Financial reporting issues "fixed"

In recent weeks, Doxpop's E-Filing Financial Reports failed for a number of users. (Sorry!)

Investigation revealed that the report generation program was encountering an envelope for a case that had an unknown type. The root cause of that problem was that the State's EFM vendor was not providing a valid type. We notified them of that issue and they'll presumably fix it in the fullness of time. However, because that may take a while, we've ensured it won't stop you in the meantime.

We applied two fixes for this, one to address the known "unknown type" problem, and in a tribute to Donald Rumsfeld, a second check for "unknown unknowns".

In the future, if the report generator encounters an unknown case type, it will report everything else about the envelope, including any financial information, and just put "Unknown" in the case type.

Additionally, if the report generator encounters any other error condition for an envelope, it will provide a message to the report recipient noting that the envelope was skipped due to an unknown error, and then continue processing the rest of the envelopes.

What that means for you is that in the future, if an envelope can't be reported correctly, you'll get the rest of the report along with a message listing the offending envelope number(s).

If that happens, please let us know right away so we can track down the problem with the envelope. However, in the meantime, you should be able to look up the envelope manually using the "My Electronic Filings" page under the "e-filing" tab.

If you do a significant number of filings every month and aren't using Doxpop's financial reporting, please give it a try. The option is found under the "e-filing" tab, and will produce a file that you can import into a spreadsheet to assist in documenting and billing back fees to your clients. You can run the report for any time period, any particular county (or all) and for one submitter or all submitters:

Happy National Paralegal Day! (Did your attorneys bring you donuts today?)

Although Doxpop serves the legal community generally, we know that the people who use our system most are paralegals and legal assistants, so these worker bees of the legal profession hold a special place in our hearts.

That's why we are eager to recognize the second National Paralegal Day today (August 6th). Today, we celebrate the day in 1968 when the American Bar Association created the Special Committee on Lay Assistants, now known as the Standing Committee on Paralegals. 

Paralegals have been the foundation supporting larger legal teams for decades. They are hard-working professionals, tasked with upholding high ethical standards while providing the specialized support that allows attorneys to pursue their work more effectively. Today, we recognize their contribution to the pursuit of justice for all.

At Doxpop, we hope this celebration encourages others to explore this vocation that can become a satisfying lifelong career, or a stepping stone to pursue a JD. We know that many of our users are legal administrative assistants who might want to take the next step in building their career by pursuing further education to obtain a paralegal degree.

If you'd like to become a paralegal in Indiana, the best start is to enter a formal educational program for paralegal work. Indiana does not require a State test, certification, or license because paralegals are required to work with the supervision of an attorney who is ultimately responsible for their actions. That said, you can certainly become a more likely candidate by obtaining a degree and/or taking one of the national certification exams administered by the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA), or the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA). The Indiana State Bar Association also has a Registered Paralegal Status that you can apply for to further establish your credentials in Indiana.

Locally, the Indiana Paralegal Association and the Northeast Indiana Paralegal Association provide mutual support, guidance, and continuing education to Indiana paralegals. Doxpop is proud to be a supporting member of these two organizations and we encourage the many legal assistants who use Doxpop to consider joining the group closest to you. They're not only great professional associations, they are fun people that we enjoy interacting with. 

Have a wonderful National Paralegal Day!

Frequently asked questions about Doxpop's Property Watch Service

https://watch.doxpop.com

Doxpop Provides a free service called Property Watch allowing property owners in the counties we serve to set a watch for Recorded Documents filed that match the legal description of their property and/or their name. 

The purpose of this service is to keep people informed of any Recorded Document that may affect them. Although similar services are touted as "Fraud Alert" systems, Doxpop takes a less scary approach: We believe that property owners should simply be aware of anything that affects them, including the vast majority of documents that are legitimate.

The following are the most common questions we are asked about this service:

Will Property Watch prevent someone from filing a fraudulent document?

