# Recorder of deeds > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Recorder_of_deeds > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Recorder_of_deeds.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recorder_of_deeds > Source revision: 1317176360 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Office or position that maintains property ownership records This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. (April 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Recorder of deeds" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Portrait of [Frederick Douglass](/source/Frederick_Douglass) in the D.C. Recorder of Deeds Building. Frederick Douglass was the first recorder of deeds for the [District of Columbia](/source/District_of_Columbia). **Recorder of deeds** or **deeds registry** is a government office tasked with maintaining public records and documents, especially records relating to [real estate](/source/Real_property) ownership that provide persons other than the owner of a property with real [rights over that property](/source/Property_law). ## Background This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Recorder of deeds" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) The offices with similar duties (varying by [jurisdiction](/source/Jurisdiction)) include [registrar general](/source/Registrar_general), register of deeds, registrar of deeds, registrar of [titles](/source/Title_(property)). 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](/source/County_clerk) (or the county's [clerk of court](/source/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, including deeds, [mortgages](/source/Mortgage_law), [mechanic's liens](/source/Mechanic's_lien), [releases](/source/Legal_release) and [plats](/source/Plat), among others. To allow full access to deeds recorded throughout the office history, several indexes may be maintained, which include [grantor–grantee indexes](/source/Grantor%E2%80%93grantee_index), [tract indexes](/source/Tract_index), and [plat maps](/source/Lot_and_Block_survey_system). Storage methods to record registry entries include paper, [microform](/source/Microform), and computer.[1] The principles of statutory, case, and [common law](/source/Common_law) are given effect by the recorder of deeds, insofar as it relates to vested ownership in land and other real rights. Because [estate in land](/source/Estate_in_land) can be held in so many complex ways, a single deeds registry provides some clarity, even though it cannot "guarantee" those real property rights. The legal certainty provided by a title deed issued under the registration of the recorder of deeds is of great significance to all parties who hold, or wish to acquire rights in real property. Certainty of title is the basis for the investment of massive amounts of money in real estate development for residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural use each year. This is why the meticulous recording of registration information by the recorder of deeds is so important. Each document recorded against title to real estate can be examined and the portion of the [bundle of rights](/source/Bundle_of_rights) that it includes can be determined. These records can assist interested parties in researching the history of land and the [chain of title](/source/Chain_of_title) for any property and purpose. ## Philippines: Registry of Deeds The Registry of Deeds exists in almost all cities and municipalities in the Philippines and it has a primary duty of registering and keeping all documents pertaining to transfer of real property and issuance of certificates of land title, whether original, transfer or condominium as well as [chattel mortgage](/source/Chattel_mortgage) papers. The said agency is under the supervision of the [Land Registration Authority](/source/Land_Registration_Authority_(Philippines)), [Department of Justice](/source/Department_of_Justice_(Philippines)). ## South Africa: Deeds Registry The South African system of deeds registry is unique in that it is associated with tenure security. When [conveyancers](/source/Conveyancer) transfer title, they are expected to follow rigid procedures which involve ensuring the title and the property comply with all the relevant legislation and regulations, leading to a high degree of certainty and accuracy. Recent concerns about the standard of legal education in South Africa, however, has raised concerns about whether this is still the case.[2] The South African Registrar of Deeds is responsible for the national system of deeds offices which, through a juristic foundation and long-standing practices and procedures, has the effect of “guaranteeing” title.