Unless reliable documentation can be found to the contrary, the right of way for any given County-maintained road is assumed to be limited to the physical limits of the road surface (i.e. from edge of pavement to edge of pavement).  Examples of documents that are commonly used to verify existing right of way include:  recorded property deeds, recorded plats, and historical records of the Board of Commissioners.

Any documentation of right of way that can be found is only valid for the specific area that is being referred to in the instrument.  For example, if one property is found to have thirty (30) feet of right of way dedicated in its recorded deed, the adjoining properties cannot be assumed to have the same amount of right of way.  Each property must be investigated and the right of way determined independently of any other property. 

In addition, the language of the documentation must reference a specific amount of right of way to be considered valid.  The reference must include a linear measurement of the right of way dedication, often given in feet or meters, but sometimes even given in rods or chains ( 1 chain = 4 rods; 1 rod = 16.5 feet).  Language in an instrument that does not call out a right of way measurement, such as "all right of way of record", is not sufficient to determine the exact width of the existing right of way.

Also, the location description within the document must match the property and road in question.  An instrument that describes a public roadway route that does not currently exist is generally not considered to be valid documentation.

A summary of the historical records from County Commissioners' meetings can be found in the in the links shown below.  These files are summaries of road data from past County Commissioners' meetings.  Anyone using these files should still research additional records (such as deeds) in order to confirm that the information contained in the summaries is accurate.  These summaries do not reflect any additional right of way dedications or vacations that might have taken place after the dates shown on the summaries.  The use of data contained in these summaries is at the user's risk. Vanderburgh County assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the information contained in these summaries, which is provided "as is" with no warranties of any kind.

Any right of way listed in these summaries should be verified by researching the County Commissioners' minutes on the County Auditor's website.

Commissioners' Records - A

Commissioners' Records - B

Commissioners' Records - C

Commissioners' Records - D to G

Commissioners' Records - H

Commissioners' Records - I to L

Commissioners' Records - M to O

Commissioners' Records - P to R

Commissioners' Records - S

Commissioners' Records - T to Z