No. Because the law does not allow Recorders to reject any properly formatted document, it is currently not possible to prevent fraudulent filings. Our role is to notify you quickly enough that you can take action before the fraudster does damage by convincing their real victim (the "buyer") that they can take possession of your property. A fraudulent document does not  actually transfer ownership, so the damage that occurs is when the person who thinks they bought the parcel from a fraudster shows up to take possession. Immediate notification allows you to prevent the damage through swift action.

If I receive a notification, does it mean fraud has occured?

No! In fact, fraud is extremely rare. The vast majority of notifications we send out just alert you that a legitimate document has been filed. That's why we call our service "Property Watch" instead of giving it a scary name like "Fraud Warning". If you receive a notification, there is usually no cause for immediate concern. We expect you will almost always recognize the document as being part of a transaction you're aware of. However, if you don't recognize the document, you should follow up as soon as possible to learn more.

I have subscribed to property watch for a property that is described using "Section/Township/Range" in the legal description, and I'm getting alerts for parcels that are not mine. Why does this happen?

Only the "short" legal description and party names are consistently entered in the indexing system for Recorded Documents. In rural areas, the short legal is not very specific, and typically only allows us to narrow the match down to a "Section", which is a one square mile area. If your legal description is composed of one- or two-digit numbers and the letters N, S, E, W separated by dashes, you are affected by this. (Example: 29-11N-1W N) Although we know alerts for this type of parcel are not very precise, we always send notifications for a potential match. We believe the trouble of investigating a potential false positive result is worth it to avoid missing an actual match. If you receive an alert of this sort, just contact us, and we'll look at the specific document to help you assess whether it really refers to your parcel.

Does signing up for Property Watch create a Doxpop account that I can log into?

No, Property Watch is a standalone service that does not create a regular Doxpop account. If you'd like to explore our other services, we invite you to sign up for a Doxpop account at our "Free" subscription level, which is designed to allow non-professionals access to public records. If you're interested, you can do that using the "Subscribe Now" link in the upper left corner of: https://www.doxpop.com.

Can Doxpop tell me if a document is fraudulent or affects me adversely?

No, We are not attorneys or title professionals. We can't offer legal advice. What we can do is alert you to the document filing and, if you ask,  provide some details about what appears on the document. In most cases, you'll recognize it as a legitimate document. If you don't recognize the document, you should investigate. If you call or email our support team, we can help you by providing some of the details about the document. If you are still puzzled about the document after learning those details, then we recommend you consult with someone who is qualified to render an opinion about if or how the document affects your property.

I got notice from Doxpop about my neighbor's property transactions. Why?

If you live outside of an incorporated area such as a city or town, your "short legal description" is based on section, township and range. It is common for several people to own property in the same section. That means we'll send you an alert when a document is filed that references the same section. If you recognize the name of one of your neighbors on the document, that's the likely cause, and the document almost certainly doesn't affect you. 

This is a situation where we know some false alerts will occur due to the limitations of the property indexing system... But we believe better safe than sorry, so we send the alert to be sure.

Why can't Doxpop use my address or parcel number to avoid false alerts in unincorporated areas?

In Indiana, Recorders are required to index documents by entering the names of the parties involved and the short legal description. A short legal description will be a subdivision & lot number in an incorporated area, or section, township & range in rural areas. Because address & parcel number are not required to file a document, we can't use those without a serious risk of missing a document that doesn't include that information. Even if it means we'll have to explain a few false alarms, we'd much rather err on the side of caution given the stakes involved.

Is property watch really free? How can you do this?

The Property Watch service is provided at no cost to the public in counties where the Recorders have partnered with Doxpop. Because the Recorders who choose Doxpop are careful stewards of the public trust, no tax money or other public funding was used to provide this service to your community. Doxpop funds this service solely using the revenue we generate by providing research to professionals who use our system to locate the documents they use in their business.

What about privacy? Does Doxpop share any of the information I provide while signing up?

