Delaware County’s Recorder of Deeds Office Launches GovOS Cloud Search Tool

Released: March 6, 2024

Delaware County’s Recorder of Deeds Office Launches GovOS Cloud Search Tool

Adoption of powerful government records search engine is the latest modernization effort to be undertaken by Delaware County’s Recorder of Deeds Office

The Delaware County Recorder of Deeds Office, led by Director Robert A. Auclair, Esq., has become the third county in Pennsylvania to offer its residents GovOS Cloud Search — the most advanced government records search engine available. This platform is part of a multi-year strategy to modernize Delaware County’s land records system and enhance services for its residents.

Successfully soft-launched on February 1, 2024, this web-based tool has made millions of county public records more accessible by providing a Google-like search capability. It also allows individuals to purchase certified copies, documents, and index prints online.

Cloud Search complements the existing County Fusion land records platform, in use since 2020, offering the public two options for searching property documents. While Cloud Search is expected to be the preferred option for its intuitive interface, title searchers and others may continue using County Fusion.

“GovOS Cloud Search’s advanced technology and user-friendly interface provide an unparalleled experience for residents searching land records,” said Director Auclair. “Integrating Cloud Search with our records system enables quick access to over 240 years of historical data without needing to visit our office, significantly benefiting Delaware County residents.”

ENHANCING FRAUD PROTECTION WITH “PROPERTY ALERT”

The Delaware County Recorder of Deeds Office is dedicated to modernizing and enhancing fraud protection. The introduction of GovOS Cloud Search's Property Alert represents a significant upgrade over the previous FraudSleuth application available through the County’s Fusion platform. This user-friendly program, set to replace FraudSleuth in the next few weeks, offers enhanced features, and existing users of FraudSleuth will be informed about the change via email.

To use Property Alert, residents simply sign up for a free account with their email at the GovOS Cloud Search portal and immediately start receiving alerts for any property-related activities. Registration is simple:

• Visit the GovOS Cloud Search portal and create an account.
• Once logged in, search for your name or Parcel ID to find documents linked to your property.
• Click the “PROPERTY ALERT” button found on the document page.
• In the pop-up box, confirm your Parcel ID by checking the box next to it. This action ensures you'll receive email notifications for any transactions involving your property.

Residents can register at the Delaware County Recorder of Deeds website at DelcoPA.Gov/RecorderOfDeeds or directly through the Cloud Search portal at DelcoPA.Gov/CloudSearch .

RECORDER OF DEEDS OFFICE MODERNIZATION EFFORTS SINCE 2020

The Delaware County Recorder of Deeds Office, which serves as the County’s custodian of all land records and indexes relating to properties and land transfers, had long lagged well behind other counties prior to innovations introduced by Director Auclair and his staff.

• Services required in-person visits to the office
• Online services and eRecordings were unavailable
• Payments were restricted to cash or check
• Older records were often of low quality and poorly organized, often resulting in tedious manual document searches and lengthy delays for residents and businesses.

“In 2019, our land records were still not online as late as 2019, and we were one of the largest counties in the country that was not set up for eRecording,” explained Director Auclair. “Everything, including title searching, was handled entirely in the office, and we knew the office could do better for Delaware County residents.”

Beginning in 2020, the Recorder of Deeds Office and GovOS have launched a variety of successful modernization initiatives, including:

• Implemented eRecording processes, bringing over 12 million records online and making land record services more accessible. eRecordings now constitute 86% of all document submissions.
• Enhanced the accuracy and accessibility of digital records.
• Reviewed 5 million scanned property documents, uncovering hundreds of previously unrecorded documents and microfilm records.
• Converted all historical records, totaling over 35 million images, to PDF/A for improved archival storage and faster retrieval.
• Phased out outdated and costly microfilm storage methods.
• Introduced Fraud Sleuth to empower property owners to protect against record fraud.
• Enabled credit card payments for services both in-person and online.
• Established a disaster recovery system to ensure continuous operations in the event of server issues, preventing significant disruptions to business.

“The modernization efforts have streamlined services, making them more accessible and efficient,” said Delaware County Council Member Christine Reuther. “We regularly receive compliments from all stakeholders — title companies, real estate agents, developers, buyers, and sellers — on the improvements led by Director Auclair and his team, highlighting this as taxpayer money well spent.”

For more information about GovOS’ Official Public Records solution, visit. https://govos.com/solutions .