Legal Services

The vendor is required to provide legal services to without limitation, consultant hours and hourly rates, subcontractor fees, and all associated project costs.
- These standards are periodically updated, and it shall be the consultant’s responsibility to use the latest edition of each such law, rule, regulation, or ordinance.
- Current record owner: The full name and address of the current record title holder.
- Unsatisfied liens affecting the property, including, but not limited to:
• Construction liens (claims of lien, notice of contest of lien, or department pendens, when applicable).
• Certified copies of judgment liens based on a name search of every record owner of the subject property for their respective period of ownership within the ten (10) years preceding the certification date of the search.
• Mortgages (together with any assignments).
• State and federal tax liens and warrants.
• Improvement liens.
• Uniform commercial code (UCC), financing statements, when applicable.
• Code enforcement liens.
- Litigation:
• Any information regarding litigation affecting the parcel under search, such as mortgage or lien foreclosures, quiet title suits, partition suits, department pendens, etc.
- Easements
• All easements of any kind affecting the property
- Leases and assignments
• All leases and assignments of leases affecting the property.
- Reservations, reversionary interests
• Life estates and general reservations or revisionary interests of any type.
- Conditions and restrictions
• Itemized listing of restrictions, limiting conditions or other matters that shall impact unencumbered title to the subject property
- Contiguous lands
• Identification, only, of any contiguous lands owned by the record title holder and lying adjacent to the parcel under search
- Bankruptcies
• Any bankruptcy affecting the parcel under search
- Public rights-of-way
• Public rights-of-way on or adjacent to the subject parcel other than state-owned rights-of-way. this includes any maps filed by local government entities.
- Fiduciary or agency documentation
• Any document creating or affecting a fiduciary or agency relationship, such as guardianships, power of attorney, or trusts, relating to the ownership or other rights in or to the subject property
- Dissolution of marriage. dissolution of marriage shall include:
• Final judgment/agreement.
• Property settlement agreement
• Equitable distribution or any other court orders which may affect title to the subject parcel
- Death certificates
• Death certificates of interested parties as necessary.
- Probate: Probate proceedings showing, as available or applicable:
• The last shall and any codicils.
• Petition for and letters testamentary.
• Petition for and letters of administration.
• Inventory of probate assets if subject property is included.
• Notice to creditors and proof of publication.
• Claims by creditors (if outstanding).
• Receipt for satisfaction of federal and state estate taxes or nontaxable certificate.
• Order of distribution of the subject property.
• Order of final discharge of the state fiduciary.
- Condominium: A condominium is encountered within the limits of an assignment, the abstractor shall:
• The project manager that a condominium lies within the assignment limits.
• Obtain approval form the project manager for the necessity of a title search report on the common areas of the condominium.
• Include within each title report a copy of the declaration of condominium, articles of condominium, and the name and address of the condominium association.
• Prepare no title search reports on individual units within the condominiums unless specifically by the project manager in writing.
- Corporate status
• A status report from the secretary of state’s office/department of corporations for any corporate business entity shown as current record title holder.
- Copies of documents
• Legible copies of all documents reported in the chain of title, or a transcription if legible copies are unavailable, and full-size copies of all plats and maps reported.
- All certification and update reports shall include the following;
• The beginning and ending dates of the update
• Property owner(s) name and address.
• All documents of record within the time period of the update.
- Settlement (closing) services:
• The necessary settlement documents.
• Promptly obtain from county government any missing or corrected documents or information necessary for closing.
• Prepare and submit to county government appropriate closing documents.
• Obtain all releases, title insurance, or other remedies necessary to obtain clear title to the subject property for county government.
• Obtain necessary purchase/closing funds and closing documents from the property owner(s) and county government and review all documents for accuracy and proper execution.
• Update the title report and correct any emergent issues prior to recording.
• Record the deed, easements, or other instruments of conveyance.
- Contract Period/Term: 1 year
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: February 26, 2025