1.What type of support does the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office provide with the Online Land Records System?

2.What are the hours of operation?

3.What document images are available for viewing?

4.What type of viewer do I need to view the document images on this site?

5.The document window will not open, or it opens and then immediately closes, what do I do?

7.Why is the document not loading into a new window?

8.How can I force the document to load in Adobe Reader instead of as an Internet Browser Plug in?

9.How do I print a document?

10.The image of the document is not clear or is unreadable, how do I get a clean copy of the document?

11.Which keys can I use to navigate through the search results without using the mouse?

12.Why does the next page option show me the same results?

13.Is the search system compatible with a Macintosh system?

14.I received a 500 error when trying to open a document image, why can’t I view the document?

15.Can I change the default colors of the search system?

16.What is Surname?  What is Given name?

17.Why is the Party search method slower than the other search methods?

18.What document types are available to search by?

19.What are the options for the Party Type box selection?

21.What book types are available to search by?

22.What is the "Refers to"?

23.Why is the Refers to link not working from the document detail screen?

24.Does the system allow me to search by property address or parcel ID number?

25.Is there a limit on the number of property descriptions listed on the results page?

26.Why did my browser's back button return me to the search criteria page instead of the previous list of results?

27.Why does the search option page remember the search criteria and how do I clear it?

28.Why can't I view a Condominium PLAT document type image?

29.How do I search for Fire District Minutes on this search system?

Click Here to Access the Land Records System User's Guide Or Click Here for a Printer Friendly Version of this Guide.

Click here for questions about How Documents are Recorded and Indexed

1. What type of support does the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office provide with the Online Land Records System?

A: For Technical Support on using this site please email:  websupport@jeffersoncountyclerk.org

For questions related to Document types, Release Dates, Incorrect Information on a record, etc:  Please call the Jefferson County Clerk's Office at 502-574-5700 or the Deed Room Customer Service at 502-574-6220

If you are having issues with your internet browser settings, or your ISP connection (Internet Service Provider examples:  AOL, Insight, Bellsouth), or with restrictions involving installing the viewer please consult your office IT professional or contact your ISP for further assistance.

2.What are the hours of operation?

A: The intended hours of operation for the Online Land Records System are Monday through Saturday 8:00 a.m. to Midnight, and Sunday 12:00 Noon to Midnight. The hours are subject to change at any time due to technical difficulties or the internal needs of the Jefferson County Clerk's Office.

3. What document images are available for viewing?

A:  All documents recorded since June of 1992 has document images available on the system.  Condominium PLAT document types and VOI (void) document types are not available for viewing at this time (Condominium PLATs are being added daily).  If you are searching for a document recorded after June of 1992 and you receive the document image not available message, please email the document number to us.  The document will be researched and scanned into the system.

Some Mortgage and Deed documents between 1984 and 1992 are on the system but the archival process has not been completed.  The archival project is an ongoing process so more documents will become available over time.  At this point only the index information is available from 1984 to present for all documents.

4.What type of viewer do I need to view the document images on this site?

A:  The documents on this system are in the PDF format.  We recommend Adobe Acrobat Reader for PDF document viewing.  To download the reader click here.  Do not download Adobe if you already have a version of Adobe Reader on your computer.  To upgrade your Adobe to version 7, use the Updates option from your Help menu on the Adobe Reader application. 

MAC users running OS 10.4 can also use Preview to view the PDF file.

5.The document window will not open, or it opens and then immediately closes, what do I do?

A:  Enable Pop Ups on your Internet Browser.  Click here for instructions:  Pop up FAQ

If you are using Internet Explorer, you may also need to enable Active X settings in your Internet Options.

If you have Windows XP Service Pack 2 with Internet Explorer version 6, you may need to change the security settings to allow prompting for file downloads.  For detailed instructions click here.

6.  Why is the document trying to load in CPC Lite instead of Adobe Reader?

If you have Windows and are an advanced user, you can change the association of the PDF file type through the control panel.  Go to Folder options, click on the "file types" tab, scroll down the list until you find PDF, click change, then select Adobe Acrobat Reader from the list.  If for some reason the PDF file type is already set to open with Adobe Reader, please contact the Jefferson County Clerk's Office helpdesk for more assistance: 502-574-8626.

