St. Louis County Property Records

St. Louis County is the largest county in Minnesota by area and one of the most active for property records, with roughly 170,000 parcels covering vast stretches of forest, lake, and urban land. The County Recorder's office in Duluth maintains all official records for deeds, mortgages, liens, and other property documents. Multiple online tools are available to search St. Louis County property records, including Beacon, LandShark, and the county's own records portal.

St. Louis County Recorder

The St. Louis County Recorder maintains all legal real estate records for the county. The office is located at the Historic Courthouse in Duluth, Room 101. Deeds, mortgages, satisfactions, liens, federal and state tax liens, easements, and all other documents that affect land ownership are recorded here. Documents must meet Minnesota's state requirements, including original signatures, notarization, a legal description, and the preparer's name on the first page.

St. Louis County offers e-recording for title companies, lenders, and law firms that use approved electronic submission vendors. This is the fastest way to get documents recorded without an in-person visit. Paper documents can also be submitted by mail or in person at the Duluth courthouse. Documents are accepted until 4:15 PM each weekday, even though the office closes at 4:30 PM. UCC filings and Torrens registration documents are also handled by this office.

The full records search portal for St. Louis County is at stlouiscountymn.gov. From there you can access all online search tools, including Beacon, LandShark, and the document lookup system. Certified copies of recorded documents are available from the Recorder's office for $10 base plus per-page charges.

St. Louis County Property Assessment

Property assessment in St. Louis County covers one of the most complex parcel inventories in the state. The roughly 170,000 parcels include urban properties in Duluth, lakefront cabins, timber and agricultural land, and large tracts of forest. The assessor's office values and classifies each parcel under Minnesota law, setting estimated market values as of January 2 each year. Notices go out in March, and the Board of Appeal and Equalization meets in the spring to hear challenges.

All properties are physically inspected on a five-year cycle. Classification affects the tax rate, so it matters whether your parcel is labeled residential, agricultural, commercial, or seasonal recreational. Lakefront and cabin properties in St. Louis County have their own considerations under state class rate rules. Homestead status is also tracked by the assessor's office and can lower taxable market value for primary-residence owners. Tax-forfeited land is another part of the county's work, given the volume of properties that enter forfeiture over time.

If you disagree with the assessor's value after the local board meeting, you can appeal to the County Board of Equalization and then to the Minnesota Tax Court. The deadline is usually 30 days after valuation notices are mailed in March.

The screenshot below shows the Minnesota PRISM property records system, which aggregates St. Louis County parcel data along with the rest of the state.

PRISM collects assessment and property data from all Minnesota counties, including St. Louis County, and is maintained by the Minnesota Department of Revenue.

Search St. Louis County Property Records Online

St. Louis County offers several tools for searching property records online. The main hub is the county's records search page, which links to all available systems. For parcel-level data, valuations, and sales history, use Beacon by Schneider Corp. Beacon is free and does not require a login for basic searches. You can look up parcels by PIN, address, or owner name, and the map interface lets you view boundaries across the county's large geography.

For GIS mapping and spatial data, LandShark provides parcel boundaries, aerial imagery, zoning layers, and topographic data. LandShark is especially useful for the rural and forested areas that make up most of St. Louis County's land area. Both tools are available 24 hours a day.

For recorded document images, check the county's document search option through the records search portal. That system lets you search by party name, document type, or date range. Some records may require a fee to view images, depending on the system used. Older documents may only be available in person at the Recorder's office.

Note: Always contact the Recorder's office at 218-726-2559 to confirm current ownership or get certified copies of specific documents.

St. Louis County Property Record Types

The Recorder's office holds all major categories of real property documents for St. Louis County. Deeds are the most common. They transfer ownership from seller to buyer and must be recorded under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 507 to protect the new owner against future claims. A deed that is not recorded has no public notice value, which means other buyers or creditors may not be bound by it.

Mortgages, mortgage satisfactions, and releases are also filed here. When a loan is secured by property, the lender records the mortgage to make that interest public. When paid off, the lender files a release or satisfaction. Other records include easements, plats, certificates of survey, federal and state tax liens, mechanics liens, and declarations of covenants. Well disclosure certificates are required on most transfers and are either attached to the deed or recorded separately.

Some St. Louis County parcels are registered under the Torrens system, governed by Minnesota Statutes Chapter 508. Torrens titles rely on a court-issued Certificate of Title rather than a chain of recorded abstract documents. The county maintains both abstract and Torrens records. Given the size of St. Louis County, the mix of title types is significant, and buyers should confirm which system applies to their parcel before closing.

Recording Fees and Transfer Taxes

Recording fees in St. Louis County follow the state standard. The base fee is $46 for the first page of any document, plus $4 for each additional page. Plats cost $56 to record. Well disclosure certificates filed separately cost $50, but if you attach the certificate to the deed at recording, the separate fee does not apply.

The State Deed Tax under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 287 is 0.33% of the net consideration, with a minimum of $1.65. On a $250,000 property sale, that comes to $825. The Mortgage Registry Tax is 0.23% of the principal debt amount. On a $200,000 mortgage, that is $460. Both taxes are due at the time of recording and must be included with your submission.

Certified copies of recorded documents cost $10 base plus per-page fees. You can request copies in person at the Duluth courthouse or by mail. Call 218-726-2559 to confirm accepted payment methods before submitting documents by mail.

Property Tax in St. Louis County

St. Louis County property taxes are due in two payments per year under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 279. The first half is due May 15 and the second half is due October 15. Taxes unpaid after May 15 become delinquent the following January 1 and begin accruing interest at 9 to 10 percent per year.

Valuations are set as of January 2 each year. The county mails tax statements and valuation notices in March. The state's general property tax rules under Chapter 272 and valuation standards under Chapter 273 govern all assessments in St. Louis County. The county administers a large volume of tax-forfeited land sales, which reflects the size and complexity of the county's parcel inventory.

Properties that remain delinquent for three years can enter forfeiture. The county acquires title to those parcels and may sell them at public auction. St. Louis County lists tax-forfeited properties available for sale through the county's land records page. The Minnesota Department of Revenue property tax page explains the statewide rules.

The screenshot below shows the Minnesota Department of Revenue property taxes page, which covers statewide rules that apply to all St. Louis County property owners.

The state property taxes page covers deadlines, delinquency rules, and how the forfeiture process works for all Minnesota counties, including St. Louis County.

Well disclosure is required on most Minnesota property transfers. Sellers must file a well disclosure certificate at or before closing. More information is at health.state.mn.us.

Cities in St. Louis County

St. Louis County is home to Duluth, the county seat and Minnesota's third-largest city. Duluth sits at the western tip of Lake Superior and is the center of most county government services including the Recorder's office. Other communities in the county include Virginia, Hibbing, Eveleth, and Two Harbors. Property records for all land in St. Louis County, regardless of the city or township, are filed with the County Recorder in Duluth.

Nearby Counties

St. Louis County shares borders with several other northern Minnesota counties. Each county keeps its own property records through its county recorder's office.