BEV BUTULA: Federal Land Records

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Every week I write a brief article introducing readers to a website. Some are law related, some are not.

We all find that our research often goes beyond just “legal” focused websites. Last week I found myself intrigued with the Bureau of Land Management’s Federal Land Records site.

The site provides “live access to Federal land conveyance records for the Public Land States, including image access to more than five million Federal land title records issued between 1820 and the present. We also have images related to survey plats and field notes, dating back to 1810.”

The BLM does point out that that it does not contain every title record issued.

The three searchable categories include land patents, survey plats, and land status records.

The land patent database offers “researchers a source of information on the initial transfer of land titles from the Federal government to individuals.”

Land status records “are used by BLM Western State Offices to document the ongoing state of a township’s Federal and private land regarding title, lease, rights, and usage.”