7.Why is the document not loading into a new window?

A:  If you are using the Netscape Internet Browser to access this system, the default setting on Netscape is to reuse the windows as tabs.  You can change this setting in Netscape's browser options.  Go to Tools, select Options and under TAB browsing change the setting to Open Links in a new window.

The security settings on Windows XP with Service Pack 2 keep the Adobe Window from coming to the front when subsequent document image requests are made.  To ensure the document window always comes to the front when requesting to view an image, close the document window after viewing the document.

8.How can I force the document to load in Adobe Reader instead of as an Internet Browser Plug in?

A:  Open Adobe Reader from your PC.  Go to Edit, select Preferences, then uncheck the option to Display PDF in browser.

9.How do I print a document?

A:  Print the document using the Adobe Reader Print option.  Do not print from the browser window print option.

10.The image of the document is not clear or is unreadable, how do I get a clean copy of the document?

A:  Please email us the document number and/or book and page of the document so we can have it rescanned into the system.  For immediate access to the document, you will need to visit the Deed Room at 527 West Jefferson St Room 204 Louisville, KY.   For more assistance contact Deed Room Customer Service at 502-574-6220.

11.Which keys can I use to navigate through the search results without using the mouse?

A:  The Page Down key will advance you to the next page of results. The Page Up key will return you to the previous page.  The TAB key will move you from link to link and you can hit enter to select a highlighted link without clicking on the mouse.  In some cases you can use letters or number options in combination with the enter key to avoid using the mouse, just look for special instructions on select screens.  Please be aware that the use of keys instead of the mouse does require more time for requests to complete.  For more detailed instructions on how to use the system, please check out the user's guide. 

Click Here for a Printer Friendly Version of the User's Guide.

12.Why does the next page option show me the same results?

A: This occurs when your browser loads the page from the cache memory.  To correct this change your browser settings to always look for a new page when visiting a site.  Also clean out your temporary internet files.  For a quick fix hit Refresh on the browser and the page will reload with new information.

13.Is the search system compatible with a Macintosh system?

A: The index information can be researched from most MAC internet browsers.  The color schemes vary by browser type.  The viewing of document images is currently not compatible with all the MAC OS Internet browsers.  The recommended internet browser for MAC users is Firefox with Adobe Reader or Preview.  When a document is requested Firefox will prompt the user to specify what application to use to open the document file type.  The user should select Adobe Reader or Preview.  If the user checks the box to always use this application, the dialogue box will not occur the next time a document is viewed.

MAC users who use Safari for internet browsing may experience a "Run Script" error when trying to view a document.  We recommend these users download Firefox for accessing the search system.

14.I received a 500 error when trying to open a document image, why can’t I view the document?

A:   Close out your browser and then open it again.  Clear out your temporary internet files.  Try searching for the document again.  If it doesn’t open again, try searching for the document by a different search option (like by Reference number or by Grantor).

15.Can I change the default colors on the search system? 

A:  No.  The color scheme on this search system is defined by Cascading Style Sheets.  Most internet browsers will load the color scheme that has been designed for this search system.  If an internet browser is not loading the intended color scheme, it will default to using white backgrounds with black text.  Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Netscape are all compatible with the Cascading Style Sheets coding in use by this system.

16.What is Surname?  What is Given name?

A:  The surname is the Last name and the given name is the First name.

17.Why is the Party search method slower than the other search methods?

A:  The Party search builds an index based on the Surname entered in the search field.  It then searches against this index based on the to other search fields available.  If you search by the first letter of a name instead of a complete name, the search time will take even longer and may time out before it completes.  The search system functions best when complete names are used for the search criteria.

18.What document types are available to search by?

A:  On the Party Search the document types available to search by can be viewed and selected from the drop down box.  You cannot submit a party search filtered by both a document type and a group type.  The document type selection will always override the group type filter.

To search by document type, you can leave the Name fields blank and enter a date range instead along with the document type selected in the drop down box. This will bring up all records of that document type in the system within the selected date range.  To view all records of a specific document type, the beginning date range should be 01011984 and the ending date range should be the current date.

19.What are the options for the Party Type box selection?

A:  Party Type 1 = Grantor    Party Type 2 = Grantee

20.What is a Group Type?