Doxpop will never sell or transfer the information you enter during signup. Our revenue comes from  providing legitimate services, so there's no need to engage in shady practices. If you're curious about our paid services, take a look at https://www.doxpop.com/prod/common/AboutUs.

https://watch.doxpop.com

The State Court's INFile Project is Significantly Delayed

Earlier in July, the State Court sent out a notice that their "INFile" project will be significantly delayed. Their specific wording was "We anticipated those changes would take effect this spring, but they will not be available soon."

We interpret this to mean a delay of at least 6 months, probably longer. What this means for E-Filing firm administrators is that you can simply take the INFile transition off of your 2026 "ToDo" list, and relax. 

When we see it appear on the horizon again, you can count on us to make sure you have plenty of advance warning. Of course, if you have any questions about our advanced E-Filing options and features, please reach out to our friendly support team for assistance.

What ever happened to the State's plan to replace the Indiana E-Filing Manager?!

For months, Doxpop has been working hard to alert all of our customers to the impending change in Indiana's E-Filing system. ...And then nothing happened. 

We're regularly in touch with the folks at Indiana Court Technology. They have told us the current situation is that the project has been delayed and they will give us at least 30 days notice before anything happens.

So... As far as we know, they are still intending to proceed, but pausing to regroup and work out some details in the API.

We are continuing to monitor the situation closely, but for the moment, we judge that it is safe to take this off of your "imminent challenges" list and relax. We promise that we'll make sure you have plenty of notice when the project restarts!

Make Sure You Are Getting All the Important Emails Related to E-Filing and Court Cases.

Tame your E-mail notices and ensure that everyone in your office is getting the notifications they need!

 First, Your Spam Filter:

The first step will be to ensure that your spam filter knows which domains to allow. We have an up to date list of domains below that should be on your "Safe Sender" list:

• doxpop.com
• efilingmail.tylertech.cloud
• tylerhost.cloud
• tylerhost.net
• tylertech.com
• courts.in.gov
• mail.incourts.gov
• subscription.in.gov

If you don't have an IT department to do this for you, here are a couple of short videos describing how to do this on the most common email systems:

• Outlook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk4qgQhvVv4
• Google Mail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYBTN9z1PW8
• If you use a different email system, give us a call and we'll help you find instructions!

When Your Spam Filter Isn't The Problem, But You're Still Not Receiving Notices:

Another common issue is that either the sending system has the wrong address or has stopped sending entirely. This can get confusing because notices use email addresses stored in three different locations. Knowing which system you're having problems with is the first step, and the solution for each is slightly different:

Notice of Electronic Filing and Notification of Acceptance or Rejection come from the user section of the E-Filing Manager (EFM.) If you stop receiving these notifications, there may be two reasons:

1. The email address is wrong. To correct this, have your E-Filing administrator go to the "Users" section of E-Filing Administration and check your address there.

2. You are on the "suppression list", meaning your email server previously rejected a message, and so the EFM has given up on trying to even send emails. To solve this problem, call Doxpop if we are your E-Filing service provider. We can solve the problem quickly. If Doxpop isn't your service provider, you should call whoever provides your service.

Notice of Electronic Service comes from the e-service section of the E-Filing Manager (EFM.) If you stop receiving these notifications, there may be two reasons:

1. The email address is wrong. To correct this:

1. For Public Service Contacts, check the attorney's address in the Roll of Attorneys. (https://secure.in.gov/Apps/courts/portal/)

2. For Private Service Contacts, have your E-Filing administrator go to the "Service Contacts" section of E-Filing Administration and check the address(es) on the Service Contact that isn't working.

2. You are on the "suppression list", meaning your email server previously rejected a message, and so the EFM has given up on trying to even send emails. (See the section above for how to resolve this.)

Notices of Orders or Judgments come from the Odyssey system. If you stop receiving these notifications, call your local clerk's office, and ask them to check the email address for the attorney in their "Attorney Master" record. If it needs to be corrected, they can take care of that, and changing it in your county will resolve the issue for all counties.

What if Other People Aren't Receiving Your Notices?

