Allegheny Co. closes the books on paper land records

Allegheny County is in the final stages of changing the ways journalists, homebuyers, attorneys, and historians use land records stored in the County Office Building at Forbes Avenue and Ross Street downtown. Once accessible in large heavy and dusty books, more than 230 years of deeds, deeds, mortgages and other property records will soon be available only on computer terminals inside the Recorder of Deeds Real Estate Division office and online, for a fee, through a third-party vendor. Read the details, published by Pittsburgh City Paper (July 22, 2026). Article and photo credit to: David S. Rotenstein.