Clark County Property Records
Clark County property records are maintained at the Recorder of Deeds office in Kahoka, Missouri. This northeast Missouri county holds land records that go back to 1836. If you are looking to search for deeds, check on liens, or trace the ownership of a piece of land in Clark County, the Recorder's office and its online portal are your main starting points. The county has nearly 8,000 parcels on file, and all recorded documents are available to the public for review. Clark County property records cover deeds, trust documents, plats, surveys, and other instruments that affect land ownership.
Clark County Quick Facts
Clark County Recorder of Deeds
Melissa Bevans serves as the Recorder of Deeds for Clark County. The office is at 111 E Court St, Suite 130, in Kahoka. You can reach the office by phone at (660) 727-8261 or by fax at (660) 727-8279. Email inquiries go to recorder@clarkcountymo.org. The office website at clarkcountymo.org has more details about services and recording requirements.
All property documents in Clark County must be filed at this office. That includes warranty deeds, quit claim deeds, deeds of trust, releases, liens, and plats. The Recorder stamps each document with the date and time of recording and assigns it a book and page number. This creates a permanent public record of the filing. Missouri law under Chapter 59 sets out the duties and procedures for county recorders.
| Office | Clark County Recorder of Deeds |
|---|---|
| Recorder | Melissa Bevans |
| Address | 111 E Court St, Ste 130, Kahoka, MO 63445 |
| Phone | (660) 727-8261 |
| Fax | (660) 727-8279 |
| recorder@clarkcountymo.org |
Search Clark County Property Records Online
Clark County property records are available through the iRecord online portal. The system covers records dating back to 1836, which is an impressive span for a digital search tool. You will need to log in to use the search features. Once inside, you can look up documents by grantor or grantee name, document type, or recording date.
The screenshot below shows the Clark County online records portal.
The portal is a solid tool for title research, lien searches, and checking recent recordings in Clark County. Keep in mind that a login is required, and some document images may cost a per-page fee to download or print.
Clark County Property Recording Fees
Recording fees in Clark County follow the Missouri state schedule. A standard document costs $24 for the first page and $3 for each additional page. Non-standard documents that fail to meet formatting rules cost $49 for the first page. Plats have their own fee structure depending on size.
- Standard document: $24 first page, $3 each additional
- Non-standard document: $49 first page, $3 each additional
- Plats (18.5" x 24"): $44 first page, $25 additional
- Plats (24" x 36"): $69 first page, $50 additional
- Surveys (18" x 24"): $24 first page, $5 additional
Missouri law requires documents to be on 8.5 by 11 inch white paper with a minimum 3-inch top margin on the first page. The type must be at least 8-point size, as stated in Section 59.310 of the Missouri Revised Statutes. Documents that do not meet these standards still get recorded, but the non-standard fee applies. Under Section 59.313, that adds a $25 penalty to the base recording fee.
Clark County Property Tax Details
The property tax rate in Clark County is 0.96%. The median home value sits at $82,550, which is well below the statewide average. Median rent in the county is $636.50 and the median household income is $52,246. Of the 7,858 total parcels in the county, 4,462 are residential.
Missouri assesses real property every odd-numbered year. The county assessor determines the market value, then applies the state assessment ratio. For homes, that ratio is 19% of market value. Commercial property is assessed at 32%, and agricultural land at 12%. Tax bills go out by November 1 and are due December 31. The Missouri Department of Revenue offers property tax credits for qualifying seniors and disabled veterans.
Missouri Land Record Resources
The Missouri State Archives Land Records Database holds over 280,000 entries of land patents from 1777 to 1969. This is a key resource for tracing early land ownership in Clark County. The database covers French and Spanish land concessions, federal land sales, and state-issued patents. You can search by name, year, or county.
The Bureau of Land Management also has federal land patent records for Missouri. These show the original sales of public land to private owners. For genealogy research, the FamilySearch Missouri Land and Property guide explains how to find county deed records on microfilm. The Missouri Recorders Association provides contact details for all 115 county offices and current recording guidelines.
Note: Under Missouri law, records filed after December 31, 1969 must be requested from the original recorder's office where they were filed.
Property owners in Clark County can also protect themselves from deed fraud by keeping track of new filings. Some Missouri counties offer free fraud alert services that send a notice when a document is recorded under your name. If Clark County does not yet provide this service, you can check the iRecord portal on a regular basis to see if any new documents have been filed against your property. Catching unauthorized filings early is key. The sooner you spot a problem, the easier it is to fix. Contact the Recorder's office in Kahoka right away if you see a filing you did not authorize.
When you request copies of Clark County property records, expect to pay $2 for the first page and $1 for each page after that. Certified copies cost more. If you need a certified deed for a real estate closing or a court case, let the Recorder's staff know so they can add the seal and signature. Most copy requests are filled the same day if you visit in person.
Nearby Counties
Clark County sits in the northeast corner of Missouri. If the property you are searching for is near a county border, double-check which county it falls in before filing or searching for records.