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Land Records and Recording
The responsibility of the County Recorder's Office is to accept real estate documents for filing and to maintain a permanent archive of recorded documents for real property in Washington County.
The Washington County Recorder's Office:
- does not provide blank documents;
- does not give advice on which form may be appropriate for your situation, nor advise on how to complete them.
- strongly suggests consulting a legal advisor or title company. You can find acceptable/common real estate documents at Minnesota Uniform Conveyancing Forms.
Minnesota has two land record systems: Abstract and Torrens. Most property in Washington County is Abstract property, but owners may convert property from Abstract to Torrens through land registration.
Abstract
An abstract is a summary of all recorded documents related to a property including deeds, mortgages and more. When an Abstract property is sold, a thorough title search should be completed to look for any documents referring to the property.
Torrens
Torrens property has a Certificate of Title that gives conclusive proof of ownership with some exceptions. It consolidates records into a single document registered with the state.
Note: The Recorder's Office does not perform any searches.
Public Research
Public Research is room available Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:15 p.m., at the Government Center, First floor, 14949 62 Street N., Stillwater, MN 55082.
Online Research
Remote access available via occasional user access or a subscription agreement to RecordEASE.
Fees for Copies
- Prepayment for copies is required.
- Form of payment accepted: cash or check.
| Copy Format | Fee |
|---|---|
| Certified copy | $10.00 per document |
| Email copy | $1.50 per document |
| Paper copy | $1.00 per page |
Combine Tax Parcels
To request a division or combination/merge of an existing tax parcel, please complete the Parcel Merge/Combination Request(PDF) form.
Before submitting the forms, review the following:
- All property taxes must be paid in full.
- New parcel identification numbers derived from plats, divisions and combinations submitted during the current calendar year will be finalized prior to Estimated Tax Statements being sent out in March of the following year.
- There is no fee for requesting and processing administrative divisions or combinations.
Division of Tax Parcels
- All property taxes must be paid in full.
- Deeds must be stamped with the municipality approval.
- Current survey must accompany the request.
There is no administrative fee for requesting and processing parcel divisions or combination/merges.
For questions, email County Recorder's office.
To record documents digitally or electronically (eRecording)
Electronic recording enables title companies, lenders, law firms and others to electronically record documents without leaving their office. All document types can be eRecorded.
To get started with eRecording, contact one of these state-recognized vendors:
To record paper documents
By Mail
Send all documents and appropriate fees to:
Washington County Property Records
14949 62nd Street North
P.O. Box 6
Stillwater, MN 55082
In Person
Bring the completed document(s), and cash or check to the Washington County Government Center Recorder’s Office at the Government Center, 14949 62nd Street North, Stillwater.
Washington County Recorder's office does not provide blank documents, give advice on which form may be appropriate for your situation, or advise on how to complete them. We strongly suggest consulting a legal advisor or title company.
The Minnesota Department of Commerce website provides many commonly used real estate forms at Minnesota Uniform Conveyancing Blanks.
The County Recorder's office does not provide notary services in office.
All documents must:
- Be completed prior to being presented for recording.
- Be dated.
- Be signed.
- Have a complete and correct legal description.
(Do not use the description on the tax statement.) - Have all exhibits attached and labeled.
- Have a “Drafted by” statement that includes the name and address of the drafter of the document.
- Include the correct recording fees.
- Not be altered. Whiteout and correction tape are unacceptable on any legal document.
- Be acknowledged, which includes:
- Date.
- State and county.
- Legible notary seal.
- Notary signature.
- Notary commission expiration date.
- Names and marital status of signatures being acknowledged.
- Marital status should indicate one of the following:
- Single.
- Husband and wife.
- Person A married to Person B and Person B married to Person A.
- Person A and Person B.
- Married to each other.
- If it's a corporate acknowledgement, you must include:
- The business name.
- Signer’s official title.
- Indicate in the notary block that the signature is on behalf of the company.
- Some Deeds require an eCRV or a Well Certificate. To know if you require either of these, go to:
- Minnesota Department of Health for a well certificate.
- Minnesota Department of Revenue for an eCRV.
The Washington County Property Records Division offers a free online service called Property Watch. Property Watch will automatically send an email notification when a document is recorded with your name on it. This property records notification system will not prevent fraud.
To sign up for Property Watch, all you need is your name and email address.
RecordEASE is Washington County's commercial product for accessing land records maintained by the County Recorder. Users will have access to recorded documents and images in RecordEASE without having to visit our physical location.
Fees
| Type of Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Occasional user | $3.25 per login/session |
| Subscriber user | $30.00 per user |
| Search fee | $0.50 per search |
| Documents | $1.50 per document |
| Certificates of title | $2.50 per certificate |
| View tract page | $2.50 per tract page |
| View tract card | $2.50 per tract card |
| View recorded plat | $5.00 per plat |
To Subscribe
Complete the RecordEASE web subscription agreement and email it to the Washington County Recorder's office.
Please allow 1-2 business days for processing new subscriptions. Access will only be granted after receiving the completed documents. The County Recorder's office provides you with user IDs and passwords once your subscription is accepted.