[3] The Deeds Registries Act and Sectional Titles Act are applied to regulate the deeds registry system, and form the foundation of land registration in South Africa. ## United States: Recorders of Deeds In the U.S., most recorders of deeds are elected officials who serve the area of a county or equivalent jurisdiction. In some states, the recorder of deeds may also act as a public posting place for documents that are not directly related to [estates in land](/source/Estates_in_land), such as corporate [charters](/source/Charter), [military discharges](/source/Military_discharge), [Uniform Commercial Code](/source/Uniform_Commercial_Code) records, applications for marriage licenses, and [judgments](/source/Judgment_(law)). Deeds in a few states of the U.S. are maintained under the [Torrens title](/source/Torrens_title) system or some limited implementation of it. (For example: [Minnesota](/source/Minnesota), some property in [Massachusetts](/source/Massachusetts), [Colorado](/source/Colorado), [Hawaii](/source/Hawaii), [New York](/source/New_York_(state)), [North Carolina](/source/North_Carolina), [Ohio](/source/Ohio), and [Washington](/source/Washington_(state)).) Other U.S. states maintain their deeds under the [common law](/source/Common_law) system of [record title](/source/Recording_(real_estate)). Typically, they are filed in chronological order with a grantor/grantee index. ## Recorders/registers of deeds who became prominent in politics ### District of Columbia - [Simon Wolf](/source/Simon_Wolf): Recorder of Deeds for the [District of Columbia](/source/District_of_Columbia), 1869–1878 - [George A. Sheridan](/source/George_A._Sheridan): Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, May 1878 - May 1881 - [Frederick Douglass](/source/Frederick_Douglass): Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, May 1881 – August 1886[4] - [James Campbell Matthews](/source/James_Campbell_Matthews): Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, August 1886 – March 1887[4] - [James M. Trotter](/source/James_M._Trotter): Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, March 1887 – February 1890[4] - [Blanche Kelso Bruce](/source/Blanche_Bruce): Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, February 1890–1893[4] - [C. H. J. Taylor](/source/C._H._J._Taylor): Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, 1894–1896[4] - [Henry Plummer Cheatham](/source/Henry_Plummer_Cheatham): Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, 1897–1901[4] - [John C. Dancy](/source/John_C._Dancy): Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, 1901–1910[5] - [Henry Lincoln Johnson](/source/Henry_Lincoln_Johnson): Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, 1910 - 1913 - John F. Costello: Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, June 1916 - 1921[6] - [Arthur G. Froe](/source/Arthur_G._Froe): Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, 1922 - September 1930 - Jefferson S. Coage: Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, October 1930 - February 1934 - [William J. Thompkins](/source/William_J._Thompkins): Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, March 1934 – 1944[7][8] - [Marshall L. Shepard](/source/Marshall_L._Shepard): Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, 1944 – 1951 - Vacant as Senate took no action on President Truman's nomination of Earl Wayne Beck, 1951 - June 1952 - President Truman signs S. 2871 which became Public Law 379, 82d Congress (66 Stat. 129), June 1952. Commissioners of DC to fill the job as a civil service position. Recorder of Deeds for DC must be a DC resident for at least 5 years immediately before their appointment.[9] ### Elsewhere in the US - [Joseph Montgomery](/source/Joseph_Montgomery): Recorder of Deeds and Register of Wills, [Dauphin County, Pennsylvania](/source/Dauphin_County%2C_Pennsylvania), 1785–94 - [Samuel P. Morrill](/source/Samuel_P._Morrill): Register of Deeds for [Franklin County, Maine](/source/Franklin_County%2C_Maine), 1857–67 - [Hugh McLaughlin (politician)](/source/Hugh_McLaughlin_(politician)), Register of Deeds for [Kings County, New York](/source/Kings_County%2C_New_York), for three consecutive terms from 1861 - [Charles E. Townsend](/source/Charles_E._Townsend): Register of Deeds for [Jackson County, Michigan](/source/Jackson_County%2C_Michigan), 1886–97 - [William S. Vare](/source/William_S._Vare): Recorder of Deeds for [Philadelphia, Pennsylvania](/source/Philadelphia%2C_Pennsylvania), 1902–12 - [Edward Boland](/source/Edward_Boland): Register of Deeds for [Hampden County, Massachusetts](/source/Hampden_County%2C_Massachusetts), 1941–52 - [Carol Moseley Braun](/source/Carol_Moseley_Braun): Recorder of Deeds for [Cook County, Illinois](/source/Cook_County%2C_Illinois), 1988–92 - [Jesse White](/source/Jesse_White_(politician)): Recorder of Deeds for [Cook County, Illinois](/source/Cook_County%2C_Illinois), 1993–99 - [Ryan Costello](/source/Ryan_Costello): Recorder of Deeds for [Chester County, Pennsylvania](/source/Chester_County%2C_Pennsylvania), 2008–11 - [Zach Payne](/source/Zach_Payne): Recorder of Deeds for [Clark County, Indiana](/source/Clark_County%2C_Indiana), 2015–18 ### Spain - [Mariano Rajoy](/source/Mariano_Rajoy): Recorder of Deeds first for [Padrón](/source/Padr%C3%B3n), then for [Villafranca del Bierzo](/source/Villafranca_del_Bierzo), and lately for [Santa Pola](/source/Santa_Pola), [Spain](/source/Spain); from 1979 until the present ## See also - [Cadastre](/source/Cadastre) - [Crown lands](/source/Crown_lands) - [Land registration](/source/Land_registration) - [Property law](/source/Property_law) - [Recorder (judge)](/source/Recorder_(judge)) - [Registry of Deeds (Massachusetts)](/source/Registry_of_Deeds_(Massachusetts)) - [Torrens title](/source/Torrens_title) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** finance, Betsy Petrick Full Bio Betsy began her career in international; Academia, It Has Since Grown into a Comprehensive Approach to Journalism as She's Been Able to Tap into That Experience Along with Her Time Spent in; policies, professional services Learn about our editorial. ["Register of Deeds Definition, Examples, and FAQs"](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/register-of-deeds.asp). *Investopedia*. Retrieved 2025-08-27. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["A fact or a fallacy? - GhostDigest"](http://www.ghostdigest.com/articles/a-fact-or-a-fallacy/55369). *www.ghostdigest.com*. Retrieved 2018-09-06. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Archived copy"](https://web.archive.org/web/20181222161254/http://www.connectarealty.co.za/images/downloads/Land%20Registration%20System%20In%20South%20Africa.pdf) (PDF). Archived from [the original](http://www.connectarealty.co.za/images/downloads/Land%20Registration%20System%20In%20South%20Africa.pdf) (PDF) on 2018-12-22. Retrieved 2018-09-06.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_archived_copy_as_title)) 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-plaindealer_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-plaindealer_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-plaindealer_4-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-plaindealer_4-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-plaindealer_4-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-plaindealer_4-5) White Folks, like Colored Folks, Have Their Troubles : Officers in the Twentieth Are Jealous of Funston. Plaindealer (Topeka, Kansas). Friday, October 27, 1899. Volume: I. Issue: 43 Page: 1. Piece: One of Four 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Meier, August. Negro thought in America, 1880–1915: Racial ideologies in the age of Booker T. Washington. Vol. 118. University of Michigan Press, 1963. pp. 234, 252 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Annonces, Vieilles (2021-09-18), [*President Wilson Appoints White Democrat as Recorder of Deeds for DC, A Position Held for More Than A Generation by Black Men - from The Washington Post, June 9, 1916*](https://www.flickr.com/photos/vieilles_annonces/51489845193/), retrieved 2024-08-26 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Clipping from The Pittsburgh Courier"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6194192/the_pittsburgh_courier/). *The Pittsburgh Courier*. 12 August 1944. p. 1. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Clipping from The Pittsburgh Courier"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6194215/the_pittsburgh_courier/). *The Pittsburgh Courier*. 12 August 1944. p. 5. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Statement by the President Upon Signing Bill Relating to the Office of the Recorder of Deeds of the District of Columbia | Harry S. Truman"](https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/public-papers/160/statement-president-upon-signing-bill-relating-office-recorder-deeds). *www.trumanlibrary.gov*. Retrieved 2024-08-26. ## External links Media related to [Recorder of deeds](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Recorder_of_deeds) at Wikimedia Commons Recording process: - [Illinois Mechanics Liens](http://www.ilmechliens.com) - [Landaccess Records Search for Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Carolina](http://www.landaccess.com) Directory: - [Recorders of Deeds by State](http://www.realmarketing.com/county_recorders/county_recorders.htm) - [National County Recorders Directory](http://www.zanatec.com/home.html) - [Recorders of Deeds by State & County](https://www.countyoffice.org/recorder-of-deeds/) Organizations: - [Property Records Industry Association (PRIA)](http://www.pria.us/) - [Kansas Register of Deeds Association](http://www.ksrods.org/) - [North Carolina Association of Registers of Deeds](http://ncinfo.iog.unc.edu/organizations/regdeeds/) - [Wisconsin Register of Deeds Association](http://www.wrdaonline.org/) - [Ohio Recorders' Association, OH](http://www.ohiorecorders.com/) Specific offices: - [Cook County, IL](https://web.archive.org/web/20041127220248/http://www.ccrd.info/) - [Columbus County, NC](http://www.columbusdeeds.com/) - [Guilford County, NC](http://www.guilforddeeds.com) - [Hall County, NE](http://deeds.hallcountyne.gov/) - [Anderson County, TN](http://www.andersondeeds.com) (first with online document viewing, 3/24/97) - [Shelby County, TN](http://register.shelby.tn.us) - [Wilson County, TN](http://www.wilsondeeds.com) - [Johnston County, NC](http://www.johnstonnc.com/registerofdeeds) (first electronic recording of a land record via eNotary under the newly approved North Carolina ERC rules) - [Delaware County, OH](http://www.co.delaware.oh.us/recorder) Commercial Online Providers: - [Tapestry](http://www.landrecords.net) - [USLandRecords Real Property Official Records Search](https://www.uslandrecords.com) - [TitleSearcher.com](http://www.TitleSearcher.com) Software and Service Providers: - [Fidlar Technologies](https://www.fidlar.com) - [ArcaSearch - Digitization of Historic Documents and Records](http://www.arcasearch.com) South Africa: - [DeedsWeb](http://www.deeds.gov.za/ITSODeedsWebB/deedsweb/welcome.jsp) is the Department of Land Affairs' official website for the supply of deeds registration information. - This report gives an overview of the foundations, performance, and goals of [Deeds Registration in South Africa](http://land.pwv.gov.za/land_planning_info/deeds_registration1_copy(1).htm). 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