A:  The Group type is a selected search by a set of document types.  You cannot submit a party search filtered by both a document type and a group type.  The document type selection will always override the group type filter.  The group types are as follows:

        01     Grantor

        02     Grantee

        03     Wills

        04     Name Changes

        05     Corporations

        06     LIENS/LIEN RELEASES

        07     RELEASE/ASSIGNMENTS/AGREEMENTS/SUBORDINATION/LIEN

        21     Partial Release

21.What book types are available to search by?

A:  On the Book and Page search the book types available to search by can be viewed and selected from the drop down box. 

22.What is the "Refers to"?

A: The "refers to" is a search method used when a document's book and page is known. Data in this area has been compiled since January 1, 1991 to date. To use this method, the known Book and Page is entered and documents related to the initial record will be presented. This is especially helpful to identify if a mortgage has been assigned or released.  If there are not any documents referencing the document number then the refers to link will return the message: NO DOCUMENTS FOUND. 

23.Why is the Refers To link not working from  the document detail screen?

Minimize all the windows on your PC until you find the new search window.  If you launch the Refers To search from the document detail screen and do not close the window after you have finished the Refers To search, the window will not launch in the front the next time the link is used from the detail screen. 
 

24.Does the system allow me to search by property address?

A: No. Addresses and parcel ID numbers are not indexed.  Property descriptions are indexed but this system does not offer a method to search by property description.  To find a party name by address you can visit the Jefferson County PVA Office or visit the PVA online search system by clicking here.  For more information go to http://www.pvalouky.org (by clicking this link you will be leaving the official ky.gov domain).

25.Is there a limit on the number of property descriptions listed on the results page?

A:  Currently only 20 property descriptions will be listed on the results page.  If the record has more than 20 descriptions indexed a message is displayed after the last description listed.  To see all the property descriptions associated with the record index view the INFO page.

26.Why did my browser's back button return me to the search criteria page instead of the previous list of results?

A:  From the results page the Browser's Back option will return you to the search option page if used while viewing the page.  To navigate through the results pages use the Next page and Previous page links or the Page Up and Page Down keys on your keyboard.

A:  The system was designed to remember the search criteria as an aid in title searches.  When the user returns to the page the old criteria is highlighted in order for the information to be deleted with the delete key or simply typed over.  To retain the information, the user just needs to press the Tab key. 

28.Why can't I view a Condominium PLAT document type image?

A:  Condominium (CM) and Subdivision (PLT) Plats are available for viewing online. Inquire under the Condominium or Subdivision name. Both begin with the recording date of 8/15/1984.  Information prior to 8/15/1984 is available in the Deed Room

29.How do I search for Fire District Minutes on this search system? 

A:  Select option 2 Search By Party Name.  In the Surname field type the Fire District name you are looking for and select Search.  Or you can view all Fire Minute documents by selecting that document type in the drop down box and putting in a date range.  The date range for Fire Minutes begins in January of 1992 and runs through the present.  To see all Fire Minutes, you would use the date range 01011992 through the current date. 

You may view fire minutes from various districts at the Jefferson County Fire Service website (by clicking this link you will be leaving the official ky.gov domain).

30.How are search options by document types, groups, party types, or book type listed on the Web site helpful in searching the index?

A: By narrowing the search criteria, the results returned will filter out all entries not under that document type, group, party type, or book type.

31.Are there any restrictions to using "screen scraping" technologies?

A: If you choose to use screen-scraping we ask that you voluntarily follow the guidelines below: 

Please limit screen-scraping activity to the hours between 6:00 P.M. and midnight Eastern Standard/Daylight Time Monday through Friday  and 8:00 A.M. and noon on Saturdays.
Please limit document searches to only those document types which you are interested.
Document searches that retrieve “all” documents are time-consuming and can cause strains on system resources. Please have measures in place that will allow automated screen-scraping to be discontinued in a timely manner, if asked. In the event of system capacity issues, your company may be asked temporarily to cease screen-scraping activity. Failure to follow the above guidelines could mean forfeiture of your screen-scraping privileges. System support is available from our Help Desk at (502) 574-8626 between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. Eastern Standard/Daylight Time, Monday through Friday. Should you need additional support, please do not hesitate to contact us.