Legal Definitions - wild deed

A wild deed is a legal document, specifically a deed, that has been recorded in the public land records but does not properly connect to the established chain of title for a property. The "chain of title" refers to the historical sequence of ownership transfers for a piece of land, as documented in public records. When a deed is "wild," it means that if you were to trace the ownership history of the property backward from the current recorded owner, you would not find this particular deed in the logical, unbroken sequence of transfers. Because it falls outside this traceable history, a wild deed generally does not provide legal notice to subsequent purchasers or interested parties, meaning they are not considered legally aware of its existence.

• The Fraudulent Seller: Imagine a vacant lot owned by Ms. Eleanor Vance, whose ownership is properly recorded. A scammer, Mr. Robert "Rob" Banks, falsely claims to own the lot and creates a fake deed transferring it from himself to an unsuspecting buyer, Mr. David Green. Mr. Green then records this deed in the county records. This deed from Rob Banks to David Green is a wild deed. It's recorded, but Rob Banks never had a legitimate, recorded interest in the property to convey, so his deed doesn't connect to Ms. Vance's established chain of title. A title search would show Ms. Vance as the owner, with no recorded transfer from her to Rob Banks.
• The Unrecorded Prior Sale: Suppose Mr. Alan Smith sells his property to Ms. Brenda Chen, but Ms. Chen, for some reason, never records her deed. Years later, Mr. Smith (either mistakenly or fraudulently) attempts to sell the *same* property to Mr. Carl Davis, who promptly records his deed. Subsequently, Ms. Chen finally decides to record her original deed from Mr. Smith. When Ms. Chen's deed is recorded, it becomes a wild deed. A title search from the point Mr. Carl Davis recorded his deed would show Mr. Smith conveying to Mr. Davis, and Ms. Chen's later-recorded deed from Mr. Smith doesn't fit into that established sequence of ownership. It appears outside the chain of title that a diligent searcher would find starting from Mr. Davis's recorded interest.
• The Clerical Error: A property owner, Dr. Emily White, owns Parcel A. Her neighbor, Mr. Frank Jones, mistakenly believes a small strip of Dr. White's Parcel A actually belongs to him. Mr. Jones then executes and records a deed attempting to transfer this strip to Ms. Gina Harris. This deed from Mr. Jones to Ms. Harris is a wild deed. While recorded, Mr. Jones never had a recorded interest in that specific strip of Parcel A to convey. A title search for Parcel A would show Dr. White as the owner, and Mr. Jones's deed would not appear in her chain of title, making it an unconnected, "wild" entry.