What a register of deeds does
Recorder, register, registry or clerk: who records deeds in each state.
On this page
What the office does
Every state has an office that records deeds, mortgages, liens and plats and keeps the public index of them. Its title varies: county recorder, recorder of deeds, register of deeds, registry of deeds (Massachusetts), county clerk (Texas, New York outside New York City), clerk of the circuit court (Virginia, Florida), clerk of superior court (Georgia), clerk of court as parish recorder (Louisiana) or town clerk (Connecticut, Vermont). The office records what is brought to it; it does not decide who owns a property or check the content of a deed. Recorded originals go back to the person who submitted them1.
Recording office staff help with the index but generally do not research titles: Fairfax County, Virginia, states that its staff "is not allowed to perform research"2, and the DC Recorder of Deeds "does not perform title searches that involve the circumstances of a purchase"3.
The office in each state
| State | Deeds recorded by | Copy fee |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Judge of Probate | $1.00 per page (statutory base, Ala. Code § 12-19-90(b)(25)) |
| Alaska | State Recorder's Office, Department of Natural Resources (34 recording districts; Anchorage and Fairbanks offices) | $1.25 first page, $0.25 each additional page of the same instrument (photocopy) |
| Arizona | County Recorder | $1 per page or partial page (statutory recorder copy fee). |
| Arkansas | Circuit Clerk (ex officio Recorder) | $0.50 per page, not certified (Faulkner County Circuit Clerk schedule) |
| California | County Recorder (titles vary: Clerk-Recorder, Assessor-Recorder, Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk) | — |
| Colorado | County Clerk and Recorder (Denver: Denver Clerk and Recorder) | Statute: copies are charged under C.R.S. 24-72-205(5), up to $0.25 per standard page (30-1-103(2)(j)). Counties checked: $0.25 per page (El Paso, Denver). |
| Connecticut | Town Clerk | $1 per page, in any format |
| Delaware | Recorder of Deeds (county) | Set per county. Kent (schedule effective October 28, 2025): copies $1.00 per page (letter/legal), $10.00 per page for plots |
| District of Columbia | Recorder of Deeds | $2.25 per page |
| Florida | Clerk of the Circuit Court (county recorder); some clerks use a longer title, e.g. Hillsborough: 'Clerk of Circuit Court & Comptroller' | $1.00 per page (up to 14 x 8.5 in.) |
| Georgia | Clerk of Superior Court | Uncertified copies at the Clerk of Superior Court: $0.50/page without clerk assistance |
| Hawaii | Bureau of Conveyances (Registrar of Conveyances), DLNR — statewide | $1.00 per page (uncertified), in person or by online download |
| Idaho | County Recorder (Clerk of the District Court, ex officio Recorder) | $1.00 per page for copies of any record or paper (statutory) |
| Illinois | Recorder of Deeds or County Clerk (recorder functions vary by county; Cook: County Clerk) | Cook County: non-certified paper copy $27.50 |
| Indiana | County Recorder | $1.00 per page for copies 11 x 17 inches or smaller |
| Iowa | County Recorder | — |
| Kansas | Register of Deeds | Not set by statute — each Register of Deeds sets copy charges under KORA (actual cost). Examples: Johnson County $0.25 per document page |
| Kentucky | County Clerk | County clerk paper copies: not more than $0.50 per page (legal size or smaller) unless a statute sets a higher fee |
| Louisiana | Clerk of Court (ex officio Recorder); Orleans: Clerk of Civil District Court, Land Records Division | Statutory ceiling: no more than $2.00 per page for copies of official documents (clerks as ex officio recorders, R.S. 13:844(A)(5)) |
| Maine | Register of Deeds (county; Aroostook has North and South registries) | $1 per page |
| Maryland | Clerk of the Circuit Court (Department of Land Records) | $0.50 per page (plats $0.50 per 11x17 page, $1 per larger page) |
| Massachusetts | Register of Deeds (Registry of Deeds district) | $1 per page for copies |
| Michigan | Register of Deeds | $1.00 per page |
| Minnesota | County Recorder; Registrar of Titles for registered land | $10 |
