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Nationwide coverage since 1995

Environmental Lien & AUL Search

AFX provides activity and use limitation, environmental lien, and chain of title record searches and reports in support of Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, for commercial and residential properties, since 2007. In that time we have researched more than 100,000 sites nationwide.

Our environmental lien reports are searched by certified title abstractors. We lead the industry in reporting turnaround times, and our reports are guaranteed accurate and meet the ASTM E1527-13 and E1527-21 standards.

Order TodaySee a Sample Report
  • ASTM E1527-21 compliant
  • All 50 states, every county
  • Certified abstractors

$2.5T+

In property value researched

100,000+

Sites researched nationwide

4,000+

Property sites reported every month

50

States, every county

Our Reports

Order an Environmental Lien Report

Pick the scope your assessment calls for, enter the property information, and our certified abstractors begin the research. Reports are emailed as a PDF.

Completed environmental lien and AUL reports are typically emailed within 3 business days. Owner lists and chain of title reports can take longer depending on the county and the scope of the search. For bulk pricing on more than 10 orders, or for rush service, call 877-848-5337.

Our Research

Three reports, matched to the standard you are working to

For professionals who provide Phase I ESAs, part of the accepted All Appropriate Inquiries is searching the records for the subject property. Which search satisfies that depends on the ASTM standard your assessment is written to.

ASTM E1527-21

1980 Environmental Lien & AUL

The full search back to 1980, the year CERCLA was enacted, with the chain of title, the AUL summary, and a copy of the current deed. This is the report that satisfies ASTM E1527-21 on its own.

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ASTM E1527-13

Environmental Lien & AUL Search

The current owner search, run from the date the present owner acquired the property to today, across city, county, state, and federal repositories. Written to the ASTM E1527-13 standard.

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Ownership history

Chain of Title Search Report

Every owner of record back to 1940, 50 years, or 60 years, taken from the grantor and grantee indexes, with the conveyance dates, the legal description, and the current deed attached.

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Reliable Environmental Lien Research

A specialty search, run by specialists

Providing real estate title research nationwide to environmental professionals, government agencies, and investors for more than 20 years. Environmental liens and AULs are not found in the property index alone, and searching for them takes a good-faith effort across the repositories that apply to the site.

Certified Title Abstractors

Every environmental lien and AUL report is researched by a certified title abstractor, not scraped from a database. Our reports are guaranteed accurate and meet the ASTM E1527-13 and E1527-21 standards.

Records Beyond the Property Index

Environmental liens are recorded in dozens of dissimilar systems. We search zoning records, licensing boards, environmental agencies, the department of revenue, and the property records, choosing the repositories that apply to the site.

Industry-Leading Turnaround

We lead the industry in reporting turnaround times. Standard delivery for an environmental lien report is 3 business days or less, with rush service available by phone.

Built for Enterprise Volume

We deliver reports for more than 4,000 property sites a month. Standard delivery is a PDF by email, and enterprise clients can take delivery by FTP or API in PDF, XLSX, Word, or JSON.

How to Order

Three steps to a completed report

Ordering online takes a couple of minutes. If you would rather order by phone, or you are scoping a portfolio, call 877-848-5337 and a title representative will size the search with you.

  1. 1

    Enter the property information

    Give us the street address, city, county, state, and the APN where you have it. The parcel number is what lets us pull documents recorded against the property as well as against the names.

  2. 2

    Choose the search scope

    Pick the current owner search for ASTM E1527-13, or the search to 1980 for E1527-21, and add a chain of title to 1940, 50 years, or 60 years if your assessment calls for one.

  3. 3

    Submit and we begin

    Our abstractors start the research immediately and the finished report arrives as a PDF by email, typically within 3 business days.

Order TodayRead the FAQ

What arrives in the report

Every environmental lien and AUL report is a PDF you can drop straight into the Phase I ESA file. It contains:

  • An environmental lien summary
  • An AUL summary
  • The legal description of the property
  • Deed recording information, including book, page, date, grantor, and grantee
  • A list of every location researched to complete the report

A report lists every environmental lien and AUL found of record in the repositories searched. Review the search details and a sample report before you order.

Track Record

Due diligence on more than $2.5 trillion in property value

Research on more than 100,000 sites nationwide, for environmental professionals, government agencies, lenders, law firms, and investors.

News & Announcements

American Society for Testing and Materials Standards Update

In November of 2021, the United States Environmental Protection Agency approved the most recent American Society for Testing and Materials Standard E1527-21 as sufficient to satisfy “All Appropriate Inquiry” for potential liability protections under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. 78 Fed. Reg. 79,319.

As a result, E1527-21 now stands as the baseline for Phase I Environmental Site Assessments. While the ASTM E1527-13 standard may still be appropriate in certain situations, as a general rule, individuals performing Phase I ESAs should ensure that their assessments are in compliance with the latest standard.

Read the full announcement

Order Your Environmental Lien Search Today

Guaranteed accurate environmental lien and AUL research for Phase I ESAs, nationwide, by certified title abstractors. Order online in minutes, or talk to our team about the scope your assessment needs.

Order TodayRequest More Info

Questions? Call 877-848-5337 ext. 138 or email info@afxllc.com