Search Union Property Records

How to Search Union Property Records

No city recorder keeps records here. Monroe County offices serve Union parcels the same way they serve rural ones, so the town's courthouse setting changes access, not custody. The State Auditor's real-property search handles public assessment lookups. The County Clerk records conveyances and plats, while the Sheriff Tax Office bills and collects real-estate taxes. The county offers no parcel viewer or permit portal. A town-center address helps you start, but the parcel identifier is what ties a search to the right record.

1. Enter the address or owner in the State Auditor real-property form, select Monroe County and the required tax year.
2. Compare the district, map, parcel, subparcel, owner fields, and any book/page reference before choosing a result.
3. Take the deed citation or legal description to the Monroe County Clerk if you need a recorded transfer or plat.
4. Use the Sheriff Tax Office for tax status and the Assessor for assessment or parcel-characteristic questions.
5. For a map question, ask the county's mapping contact about available material; obtain a survey for a legal boundary.

The countywide Monroe County property search walkthrough explains the IAS form, and the companion guides to deed records, tax records, and parcel maps cover the rest of a Union property search.

Where Union Property Records Are Held

The Monroe County Courthouse sits at 350 Main Street in Union. Inside, the County Clerk records deeds, mortgages, releases, plats, probate materials, and other instruments. The Assessor keeps the assessment roll. The Sheriff collects real-estate taxes. The county directory routes mapping and floodplain questions. Union's municipal government stands apart from these custodians. The town publishes no property-record index or online permit search of its own.

Union's Courthouse and Town-Center Records

Union is Monroe County's seat. That makes the courthouse the natural stop for in-person record questions. You will find it at 350 Main Street, Union, WV 24983. The County Clerk posts weekday hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The office closes from noon to 1 p.m. Call 304-772-3096 to confirm the current counter schedule. These details point to the county custodian, not a separate Union land registry. A town-center owner and a rural researcher use the same courthouse. Deeds and assessments stay organized countywide. Before you travel, decide what you need. A deed, assessment, tax bill, and map reference may sit at different counters. Every office, though, is in Union. For a deed request, bring party names. A book and page reference, a date range, or a legal description also helps. The courthouse's convenience does not put every record on a public computer. Not everything is indexed online.

Union Areas and Subdivision Names in the Records

Union is a small county-seat community with a historic core. The county publishes no named subdivision inventory, HOA list, plat catalog, or neighborhood GIS layer. Any area labels you encounter are search descriptions, not formal development names. When a document names an actual lot or plat, keep its exact spelling. Ask the County Clerk for the referenced map.

A familiar street or postal address is not proof of a named subdivision. When a boundary or lot number matters, rely on the recorded plat and deed, then check the parcel maps guide for the limits of tax-map references.

Union's Small-Place Population and Parcel Search

The 2020 Census lists Union's population at 419. That figure sizes the incorporated place, nothing more. It is not a count of parcels, owners, tax accounts, or dwellings. It also cannot tell you which addresses fall inside town limits. For an individual lookup, work from the assessment record's parcel identifiers. Use the legal description rather than the Census number. The distinction matters in a county seat. People use "Union" as a mailing or regional label. They do so even when the property sits outside the municipal boundary. A ZIP code routes mail; it is not a land-survey line. Confirm the parcel's district and tax jurisdiction in the State Auditor form. Do this before comparing it with another town-center record.

ZIP Code 24983 and Union Property Addresses

Union's ZIP code is 24983, the same one attached to the courthouse address. Postal routing is a helpful clue. It cannot establish whether a parcel sits inside town limits. Nor can it confirm municipal services or a particular planning authority. If an address search returns several results, compare owner fields. Then check the district, map, parcel, and subparcel numbers. If nothing comes back, search by owner. You can also ask the Assessor to derive the tax key from the legal description. Older town deeds can complicate matters. A historic instrument may cite an old lot number instead of the modern street address. It may name an adjoining landowner instead too. Keep both descriptions and ask the Clerk how to locate the instrument. The assessor form's street and ZIP controls are conveniences. The recorded land description remains the better evidence of which parcel a deed conveys.