| Mississippi | Chancery Clerk | DeSoto County example: $0.50 per page when copied by the Chancery Clerk's office |
| Missouri | Recorder of Deeds (circuit clerk as ex officio recorder in combined counties) | Not to exceed $2 first page and $1 each additional page (counties) |
| Montana | County Clerk and Recorder | $0.50 first page, $0.25 each additional page (statutory county clerk copy fee) |
| Nebraska | Register of Deeds (County Clerk ex officio in smaller counties) | Plain copies are not set in 33-109 |
| Nevada | County Recorder (Carson City: Clerk-Recorder) | $1 per page (statutory, NRS 247.305(1)(b)) |
| New Hampshire | Register of Deeds (County Registry of Deeds) | Copy fees are set and posted by each register (RSA 478:17-g, III). Examples: Rockingham $1 per page |
| New Jersey | County Clerk | County example: $2.00 per page for copies of recorded documents (Union: 'Copy of any document – Each page $2.00' |
| New Mexico | County Clerk | Set by each clerk, capped by statute at $1.00 per page up to 11 x 17 inches |
| New York | County Clerk (NYC: City Register, NYC Department of Finance; Staten Island: Richmond County Clerk) | County Clerk: 65 cents per page, minimum $1.30, maximum $40 per record (CPLR 8019(f)) |
| North Carolina | Register of Deeds | $5.00 first page + $2.00 each additional page or fraction (instruments with no other fee provision) |
| North Dakota | County Recorder | Noncertified copy: not more than $1 per instrument page. Electronic data extracted from a recorded instrument: not more than 50 cents per instrument. |
| Ohio | County Recorder (Cuyahoga: Fiscal Officer; Summit: Fiscal Office – Recorder division) | $2.00 per page total ($1 base fee + $1 housing trust fund fee) for photocopies, per 8.5x14 page |
| Oklahoma | County Clerk | $1.00 per page (county clerk photographic/printed copies, 28 O.S. § 32(A)(4)) |
| Oregon | County Clerk (recording); Multnomah: Recording office, Division of Assessment, Recording and Taxation | Statutory maximum for copies of county clerk records: not more than $3.75 to locate a record plus 25 cents per page (including electronically delivered images). |
| Pennsylvania | Recorder of Deeds (Philadelphia: Department of Records) | $0.50 per uncertified page (42 P.S. § 21051) |
| Rhode Island | City/Town Clerk or Recorder of Deeds (land evidence records) | $1.50 per page |
| South Carolina | Register of Deeds (RoD, older name RMC); Clerk of Court in 23 counties | Set locally |
| South Dakota | Register of Deeds | $1 per page for an uncertified copy (hard copy, microfilm, electronic or fax) |
| Tennessee | Register of Deeds | $1.00 per page for a certified copy of a document (up to 8½x14) |
| Texas | County Clerk | $1.00 per page (noncertified, printed on paper) |
| Utah | County Recorder | Set by each county legislative body by ordinance or resolution |
| Vermont | Town Clerk / City Clerk | $1.00 per page, $2.00 minimum (uncertified) |
| Virginia | Clerk of the Circuit Court | $0.50 per page (or per image for electronic records) |
| Washington | County Auditor (Recorder's Office in King County) | $1 per page (noncertified copies, up to 8.5x14 in.) |
| West Virginia | County Clerk (Clerk of the County Commission) | $1.50 per copy of a writing/document (if not otherwise provided for) + $1 for each additional page when more than two pages |
| Wisconsin | Register of Deeds | $2 first page + $1 each additional page of each document |
| Wyoming | County Clerk (register of deeds) | No statewide per-page amount: a county clerk may charge a reasonable copy fee that may not exceed the actual cost of duplication (materials and supplies only, no labor or overhead). Example: Laramie County $0.50 per printed page, $1.00 per page emailed. |
Each state links to its guide, where every office and fee carries its official source and check date. Fees shown are the state’s fee for a copy; the state guide lists the others.
Sources
Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 3 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.
- Recorder FAQsDuPage County Recorder, Illinois
- FAQs About Land RecordsFairfax County Circuit Court, Virginia
- Recorder of Deeds FAQsDC Office of Tax and Revenue