Vacant Property Research Toolkit

Provided by Judge Raymond L. Pianka

Cleveland Municipal Court, Housing Division

Online Resources:

1. Cuyahoga County Fiscal Officer’s web site: http://fiscalofficer.cuyahogacounty.us/en-US/REPI.aspx (choose a tab for search criteria)

· Search by address, owner’s name, parcel number or AFN

· Provides information on owner, prior transactions, taxes, property characteristics

2. Cuyahoga County Recorder’s web site: http://recorder.cuyahogacounty.us/searchs/parcelsearchs.aspx

· Search by parcel number

· Provides all recorded documents – deeds, mortgages, etc…

3. Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas web site: http://cpdocket.cp.cuyahogacounty.us/TOS.aspx

(choose Civil, search by name, then Foreclosure Property Search to search by property)

· Search by owner’s name, property address, parcel number or case number

· Provides case information and docket for all foreclosure cases

4. Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s web site: http://sheriff.cuyahogacounty.us/en-US/Foreclosure-Property-Search.aspx

· Search by parcel number

· Provides sale details on properties set for sheriff’s sale

5. Cleveland Municipal Court web site: http://clevelandmunicipalcourt.org/cvdisclaimer.html ***

· Search by party name, case number, case type, etc…

· Provides case information and docket for criminal code violation cases in Housing Court, civil eviction cases, nuisance abatement actions, etc…

6. City of Cleveland Permit Site: http://ca.permitcleveland.org/public/ ***

(click [Cancel] when asked for login, then Building & Housing tab)

· Search by applicant name, property address, permit number, etc…

· Provides information on permits, violations, and complaints

*** For properties in the City of Cleveland only. For municipal court case information and code violation status outside of the City of Cleveland, contact your local court and city departments.

How to find out where a property is in the foreclosure process:

1. Use the Fiscal Officer site to search for the address and get the parcel number (PPN).

2. Use the PPN to search the Court of Common Pleas website for a foreclosure case.

3. Use the PPN to search the Sheriff’s website for sale details.

How to find out where a property is in the code enforcement process (City of Cleveland only):

1. Use the Use the Fiscal Officer site to search for the address and get the owner’s name.

2. Use the address to search the City’s Permit site (be sure to set the date range) to see if there have been any complaints made or violations issued on the property.

3. Use the owner’s name to search the Municipal Court website to see if the City has filed and criminal code enforcement actions against the owner or whether the owner is a party to other cases in Housing Court.

Note: The Housing Court, as part of the judicial branch of government, cannot bring code violation cases against property owners. The City, through its Law Department, brings and prosecutes cases in the Court. The Court can only act on properties that are the subject of a current case in Housing Court. If you have concerns about a property that is not part of a case in Housing Court, you should bring your concerns to the City (see links below).

Other Resources:

Code Enforcement Process Chart

Code Enforcement Checklist and Contact Information

Demolition Process Outline

Demolition Checklist and Contact Information

Return to Housing Court home page.