessor's appraised value, through an online application with a $70 fee and County Commission approval.
Worth knowing
Since April 2024 Shelby County tax sales have been held online through ZeusAuction.com instead of in a courtroom.
Worth knowing
A Chancellor must confirm each tax sale before it is final, and the Land Bank does not list a property until the redemption period ends.
Worth knowing
The Assessor values more than 353,000 real estate parcels, and Memphis and the suburban cities all use the county's appraisals.
Every town in Shelby County
The cities, towns and townships inside the county line.
- Arlington town
- Bartlett city
- Collierville town
- Germantown city
- Lakeland city
- Memphis city
- Millington city
Questions
Where are deeds recorded in Shelby County?
Deeds and mortgages are recorded by the Shelby County Register of Deeds in Memphis. Indexes and images can be searched free on the Register's website, with partial records back to 1820.
When is the Shelby County tax sale?
Shelby County holds online tax sales on ZeusAuction.com a few times a year. Tax Sale 2301 is October 27, 2026 and Tax Sale 2302 is April 13, 2027, per the Trustee's schedule.
How do I find who owns a property in Shelby County?
Use the Shelby County Assessor of Property's free property search by address, owner or parcel number.
Are Shelby County property records online?
Yes. Recorded documents, Assessor values, the tax sale property list and parcel maps are free online.
Sources for this guide
Office hours, fees and sale dates change. We checked these sources in October 2026; confirm with the county before you act.
- register.shelby.tn.us/
- register.shelby.tn.us/about-us
- register.shelby.tn.us/fee-schedule
- assessor.shelbycountytn.gov/
- assessor.shelbycountytn.gov/WhyReappraisal
- shelbycountytn.gov/68/Assessor-of-Property
- shelbycountytn.gov/330/Tax-Sale-Information
- shelbycountytrustee.com/191/Tax-Sale-Schedule
- landbank.shelbycountytn.gov/faqs
- tn.gov/revenue/taxes/local-taxes/recordation-taxes/due-date-tax-rate.html
- memphisdailynews.com/notices/2026/Jul/15/
Every parcel in Shelby County, on one map
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