Land records · Patents · History · October 24, 2026
Land Patent Search: Find Original Patents in GLO Records
How to run a land patent search on BLM GLO Records by name, legal description or patent number, read the patent and link it to today's parcel.
A land patent search finds the original document that moved a piece of land out of federal ownership and into private hands. For most of the country west of the Appalachians, those patents are indexed and scanned on the Bureau of Land Management's General Land Office (GLO) Records website, free to search and view. Whether you are tracing a family homestead, checking the start of a chain of title, or just curious who first owned the land under your house, this guide explains where to search, which fields to use, how to read the patent you find, and how to connect it to today's parcel map.
The short answer
- Where: BLM's GLO Records website at glorecords.blm.gov, under Search, then the land patents tab.
- Minimum input: pick a state, then fill at least one more field, such as a last name, county or township and range.
- Best search for a parcel: the legal description, meaning meridian, township, range and section.
- Best search for a person: the patentee's last name plus state and county, with spelling variations.
- Already have a number? Use the document identifier search with the accession number or BLM serial number.
- Viewing is free. Certified copies can be ordered through the site's shopping cart.
What a land patent search turns up
A land patent is the first deed, in effect, from the United States to a private owner. It names the patentee, the date, the land office that handled the sale or claim, the law it was issued under (cash sale, homestead, military warrant, railroad grant and many others) and the legal description of the land. If the term is new to you, start with our explainer on what a land patent is, then come back here for the search itself.
The GLO Records collection also holds survey plats and field notes, tract books and other land status records. Patents are the piece most people want first, because they answer the question "who got this land from the government, and when?"
How to run a land patent search on GLO Records
- Open the search page on glorecords.blm.gov and choose the land patents search.
- Select the state. The site asks for a state first, and it changes the county, meridian and land office lists to match.
- Add at least one more field. You do not need to fill every box. One or two well-chosen fields usually work better than many.
- Search. The results list shows each matching patent with names, dates, the document number and the land description.
- Open a result to see the details tab, the legal land description and a scanned image of the original patent, which you can view, print or download.
- Note the accession number so you can return straight to that document later.
Which search fields to use
| You know | Fill in | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| A family name | State, county, last name | Leave the first name blank on the first try and scan the list |
| The legal description | State, meridian, township, range, section | Returns every patent in that section, often one per quarter or smaller part |
| A county only | State, county, plus a date range or authority | A county alone can return thousands of hits |
| A patent number | Accession or BLM serial number in the identifier search | BLM's own instructions show accession numbers as a run of digits and BLM serial numbers in a dashed format such as 27-00-0000 |
| How land was claimed | The authority list, such as a homestead or cash entry act | Useful for finding every homestead in a township |
Name spellings drift a lot in nineteenth-century records. Try phonetic variants, initials and maiden names, and remember that the site separates patentees from warrantees (people who received military bounty land warrants and may have sold them before a patent issued).
Getting the legal description for your parcel
Searching by legal description is the most reliable way to find the patent for land you own or are researching. In Public Land Survey System states, that description is written as an aliquot part of a section in a given township and range from a named principal meridian, for example the northeast quarter of section 12, township 4 north, range 3 west.
- Check the deed or tax bill. Rural deeds and many tax records list section, township and range.
- Use the county parcel map. Many county GIS viewers show section lines or list the legal description in the parcel pop-up. Our rural parcel search by section, township and range guide walks through it.
- Read the description correctly. See how to read township and range, what an aliquot part is and what a principal meridian is.
Keep in mind that a modern subdivision lot was usually carved out of a larger original patent. Your search may return a patent for a whole quarter section that now holds dozens of homes.
How to read the patent you find
- Patentee: the person, company or entity that received title.
- Issue date and land office: when and where the patent was handled. The date of the original entry or purchase can be years earlier.
- Authority: the law the land was claimed under. A homestead patent and a cash sale patent tell different family stories; our post on the homestead patent covers the most common one.
- Land description and acreage: the aliquot parts, lots, section, township, range and meridian, plus total acres.
- Reservations: some patents reserve minerals, ditches or rights-of-way to the government. Read the full image, not just the index.
Pair the patent with the original survey. The GLO plat for the township shows how the land was laid out, and the survey field notes describe the corners the surveyor set.
When the GLO site has no patent
- State-land states. The original colonies and several other states, including Texas, Kentucky and Tennessee, granted land through their own land offices, so first title often lives in state archives or a state land office instead.
- Private land claims and grants. Land held under earlier Spanish, Mexican, French or British grants may appear as confirmed private claims, or only in other records.
- Railroad and state grants. Land granted in bulk to a railroad or a state passed to later buyers through that grantee's own deeds.
- Still federal. If the land was never patented, it may still be public land. Our post on what BLM land is explains that status.
- Indexing gaps. Not every record is perfectly indexed. Try another field, a wider date range or a neighboring section before giving up.
From patent to today's owner
The patent is only the first link. To get from it to the current owner you follow the chain of deeds recorded at the county, usually in the recorder of deeds or register of deeds office. Many original patents were also recorded at the county, so the recorder's index may list them too. An abstract of title or a title search pulls those links together.
One warning: an old patent does not override later deeds, mortgages or taxes. Recording a copy of a patent in your own name does not give you special rights to the land, despite what some online promoters claim. For title questions on a real purchase, rely on a title company or a real estate attorney.
Land patent search FAQ
Is a land patent search free?
Searching and viewing scanned patents on the BLM GLO Records website is free. Certified copies cost extra and can be ordered through the site's shopping cart.
Can I search land patents by name?
Yes. Choose the state, then enter a last name and, ideally, a county. Leave the first name blank at first and try spelling variations, since older records often spell names differently.
How do I find the land patent for my property?
Get the section, township, range and meridian from your deed, tax record or county parcel map, then search GLO Records by that legal description to see every patent issued in that section.
Why can I not find a patent for my land?
Your state may have granted land through its own land office, as Texas and the original colonies did, the land may have passed through a railroad or state grant, or the record may be indexed differently. Try other fields or nearby sections.
Does a land patent prove who owns the land today?
No. A patent shows the first transfer from the United States to a private owner. Current ownership comes from the chain of later deeds recorded at the county.
What is an accession number on a land patent?
It is the document number GLO Records uses to identify a patent. Enter it in the document identifier search to go straight to that patent's details and image.
The bottom line
A land patent search on BLM GLO Records is free and usually quick once you have the right inputs. Pick the state, then search by legal description for a parcel or by last name and county for a person, and open the scanned image to read the patentee, date, authority and land description. Then use the county parcel map and recorded deeds to connect that first owner to today's lot.