How to keep your address off public records when buying a home

When a home is purchased in your own name, two public records are created almost immediately. The county recorder files the deed, which lists the buyer's name. The county assessor adds the property to the tax rolls, which list the owner's name and often a mailing address. Both are public by design — anyone can search them, usually online and usually for free.

It doesn't stop at the county website. People-search sites pull from public records automatically and republish them. A name on a deed typically flows into those databases within weeks, where a single search can surface a current address. This is why property records deserve special attention in a safety plan: one record, created once, keeps resurfacing.

Partly — and it is worth understanding exactly which part. State Address Confidentiality Programs (ACPs) give survivors a substitute mailing address for use with government agencies, shielding your real location in records like your driver's license and voter registration. They are a meaningful protection, and if you qualify, an advocate can help you enroll.

But most ACPs do not reach county property records. Deeds and tax rolls are recorded at the county level, not the state level, and in most states ACP protections do not extend there. If you buy in your own name, your name generally appears on the deed regardless of your ACP enrollment. We wrote a fuller explanation in Address Confidentiality Programs: What They Cover — and What They Don't.

Instead of buying the home in your own name, you form a Wyoming LLC and the LLC buys the home. The deed and the tax rolls then show the LLC's name — not yours. Someone searching county records for your name finds nothing, because your name was never recorded.

Wyoming matters because of what its public filings leave out. Unlike most states, Wyoming does not list LLC members or managers in its public business registry. Even if someone traces the deed to the LLC and then looks up the LLC itself, they see only the entity name and the registered agent. You do not need to live in Wyoming, and the property can be in any state. Our how it works page walks through the process step by step, including the attorney guidance involved.

Property records are the largest single exposure, but not the only one. A few others worth minding, gently and in your own time:

• Utilities: accounts can sometimes be opened in the LLC's name, and utility connection data is one of the sources data brokers draw on.
• Mail: a P.O. box for all correspondence keeps your street address off lender letters, tax notices, and forwarding records.
• School records: if you have children, ask the school about address confidentiality — many states extend ACP or similar protections to school enrollment.

Our safety page covers these areas in plain language, and our resources page lists advocates and organizations who can help you build a plan that fits your situation. A trained DV advocate is the best guide here — we are one layer, not the whole plan.

LLC formation starts at $299, plus Wyoming's $100 state filing fee. Tiers that add a two-layer structure and data broker removal cost more, and every third-party cost is disclosed before you pay anything. Full details are on our pricing page. If cost is a barrier, please ask about our survivor assistance program — financial hardship should never prevent safety.