Mapping Union Parcels Without a Public Viewer

Monroe County publishes no public GIS parcel viewer. There is no interactive map of Union parcels online. The county directory does list mapping and floodplain contacts. That gives you an office route, not an online adjacency search. Start with the parcel key from the real-property form. Then ask the mapping contact what tax-map material you can consult. If a deed cites a recorded plat, request the drawing from the Clerk. A screenshot or a road map is not a parcel boundary record.

Union serves as the county seat, but the town is not a map repository. Parcel maps are maintained as county assessment material. A licensed surveyor establishes an exact line on the ground. For access, easement, or encroachment questions, use all three records. Compare the recorded deed, the plat, and the survey together. Never infer a boundary from a road edge or a fence line.

Historic Union Deeds and County Land Books

Union's historic core makes older deed descriptions relevant to ownership research today. County Archives finding aids identify a Monroe deed index covering 1776 through 1935. Selected land-book coverage is also listed. Those runs are historical sources, not a promise that every modern deed is searchable online. FamilySearch's catalog and West Virginia archival collections offer further leads. They can help connect older parties, acreage descriptions, or probate references to an instrument held by the Clerk.

A chain-of-title search works backward. Start with a recent deed and trace each grantee back as a prior grantor. At every step, note the book and page. Also note the date, the legal description, and any plat or release cited. A historic index may refer to an earlier county or district name. Keep that spelling intact, and ask the Clerk or Archives for guidance. A gap in a web search does not mean a deed was never recorded.

Union Permit and Zoning Record Requests

Union offers no citywide permit portal, searchable zoning map, or online code-case database. The town's municipal contact is P.O. Box 13, Union, WV 24983, telephone 304-772-5522. Call and ask whether it keeps a record for the property and which office handles a particular project. The Monroe County Planning Commission answers county planning questions separately. It is not a Union municipal portal.

An assessor entry or tax card is not proof of a building permit, an inspection, or zoning approval. When work history matters to a purchase or repair, identify the parcel and the approximate work date, then request the file from the proper municipal or county custodian. Confirm that a record exists before relying on any general directory link.

Union Assessments and Real-Estate Taxes

The Monroe County Assessor's annual roll includes Union parcels. West Virginia values property as of July 1 each year, and W.Va. Code §11-3-1 generally sets taxable assessment at 60 percent of true and actual value. The rule describes a statewide tax assessment system; it does not state that Union homes sell for a particular amount. No verified Union price trend or town-level revaluation statistic was found in the research.

Use the correct tax year and inspect the parcel key before comparing values. The Assessor can address assessment characteristics or the owner field; the Sheriff Tax Office handles billing and payments. An assessed amount, the sale consideration in a deed, and an appraiser's current opinion serve different purposes. Keep those figures separate in any property analysis.

Preparing an In-Person or Written Union Record Request

The Clerk's posted office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. A lunch closing runs from noon to 1 p.m. Confirm the schedule at 304-772-3096 before making a trip. The posted 2021 fee schedule lists deed recording and copy charges. Verify current fees, because that schedule is dated. For a search, bring whatever identifiers you have: grantor or grantee, approximate date, book and page, parcel number, or legal description. A focused record request helps staff route you to the correct index.

When an instrument is not available online, send a written request to its custodian under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act, W.Va. Code §29B-1-3, where it applies. Include the record type, parcel, parties, time period, and desired format. Remember that the County Clerk's office is not the only custodian. Tax bills, assessments, mapping material, and municipal records may belong elsewhere.

What Union Property Records Can and Cannot Show

County records can identify an assessed owner, tax value and status, recorded transfers, liens, plats, and the legal description attached to an instrument. Union property records serve due diligence, house history, probate questions, and civic research well. A record search is not a certified title opinion. It is also not a boundary survey, a market appraisal, or a complete permit history. It does not establish who occupies a property, and online coverage varies by record series.