Washington County strictly prohibits multiple parcel data downloads, screen scraping programs or other computer extraction techniques. Washington County reserves the right to deny site access to any individual or entity determined to be misusing the system.
The information on the website is a reproduction of the Washington County RecordEASE system.
Abstract Documents
| Type of Document | Fee |
|---|---|
| Basic recording fee | $46.00 |
| Satisfactions or Releases (up to 4 reference document numbers) | $46.00 |
| Satisfactions or Releases (each additional reference) | $10.00 |
| Mortgages | $46.00 |
| Mortgage registration tax | $2.30 per thousand of consideration |
| Conservation fee | $5.00 |
| Deeds | $46.00 |
| State deed tax | $3.30 per thousand of consideration |
| Consideration less than $3,000 | $1.65 |
| Conservation fee | $5.00 |
| Well certificate | $54.00 |
| Plats | $56.00 |
Torrens Documents
| Type of Document | Fee |
|---|---|
| Basic recording fee | $46.00 |
| Memorials and amended declarations | $46.00 (plus $20 for each additional certificate) |
| Transfers | $46.00 |
| Residuary certificate | $40.00 |
| Exchange certificate for each cancelled certificate | $20.00 |
| Each new certificate issued | $20.00 |
| Torrens plat | $56.00 |
| Registered land survey | $56.00 |
| Torrens condominium | $56.00 (plus $20 for each additional certificate) |
| Conservation fee | $5.00 |
| Well certificate | $56.00 |
| Plats | $56.00 |
Miscellaneous Fees
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Attested copy | $2.00 |
| Certified copy | $10.00 |
| Certified plat | $15.00 |
| Registered land survey | $15.00 |
The Examiner of Titles is an attorney appointed by the District Court Judges to administer all Torrens proceedings for the county.
Approvals
Documents requiring an approval:
- Probate transfers
- Trust transfers
- Divorce Decree or Summary Real Estate Disposition Judgment (SREDJ)
- Affidavit of Identity and Survivorship for Transfer on Death Deed
The Examiner of Titles does not pre-approve documents for closings.
The Examiner of Title only reviews and approves documents for recording.
Original documents along with the fees should be sent to:
Washington County Property Records - Torrens
14949 62nd Street North
Stillwater, MN 55082
Directives
Used to request the removal of liens or interests that are no longer valid.
To request an Examiner’s Directive from the Washington County Examiner of Titles, include:
- A letter addressed to the Examiner of Titles explaining the purpose of the requested Directive.
- Include a copy of the current Certificate of Title.
- Include a copy of the document(s) you want removed from the Certificate of Title. (A title commitment will not suffice.)
- Include two checks made payable to 'Washington County':
- One check for the Directive fee ($200).
- One check for the Directive recording fee ($46).
- Send all of the above to the Torrens Division of Property Records and Taxpayer Services. We will record the Directive upon receipt from the Examiner of Titles.
Fees
Examiner of Titles Services
| Type of Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Approval | $200 |
| Directive | $200 |
| District Court Actions | $500 |
Recording Fees
| Type of Recording | Fee |
|---|---|
| Cancellation certificate | $20 |
| Condominiums | $56 |
| Directive | $46 |
| Exchange certificate | $20 |
| First certificate | $46 |
| Memorials | $46 |
| Plats | $56 |
| Registered Land Survey | $56 |
| Residuary certificate | $40 |
| Transfers for each certificate | $46 |
Contact Information
F. Joseph Taylor
Washington County Examiner of Titles
8063 Hadley Avenue South
Cottage Grove, MN 55046
Phone: 651-459-6644
Email Examiner of Titles
Real Estate Document Templates
The Minnesota Department of Commerce maintains free downloadable templates that allow for more efficient processing by the county with fewer rejects.
Uniform Conveyancing Forms. Questions, call 651-539-1500.
eCRV (electronic certificate of real estate value)
The State of Minnesota maintains this real property sales data. An eCRV is required with the recording of any deed with a taxable consideration of $3,000 or more.
Electronic Certificate of Real Estate Value (eCRV). Questions, call 651-556-3278.
Well Disclosure
The Minnesota Department of Health maintains records on the status of wells, including Well Disclosure Certificates.
Well Disclosure/Property Transfer. Questions, call 651-201-4600.
Homestead
Homestead designation applies to properties occupied as primary residences by their owners or their relatives, and may qualify the property for a reduced classification rate, reduced taxable market value, property tax refund, and special program eligibility. More information, call 651-430-6175.
Legal Resources
Volunteer Lawyers Network
The Volunteer Lawyers Network answers civil and criminal legal questions and helps with legal forms. Locations throughout the metro including the Washington County Law Library. VLN - Connecting volunteer lawyers with clients in need, contact 612-752-6677.
Minnesota Judicial Branch - Self-Help Centers
For help, call 651-435-6535.
LawHelp Minnesota
LawHelp MN provides free legal information on topics such as housing, debt collection and citizenship and provides help finding legal services and resources. Helping Minnesotans solve legal problems at 651-228-9105