Help
Document Search Help
Search TipsYou can perform searches by entering one or more pieces of information about a document. For example, if you know a person's name, you can enter it into the Either Party or Grantor or Grantee field. If you know the date range of the document, you may also enter it. The more information you enter, the more focused the search results will be.
Document Type
If you know the type of document you are looking for, you can "uncheck box to "Search Specific Document Types" and then select the type of document from the list. Use the Shift or Ctrl keys on your keyboard to select more than one document type.
Document Number
If you know the Document Number, you can simply enter it and press enter.
Date Range
You can enter a date range to help focus your search results. If you know the exact date of a document, enter the same date in the Start and End date fields.
Name Searches
There are three fields used for doing name searches: Grantor, Grantee, and Either Party. The Grantor and Grantee fields will search only those fields. The Either Party field will search for names that appear in either the Grantor OR the Grantee field.
Basic and Wildcard Searches
All three of the name fields have two different types of searching: Basic Searching and Wildcard Searching. Basic searches will search for a name in the exact order you entered it. You will need to enter it Last Name First with no punctuation. For example, if you enter Franklin Benjamin, the system will return documents belonging to Benjamin Franklin but not Franklin Roosevelt. Wildcard searches work more like an Internet search engine. The order of the words doesn't matter. For example, if you enter Franklin Benjamin, the system will return documents belonging to Benjamin Franklin and Franklin Roosevelt and Benjamin Moore. The space between the names acts as an implied OR (i.e. Franklin OR Benjamin).
Wildcard Search Operators
Performing Advanced searches with no operators will return documents containing any of the words you entered. By using certain modifiers, or operators, you can focus your search.
The + operator tells the system that this word must appear in the document. For example, if you enter Franklin +Benjamin, the system will return documents belonging to Benjamin Franklin, but not Franklin Roosevelt.
The - operator tells the system that this word must NOT appear in the document. For example, if you enter Franklin -Benjamin, the system will return documents belonging to Franklin Roosevelt, but not Benjamin Franklin.
The $ operator tells the system that this word is not spelled correctly but sounds like the typed word. For example, if you enter Franklayn$ , the system will return documents belonging to any name that sounds like Franklin.
The ? operator tells the system that a specific letter in the name might not be correct. For example, if you enter Frankl?n, the system will return any documents belonging to Franklin Roosevelt, or Franklyn Roosevelt, but the results returned will not be limited to just those two letter. The ? can be replaced with any letter.
The * character is a wild card character. It can be used in both Basic searches and Advanced searches. It can be substituted for any other character or characters. For example, if you enter Frank* Ben*, the system will return documents belonging to Benjamin Franklin, Ben Frank, and Bennie Frankenstein. This can be useful if you are unsure about spelling.
Using "**" allows you to search by any character in the field. For example, "*TS*" in the Legal Remarks field will return documents which contain TS anywhere in the Legal Remarks field. (TS indicates a timeshare unit.) This feature works only on the Case #, Parcel #, and Legal Remarks fields.
Legal Searches
When searching over multiple legal descriptions, enter a pipe character to separate multiple entries. For example, to search over Section 12 and Section 23 enter 12|23 into the Section field. This will return all documents with a legal description in Section 12 or Section 23.
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Tax Deed Sales Help
The Tax Deed Sales screen is used to search for real estate that is being sold for failure to pay taxes. Applications for tax deeds are submitted to the county, and the associated real estate is then scheduled to be sold at auction. This web site contains information about property being sold in upcoming sales as well as past sales.
Name Search
Use the All Parties search field to search for a person or company name associated with the tax deed application. The name search matches owners, lien holders, and applicants.
A * may be used to search for part of a name. For example, John* will return records containing Johnson Benjamin and Johnston Trucking Co. This is especially useful if you are unsure about spelling.
Tax Deed Application Number (TDA #)
The tax deed application number is the number assigned to the file used by the county to track the sale of the tax deed. This number corresponds to the certificate number initiating the sale.
Status
The status of the tax deed application indicates where it stands in the sales process.
Sale Date
The sale date field lists the dates of all past and upcoming sales. Selecting a year or month will search for all sale dates within that year or month. Multiple days, months, or years can be selected by holding the ctrl or shift key while clicking items in the list.
Date Received
The Date Received field is the date the Orange County Comptroller received the application for tax deed sale from the county tax collector.
Parcel
The parcel number is the tax parcel id identifying the property. Parcel numbers can be searched with or without dashes. For example, entering 04-22-27-0000-00-235 and 042227000000235 will both return the same results.
Search Type: Exact Match and Wildcard
Some search fields have two different types of searching: Exact Match and Wildcard. Exact Match searches will search for a name in the exact order you entered it. You will need to enter Last Name First with no punctuation. For example, if you enter Franklin Benjamin, the system will return documents belonging to Benjamin Franklin but not Franklin Roosevelt.
Wildcard searches work similar to an Internet search engine. The order of the words doesn't matter. For example, if you enter Franklin Benjamin, the system will return documents belonging to Benjamin Franklin and Franklin Roosevelt and Benjamin Moore. The space between the names acts as an implied OR (i.e. Franklin OR Benjamin).
Wildcard Search Operators
Performing Wildcard searches with no operators will return documents containing any of the words you entered. By using certain modifiers, or operators, you can focus your search.
The + operator tells the system that this word must appear in the document. For example, if you enter Franklin +Benjamin, the system will return documents belonging to Benjamin Franklin, but not Franklin Roosevelt.
The - operator tells the system that this word must NOT appear in the document. For example, if you enter Franklin -Benjamin, the system will return documents belonging to Franklin Roosevelt, but not Benjamin Franklin.
The $ operator tells the system that this word is not spelled correctly but sounds like the typed word. For example, if you enter Franklayn$ , the system will return documents belonging to any name that sounds like Franklin.
The ? operator tells the system that a specific letter in the name might not be correct. For example, if you enter Frankl?n, the system will return any documents belonging to Franklin Roosevelt, or Franklyn Roosevelt, but the results returned will not be limited to just those two letters. The ? can be replaced with any letter.
The * character is a wild card character. It can be used in both Exact Match searches and Wildcard searches. It can be substituted for any other character or characters. For example, if you enter Frank* Ben*, the system will return documents belonging to Benjamin Franklin, Ben Frank, and Bennie Frankenstein. This can be useful if you are unsure about spelling.
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