Kings County, better known as Brooklyn, is one of the most dynamic and densely populated real estate markets in the United States. Whether you're an attorney handling a quiet title action, an investor evaluating a brownstone, or a developer assembling lots for a multifamily project, a property title search in Kings County is a critical first step to mitigate risk and verify ownership.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the essentials of Kings County, New York, covering key documents, jurisdictional nuances, and how Abstract Authority delivers fast, reliable ownership reporting to support your decisions.
Kings County presents several complexities not found in smaller or rural jurisdictions:
- High Transaction Volume: With thousands of deeds, mortgages, and liens recorded monthly, accurate indexing and up-to-date search techniques are critical.
- Cooperative Housing: Many properties in Brooklyn are co-ops, which do not transfer real estate title in the traditional sense and instead rely on proprietary lease and stock certificate structures.
- Historic Properties: Older homes and brownstones often involve long title chains, unreleased liens, or out-of-date legal descriptions.
- Multiple Indexes: New York uses block and lot indexing, not solely names or parcel IDs, requiring precision in research and understanding of the Automated City Register Information System (ACRIS).
Key Components of a Kings County Title Search
- Chain of Title Review
Verify all conveyances affecting the subject parcel for a set period—commonly 30, 40, or 60 years. Title gaps, quitclaims, or conveyances by entities must be flagged for further legal review. - Open Mortgages
Unreleased or satisfied mortgages that were never recorded can cloud title. These must be tracked through satisfactions, assignments, or affidavits. - Tax Lien and Water Charges
In New York City, unpaid property taxes, water/sewer charges, and emergency repair liens are frequently sold in lien sales, requiring additional scrutiny. - Judgments and Lis Pendens
A search of the civil docket may reveal judgments, mechanics' liens, or pending litigation affecting ownership. Abstract Authority includes a search of active lis pendens notices when applicable. - Easements and Restrictions
Party walls, access rights, or recorded use restrictions (such as zoning overlays or land use declarations) may affect marketability or future use.
At Abstract Authority, we specialize in producing professional-grade ownership and title reports for New York City properties
We use a combination of ACRIS database access, state court systems, and historical plat maps to ensure every report is legally sound and transaction-ready. Reports include legal descriptions, conveyance data, open liens, and optional parcel maps when needed.
Who Should Use Title Searches in Kings County?
- Real estate attorneys drafting contracts or resolving disputes
- Investors verifying ownership and assessing lien risks
- Lenders performing due diligence for private loans
- Developers assembling parcels or assessing encumbrances
- Buyers of distressed or tax-lien properties
- Avoiding Title Issues in Brooklyn
Brooklyn’s intense development pressure and historical building stock create unique title risks, including:
Incomplete or forged deeds
- Estate transfers without probate
- Overlapping tax lots after subdivisions or mergers
- Missing corporate authority for transfers by LLCs or dissolved entities
- A comprehensive title search mitigates these risks by providing legal clarity before funds change hands or construction begins.
Don’t let uncertainty delay your project or transaction. Order a Kings County Property Title Search Report from Abstract Authority and gain confidence backed by precision research.
Visit: www.abstractauthority.com
Sources:
NYC Department of Finance ACRIS: https://a836-acris.nyc.gov
New York Real Property Law §240–§291
- Essentials of Real Estate Law, McCloskey & Cantrell, Pearson (2015)