NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 23, 2026
CONTACT: Mary Garness
Public Records and Property Valuation Director
218-726-2677 or garnessm@stlouiscountymn.gov
St. Louis County launches new free notification service for property owners
The St. Louis County Recorder's department has started offering a new feature called Property Watch, which allows property owners to sign up for alerts to notify them if anything is recorded against their property, which could impact their ownership interests. This service helps property owners stay informed if their property is ever targeted by a fraudster. While reports about deed fraud have made headlines in recent months, prompting the Recorder’s department to take these steps, to date there have been no reported instances of deed fraud in St. Louis County.
How Property Watch works: the service is free, but people must opt in to receive it. Property owners can register online, or visit any of St. Louis County's Recorders Offices in Duluth, Virginia, Hibbing, Ely or Cook to have a staff member assist. Once registered, people will receive an email notification if something has been recorded against their property.
“To be clear, this service is not a fraud prevention mechanism,” said Mary Garness, St. Louis County’s Director of Public Records and Property Valuation. “But it’s able to keep property owners informed and able to act quickly if something needs to be corrected.”
St. Louis County is partnering with West Central Indexing to provide this service at no cost to anyone owning property in the county. To learn more or register online, visit stlouiscountymn.gov/recorder.
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