Environmental Lien & AUL Search: Frequently Asked Questions

An environmental lien is a legal claim a state or federal government agency records against a property, usually to recover the costs of investigating and cleaning up hazardous substances released there. Because the lien attaches to the property rather than the owner, it follows the land through every sale until it is resolved.

An AUL is a legal or physical restriction on how a property may be used because of environmental contamination — institutional controls such as environmental covenants and deed restrictions, and engineering controls such as caps and vapor mitigation systems. Read our plain-English AUL guide.

It is a title-based search that reviews land title records — and judicial records where applicable — from 1980 to the present, identifying environmental liens, encumbrances, and Activity and Use Limitations recorded against a property. The report meets the environmental lien and AUL search requirements of the ASTM E1527-21 Phase I ESA standard. See full report details.

Complete research to 1980: an environmental liens and encumbrances summary, an Activity Use Limitations summary, the deed recording chain (book, page, date, grantor and grantee), the legal description of the property, identification of the current owner(s), current deed copies, and a list of every source searched — including judicial records.

The ASTM E1527-21 standard requires that land title records be reviewed for documents recorded between 1980 and the present, and that judicial records be reviewed for the same period in jurisdictions that file environmental liens there. The year is no accident: CERCLA, the federal Superfund law behind environmental lien authority, was enacted in 1980.

A typical current-owner title search only reviews documents recorded since the present owner took title. Our 1980 search abstracts the full chain of recorded instruments back to 1980 — including judicial records where applicable — specifically to surface environmental liens and AULs that a shorter search would miss.

ASTM E1527-21 is the current standard practice for Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, published in November 2021 and recognized by the EPA as satisfying the All Appropriate Inquiries rule under CERCLA. It replaced the 2013 standard, E1527-13.

The 2021 update clarified how the six-month report viability window is measured — from the earliest assessment component rather than the report date — mandated consultation of historical sources and land title records, clarified the 1980 look-back for title and judicial records, expanded the scope to emerging contaminants such as PFAS, and sharpened the definition of a Recognized Environmental Condition (REC). Read our comprehensive E1527-21 guide.

In some jurisdictions, environmental liens are filed in court (judicial) records rather than county land records. E1527-21 requires those records to be reviewed back to 1980 as well — and we maintain a complete list of state-specific local and judicial records resources to do it.

AAI is the level of pre-purchase due diligence CERCLA requires before a buyer can claim the innocent landowner, contiguous property owner, or bona fide prospective purchaser defenses to cleanup liability. Completing a Phase I ESA under ASTM E1527-21 is how purchasers satisfy AAI.

Under the All Appropriate Inquiries rule and ASTM E1527-21, assessment reports carry a six-month viability window, so the information a transaction relies on must be current when the deal closes. If your timeline slips, the lien and AUL search may need to be refreshed.

Yes. The environmental lien and AUL search is a required component of every E1527-21 Phase I ESA. Environmental professionals typically order it from a research firm like us and incorporate the results into their assessment.

Order online in a few minutes through our secure order form: pick your package, enter the property details, and pay by card. Start your order.

The property street address, plus the parcel number (APN) if you have it, and the email address where the finished report should be delivered. Our abstractors take it from there.

Completed reports are emailed within 3–5 business days. Especially complex parcels or limited public records access can occasionally extend delivery.

By email, as soon as the research is complete. High-volume clients can also receive reports through our order and delivery API integrations.

Yes — a complete sample is available so you can review the format and level of detail before you order. View the sample report (PDF).

Yes — our research is nationwide. Every report is abstracted from the official records of the county, state, or city repository where the property sits.

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The 1980 Environmental Lien / AUL report is $425. Combination packages that add a supplemental chain of title search are $525 (50-year) and $725 (back to 1940).

Yes — ordering more than 10 searches qualifies for industry-superior bulk discount pricing. Call 877-848-5337 to set it up.

Yes. For our largest clients we offer white-labeled reports and order and delivery API integrations alongside bulk discount pricing.

A chain of title report documents past ownership of a property from official land records: every owner in the deed chain back to the search date, the deed recording chain, the legal description, current deed copies, and the sources searched. Learn more about chain of title reports.

Past ownership is one of the best clues to past use. A documented owner history helps environmental professionals evaluate whether a prior owner’s operations — a dry cleaner, a fuel depot, a manufacturer — warrant a closer look.

Yes. Online we offer 50-year and back-to-1940 combinations, but we can research to whatever date your scope requires — 1932, 60 years back, or anything else. Call 877-848-5337 to set up a custom search.

Certified, highly experienced title abstractors — not automated database pulls alone. Their work is supported by proprietary research applications that use OCR and machine-learning technology for accuracy, consistency, and speed.

Yes — our research and property reports are guaranteed accurate, and they meet the latest ASTM E1527-21 standard.

The site is operated by AFX Research, LLC, a nationwide title research firm headquartered in San Luis Obispo, California, with decades of experience serving environmental professionals, lenders, government agencies, and investors.