Recorder of deeds refers to the government office that maintains records of transfers of real estate, as well as many other public documents. The individual holding the office is also known as the Recorder of Deeds. The title varies in different jurisdictions; variations include County Recorder, Register of Deeds, Registrar of Deeds, or Registrar of Titles; in some areas, this function is part of the county clerk's responsibilities.

The purpose of having a recorder of deeds is to provide a single location where interested parties can know to look for information about who owns what property. Because estate in land can be held in so many complex ways, a single location where such claims can be found provides some stability. Each document recorded against title to real estate can be examined and the portion of the bundle of rights that it includes can be determined. Documents describing real estate ownership that are regularly recorded include deeds, mortgages, mechanics liens, and releases, plat maps, among others.

The recorder of deeds also acts as a public posting place for documents that are not directly related to estates in land. Such documents may include corporate charters, military discharges, UCC records, and judgments.

In the U.S., most Recorders of Deeds are elected officials serving the area of a county or county equivalent territory.

See also

Some Recorders/Registers of Deeds who were nationally prominent:

• Joseph Montgomery: Recorder of Deeds and Register of Wills, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, 1785-94
• Frederick Douglass: Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, 1881-86
• Charles E. Townsend: Register of Deeds for Jackson County, Michigan, 1886-97
• Blanche Kelso Bruce: Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, 1891-93
• William S. Vare: Recorder of Deeds for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1902-12
• Edward Boland: Register of Deeds for Hampden County, Massachusetts, 1941-52
• Carol Moseley Braun: Recorder of Deeds for Cook County, Illinois, 1988-92

External links

Recording process:

• Illinois Mechanics Liens

Directory:

• National County Recorders Directory

Organizations:

• Property Records Industry Association (PRIA)
• Kansas Register of Deeds Association
• North Carolina Association of Registers of Deeds
• Wisconsin Register of Deeds Association

Specific offices:

• Cook County Recorder of Deeds

Government occupations | Legal occupations | Local government in the United States | Real property law | Real estate