Sometimes you'll receive an email Notice that says "E-Service Undeliverable". This always means that the opposing counsel has a problem with their email. However, the burden is on you to make sure service occurs anyway. Here's how to handle this:

1. Contact the person the E-Service couldn't be delivered to, so they know they need to diagnose their email problem. (Send them a copy of this article!)

2. While you've got them on the phone, work out another way to deliver the filing to them. Often you can just email the documents directly. 

If you use Doxpop, you can also just give our support staff a call and they'll help you resolve any of these problems.

Even better, you can just use our in-app notification archive to avoid having to depend on email for any notice related to E-Filing. We don't think email is reliable, so we've created an alternative (and backup) system for our users that allows you to see and review notifications through our web site instead of depending on email. (Click here to learn more: https://blog.doxpop.com/2026/04/have-you-ever-missed-important-E-Filing.html)

Have You Ever Missed an Important E-Filing Email? We've Got a Simple Solution.

Important: A few folks have been alarmed because they see a large number of "unread notifications" when viewing the dashboard for the first time. That is because we have tracked all of your past notifications in this area as a backup for the emailed notifications. You can safely mark them all as "read" or "archived" using the tools at the top of the list.

Email notifications for filing status or service not getting through are the most common problem our support team sees, so we strongly suggest that all of our E-Filers check out the E-Filing dashboard. What the dashboard does is provide a complete and reliable list of every event that you should have received an email for, so on those days when email is slow or unreliable, it won't slow you down.

We've recently added a new section for "Unread Filing Notice Notifications" that quickly links to all new notifications you receive from the E-Filing Manager.

If you're not yet making use of the E-Filing Dashboard, you can find this by clicking on the "e-filing" tab, located here:

This page will show your personal dashboard on the left side of the screen, along with a number of helpful links and access to begin searching or filing through Doxpop.

The new link is at the top of the Dashboard section and will display the number of unread "Notice of Electronic Filing" notifications so that you can keep track of these more easily. Clicking on the link in the dashboard will take you to the Filing Notices section of your E-Filing notifications in the notifications tab.

In addition to updating this dashboard display, Doxpop has also updated our handling of unread/archived messages. After hearing from some users that archiving unread notifications makes their inboxes difficult to track, we will now consider archived messages as read when displaying your unread notifications. This change is designed to help the dashboard remain a quick and reliable way to track the E-Filing notifications that matter to you.

This change to our calculation of your unread notifications could also result in a major, sudden drop in the numbers listed in your personal dashboard. If you notice a change to your unread notifications it is likely to be related to this update, but we always welcome a call if you have any concerns. Our support team can be reached at support@doxpop.com or by calling 866-369-7671 if you have any questions or would like to learn more.

Wells County Manual Historical Indexes Available Dating Back to 1837!

Thank you to Rina Stuck and all of the staff in the Wells County Recorder's Office!

We are excited to announce this significant update in Wells County! Doxpop recently posted the Mortgage indexes back to 1837. Previously, the Deed indexes back to 1838 were posted, so between the two, nearly every index is now available online, along with scans of all of the original documents they refer to.

The way the Manual Historical Indexes work is that Doxpop posts scanned images of all of the older index books that you'd normally have to go to the county to peruse. You can choose the type of index (deed or mortgage) then select the date range, and find links to each letter in the index. Then you scan the index visually for the document you're seeking, and note the Book & Page numbers.

In the top right of the page, there's a place to enter the book & page to see the actual document. You can choose to read the document online or purchase a copy for download in PDF form.

Most recorder's offices are constantly working to enter fully computerized indexes for older documents so you can use simpler search tools. However, by placing the index books themselves online, we can enable online searching for recently scanned documents whether they are indexed in the computer or not. This provides immediate value to the public when the scanning is done.

It is always great to see public information become more accessible, especially when the documents were recorded before Vincent Van Gogh was born!

Why do the indexes go back to 1837? A bit of Wells County history provides the answer...

