Land Title Services

The Branch of Land Titles and Records (BLTR), through its 18 Land Title and Records Offices (LTRO), records and maintains all land title conveyances and encumbrances on trust and restricted Indian land, and on certain government lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Indian Affairs that law and regulations require to be managed by the Secretary of the Interior.

LTROs provide land title services to Federal, State, and Tribal governments, as well as to Tribal and individual Indian landowners. For these and other land title services, contact your regional or Tribal LTRO.

Land Title Maintenance and Reporting

LTROs are responsible for recording title documents submitted by an agency, region, or the Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA).

LTROs examine, certify, and issue Title Status Reports (TSRs) within their jurisdictions. TSRs report the current ownership and encumbrance information of tracts of Indian land, as well as provide the legal description and acreage for the tract. The average time to prepare a TSR, depending upon the number of land owners, number of title documents, and the complexity of the title issues, may range from as little as one hour to as much as several days.

In addition, LTROs issue Probate Inventory Reports for the estates of deceased Indian individuals, and Individual Tribal Interest Reports that reports all of an individual or Tribe’s land ownership.

LTROs are also responsible for preparing, maintaining, and providing land status maps.

To request a TSR or other report, contact the appropriate regional or Tribal LTRO.

Certified Land Title Documents

The LTROs can provide you with certified copies of title documents. LTRO certified land title documents serve as a true and accurate representation of the original title document for all evidentiary, legal, and financial purposes.

To request a certified copy of a land title, contact the appropriate regional or Tribal LTRO.

Accuracy and Curative Actions

LTROs ensure the accuracy of land title records and are responsible for notifying BIA agencies when corrections are necessary.

If an error is identified in a probate document, the LTRO will notify the appropriate BIA agency and add a notice that an error exists to the Indian Land probate record in the Trust Asset and Accounting Management System (TAAMS). The BIA agency will then submit a probate order modification request to the Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA). Once OHA returns an order evidencing the correction, the LTRO will record the modification and update the land title.

If an error is identified in a nonprobate document (such as a lease, deed, or mortgage), the LTRO will notify the appropriate BIA agency and add a Title Defect Notice on the Title Status Report. Once the BIA agency submits a correction document, the LTRO will update the record of title and expire the Title Defect Notice from the Title Status Report.