Land Records and Recording

• Public Research room available  8:00 am - 4:15 pm Monday - Friday
• Remote Access requires a subscription agreement  to RecordEASE 
•  Individual document request 
  • The Recorders Office does not perform any searches. 
  • Prepayment for copies is required.
       We only accept cash or check 
       Email copy           $   1.50 per document
       Paper copy          $   1.00 per page
       Certified copy      $ 10.00 per document                                                             

Washington County Recorder's Office does not provide blank documents or give advice on which form may be appropriate for your situation or how to complete them. We strongly suggest consulting a legal advisor or title company.

You can find acceptable/common real estate documents at 

Minnesota Uniform Conveyancing Forms

Digitally - Electronically (eRecording)

Electronic recording enables title companies, lenders, law firms and others to electronically record documents without leaving the office.   All document types can be eRecorded.

To get started with eRecording, contact one of these state-recognized vendors:

• ePN
• Simplifile
• CSC eRecording Solutions
• Indecomm Global Services

Paper Documents

By Mail
Send all documents and appropriate fees to:

Washington County Property Records
 14949 62nd Street North 
PO 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 physical address listed above.

Washington County Recorders Office does not provide documents or give advice on which form may be appropriate for your situation or 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

All documents must:  

• Be completed prior to being presented for recording.
  We DO NOT provide notary services in our office.
• 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

Abstract Documents

Basic Recording Fee                              $ 46.00
Satisfactions or Releases                   $ 46.00 
up to 4 reference document numbers                     
each additional reference                  $ 10.00
Mortgages                                                   $ 46.00
Mortgage Registration Tax                $   2.30      of consideration
Conservation fee                                     $   5.00
mortgage tax calculator
Deeds                                                              $ 46.00
State Deed Tax                                           $   3.30      of consideration
Consideration less than $3,000      $   1.65
Conservation fee                                     $   5.00
deed tax calculator
Well Certificate                                        $ 50.00
Plats                                                                $ 56.00

Torrens Documents

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 

Miscellaneous Fees

Attested copy                                           $   2.00
Certified copy                                          $ 10.00
Certified Plat or
Registered land survey                      $ 15.00

RecordEASE is the county’s commercial product for accessing land records maintained by the County Recorder. For a low subscription fee users will have access to recorded documents and images in RecordEASE without having to visit our physical location.

 Fees

• Subscription fee      $ 30.00 per user
• Search fee               $    .50 per search
• Documents               $1.50 per document
• Certificates of title    $ 2.50 per certificate
• View tract page        $ 2.50 per tract
• View tract card         $ 2.50 per tract
• View recorded plat   $ 5.00 per plat

To Subscribe

Complete the subscription agreement and send it to the

Washington County Recorder’s office:

RecordEASE Web subscription agreement

** Please allow 1-2 business days for processing new subscriptions -  we will provide you with user IDs and passwords. Access will only be granted after receiving the completed documents.

Multiple parcel data downloads, screen scraping programs or other computer extraction techniques are strictly prohibited. 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.

Minnesota has two land record systems — Abstract and Torrens. When an Abstract property is sold, a thorough title search should be completed to look for any documents referring to the property.

Torrens properties have a Certificate of Title that gives conclusive proof of ownership — with some exceptions. It consolidates records into a single document.

Most property in Washington County is Abstract property, but owners may convert property from Abstract to Torrens through land registration.

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). 

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 

Request an Examiner’s Directive from the Washington County Examiner of Titles:

• 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 a check for the Directive fee and a separate check for the recording fee. We will record the Directive upon receipt from  the Examiner of Titles.   
• Send all of the above to the Torrens Division of Property Records and Taxpayer Services.

Fees:

 Examiner of Titles Services:
           Approval                         $ 200.00
           Directive                         $ 200.00
           District Court Actions      $ 500.00

Recording Fees:
           Registered Land Survey          $ 56.00
           Condominiums                         $ 56.00
           Exchange Certificate                $ 20.00
           Cancellation Certificate            $ 20.00
           First Certificate                         $ 46.00
           Memorials                                $ 46.00
           Plats                                         $ 56.00
           Residuary Certificate               $ 40.00
          Transfers for each certificate    $ 46.00

Contact Information: 
             F. Joseph Taylor 
             Washington County Examiner of Titles
             8063 Hadley Avenue South
             Cottage Grove, MN 55046
             651-459-6644
             washcoexaminer@msn.com

To request a combination or merge of an existing tax parcel:

           Combination/Merge Request

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.

To request a division or split of a tax parcel:

   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.

Email questions to: recorder@co.washington.mn.us

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