Recorder of deeds

Recorder of deeds is a government office tasked with maintaining public records and documents, especially records relating to real estate ownership that provide persons other than the owner of a property with real rights over that property.

Background

The offices with similar duties (varying by jurisdiction) include registrar general, register of deeds, registrar of deeds, registrar of titles. The office of such an official may be referred to as the deeds registry or deeds office. In the United States, the recorder of deeds is often an elected county office and is called the county recorder. In some U.S. states, the functions of a recorder of deeds are a responsibility of the county clerk (or the county's clerk of court), and the official may be called a clerk-recorder or recorder-clerk.

The recorder of deeds provides a single location in which records of real property rights are recorded and may be researched by interested parties. The record of deeds often maintains documents regularly recorded by the recorder of deeds include deeds, mortgages, mechanic's liens, releases and plats, among others. To allow full access to deeds recorded throughout the office history, several indexes may be maintained, which include grantor–grantee indexes, tract indexes, and plat maps. Storage methods to record registry entries include paper, microform, and computer.

Registry of Deeds (Massachusetts)

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has 21 separate Registries of Deeds, each functioning in districts dealing with real estate registration and land records. The registries are divided by county or subdivided within official state counties. These divisions are headed by elected officials known as a Register, and fall under the purview of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and local county governments.

By county

Barnstable

Berkshire

Bristol

Dukes

Essex

Franklin

Hampden

Hampshire

Middlesex

Nantucket

Norfolk

Plymouth

Suffolk

Worcester

References

External links