Originally, Wells County was a combination of Allen, Delaware, and Randolph Counties before Indiana started increasing the number of counties sometime in the 1830s. When the state was founded, there were just 13 organized counties and nowadays that number is up to 92. A law passed in 1835 started the increase of Indiana counties in the northern part of the state, and by February of 1837 Wells County officially became a separate county. Shortly after that Bluffton was selected as the county seat, and in March of 1838 and a man named John Casebeer surveyed and platted the city of Bluffton. 

Projects like this always inspire interest due to the historical significance. America was founded in part on the radical notion that any person could own land, not just those descended from noble families. Ever wonder why you have "Title" to a parcel? Think about Lords, Earls and Barons in England: Only a person with a "Title" could own land, and that land was granted by the King to "Title holders". Our country changed that, but we still use the words inherited from the feudal system.

Our County Recorder's offices are where that founding principle becomes reality with the support of our government for the people. Title researchers, property owners, and any member of the community now have the full history of Wells County recorded documents available at their fingertips.

Join us in again thanking the hard working staff of the Wells County recorder's office! Preserving and indexing records this historic is no small task, and everyone involved deserves a thank you.

Three unusual variations on MC (Miscellaneous Criminal) case type to be aware of if you are using advanced searching.

When using either Doxpop's advanced Court Case Search or the Doxpop Court Case API, you have the option to filter by case type. This seems simple, but can be more complicated for one particular case type:

MC, or "Miscellaneous Criminal" Is most often used in cases where a person has been arrested without a warrant and posts bond before their initial hearing, so formal charges have not yet been filed. In this situation, the primary purpose of opening a case is to document the bond receipt, and a separate case will be opened if charges are later filed.

Other less common uses include:

• Criminal contempt for a party not already involved in a case.
• Documenting a BMV reinstatement fee waiver.
• Extradition.
• Empanelling a Grand Jury.
• Investigatory Subpoenas.
• Probable cause determinations prior to case creation.
• Search warrants prior to case creation.
• Seizure orders per IC 34-24-1.
• Problem solving cases accepted from outside the county.
• Petitions to appoint a special prosecutor.
• And, of course, other miscellaneous criminal matters.

Importantly, there are three special cases we just discovered:

• MCPT: Probation Transfer from another county or state.
• MCPF: A "case" opened only for the purpose of creating a record of payment for Probation User Fees.
• MCCT: For situations where the clerk has used the citation entry process to create a case that does not involve automated BMV processing.

The first two 4-character MC types are broken out separately for statistical purposes, and the third one is connected to a preferred data entry process.

Mail, Emails, and Important Updates!

USPS Postmarks
For several years now, the USPS has been increasingly transporting more and more mail to their processing facilities before applying postmarks. This means that even mail that's dropped off directly at the post office is not necessarily going to be postmarked the same day. Depending on how far your mail has to travel to a processing facility and how busy that facility is in that moment, your mail may not be postmarked for up to two days beyond the date it was mailed. If you need to have an item postmarked for the current day, you can visit your USPS location and ask for a manual postmark, which is free of charge!

For those who make use of mail and service E-Filing options through Doxpop, you may also see that tracking numbers are not assigned right away and may be missing from initial notifications. This is not an error in your filing, it's simply in the queue at the USPS processing facility.

New E-Filing Email Domains
In the past, you have received important E-Filing emails from the domain @courts.in.gov and most likely have this on your system’s “Allow List” so the notifications don’t get marked as spam. Odyssey has announced that e-notices will be coming from new domains going forward. The two domains you should be receiving notices from are @mail.incourts.gov and @subscription.in.gov. If you're wondering, the messages you will receive are orders and notices from the courts. Get with your IT team and make sure these new domains are added to your “Allow List” so you don’t miss any important notices. Check out our other blog post here for a full list of domains that may be useful to you, as well as what you may receive from them.

E-Filing Transition Delay
Most of you are already aware that the upcoming E-Filing transition has been delayed, and we can confirm that the State has not released any specific information about when this will happen. We will make an announcement as soon as we know more.