Lake County Certificate of Trust Form (Minnesota)

All Lake County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:

Certificate of Trust Form

Lake County Certificate of Trust Form

Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.
Included Lake County compliant document last validated/updated 10/11/2024

Certificate of Trust Guide

Lake County Certificate of Trust Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included Lake County compliant document last validated/updated 2/7/2024

Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document

Lake County Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included Lake County compliant document last validated/updated 9/11/2024

When using these Certificate of Trust forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in Lake County. The executed documents should then be recorded in the following office:

Lake County Recorder

Courthouse - 601 Third Ave, Rm 201 , Two Harbors, Minnesota 55616

Hours: 8:00am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday

Phone: (218) 834-8347

Local jurisdictions located in Lake County include:

  • Beaver Bay
  • Finland
  • Isabella
  • Knife River
  • Silver Bay
  • Two Harbors

How long does it take to get my forms?

Forms are available immediately after submitting payment.

How do I get my forms, are they emailed?

Immediately after you submit payment, the Lake County forms you order will be available for download directly from your account. You can then download the forms to your computer. If you do not already have an account, one will be created for you as part of the order process, and your login details will be provided to you. If you encounter any issues accessing your forms, please reach out to our support team for assistance. Forms are NOT emailed to you.

What does "validated/updated" mean?

This indicates the most recent date when at least one of the following occurred:

  • Updated: The document was updated or changed to remain compliant.
  • Validated: The document was examined by an attorney or staff, or it was successfully recorded in Lake County using our eRecording service.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Lake County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Lake County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.

Can the Certificate of Trust forms be re-used?

Yes. You can re-use the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have more than one property in Lake County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Lake County.

What are supplemental forms?

Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by Minnesota or Lake County. These could be tax related, informational, or even as simple as a coversheet. Supplemental forms are provided for free with your order where available.

What type of files are the forms?

All of our Lake County Certificate of Trust forms are PDFs. You will need to have or get Adobe Reader to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I need any special software to use these forms?

You will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I have to enter all of my property information online?

No. The blank forms are downloaded to your computer and you fill them out there, at your convenience.

Can I save the completed form, email it to someone?

Yes, you can save your deed form at any point with your information in it. The forms can also be emailed, blank or complete, as attachments.

Are there any recurring fees involved?

No. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.

The certificate of trust is codified under the Minnesota Trust Code at Minn. Stat. 501C.1013.

This document is an abstract of the trust instrument setting forth "fewer than all of the provisions . . . and any amendments to the instrument," and contains only essential information relevant to the transaction for which it is being presented (Minn. Stat. 501C.1013, Subd. 1). It "serves to document the existence of the trust, the identity of the trustees, the powers of the trustees and any limitations on those powers, and other matters the certificate of trust sets out, as though the full trust instrument had been recorded or presented" (Subd. 4).

Presented to a recipient in situations regarding personal property, or filed with the county recorder in situations regarding real property, a certificate of trust is "prima facie proof as to matters contained in it" (Subd. 4).

A certificate is valid when executed by settlor or trustee "any time after the execution or creation of a trust" (Subd. 1). The basic content requirements include the name of the trust; the date of the trust instrument; the name and address of each acting trustee; the number of trustees required to act; and the powers of the trustee relevant to the transaction at hand. The certificate also declares whether the trust has terminated or the trust instrument has been revoked (Subd. 1 (1-6)).

For use in real property transactions, the certificate requires the name of each settlor and original trustee, along with a specific statement relating to the authority of the trustee and any restrictions on the trustee's power "to sell, convey, pledge, mortgage, lease, or transfer title to any interest in real property" (Subd. 2). Transactions affecting real property may also require an affidavit of trustee under Minn. Stat. 501C.1014.

The representations contained within the certificate are made by the executing trustee or settlor under oath before a public notary and as such the executing party ensure there are no provisions in the trust instrument or subsequent amendments to limit the power of the trustee in the transaction or "to exercise any other power identified in the certificate" (Subd. 1).

Contact an attorney with any questions regarding trusts or certificates of trust, as each situation is unique.

(Minnesota COT Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)

Our Promise

The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Lake County recording requirements for formatting. If there's an issue caused by our formatting, we'll make it right and refund your payment.

Save Time and Money

Get your Lake County Certificate of Trust form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.

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Jimmy W.

November 1st, 2024

Very thorough with plenty of instructions. Nice to be able to fill in the forms on my computer at my own pace and edit if needed. Jim

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RUTH A.

October 25th, 2024

I am so very thankful for the service that you provide for the public, thank you very much.

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Nancy R.

October 25th, 2024

Deeds.com is very precise, helpful and friendly. I found the form I needed without any effort and everything worked perfect and smooth. I recommend it 100%. rnThank you.

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Roy S.

January 5th, 2022

The website is easy to maneuver and information needed was readily available. Thanks so much!

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Kenneth-Wayne L.

August 20th, 2020

1) I was very pleased when the staff mentioned your service since the three referenced on the Recorder's website all wanted HUGE Account set-up and maintenance fees AND BIG fees per recording, and yours has no set-up fee AND nominal per-recording fee; 2) My (few) recordings will be NON-LAND Related, summary or entire record(s) of Administrative (Procedures Act) records, Other than the Border width and Cover Sheet, do you anticipate any other special requirements for such recording(s)? NOTE: I just sent one by Snail Mail, and they just informed me that due to the GERMIPHOBIA 'Pandemic' the ONLY open and record Snail Mail ONCE A MONTH On the first of each chmonth!

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Frank W.

November 15th, 2022

would be nice to be able to see what I am purchasing before I paid

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David D.

May 20th, 2021

Very easy to us & thanks for all the info to fill out the form.

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Cynthia D.

May 22nd, 2021

It turned out I didn't need the information was taken care of by my husband. Thank you.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Richard B.

May 27th, 2022

Had trouble filling in the forms not very user friendly. The text always had to be manipulated to look in the best place. Could not easily move existing text to look more professional with the text being inserted.

Reply from Staff

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Thomas M.

July 26th, 2021

The process of finding exactly what was needed was pretty painless.

Reply from Staff

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Nancy C.

August 2nd, 2019

So easy and documents downloaded in a flash. Highly recommended. Just gotta fill out and submit done. Thank You

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Joseph I.

July 27th, 2021

Your instructions and sample are geared towards businesses. It would have been helpful to have included some for us individuals as married couples as well.
I also recall one or two spelling errors on the form that I could not fix, and the instructions seem to be for a prior form. This particular registry also required a stamped self-addressed envelope for return of documents. Hey, you asked!
Overall, pleased.

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Jay B.

July 3rd, 2020

Fantastic!

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Maday G.

July 31st, 2020

The service was easy and fast. Definitely much better than the regular process directly at the County's office.

Reply from Staff

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LINDA S.

November 11th, 2020

One thing I would suggest that could be changed is the last page because we have a trust and I had to retype that page to include the trust and both trustee's signatures.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!