Watonwan County Certificate of Trust Form (Minnesota)

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

Certificate of Trust Form

Watonwan County Certificate of Trust Form

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

Certificate of Trust Guide

Watonwan County Certificate of Trust Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included Watonwan County compliant document last validated/updated 11/11/2024

Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document

Watonwan County Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document

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

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

Watonwan County Recorder

710 2nd Ave South / PO Box 518, St. James, Minnesota 56081

Hours: 8:00am - 12:00 & 1:00 - 5:00pm M-F

Phone: (507) 375-1216

Local jurisdictions located in Watonwan County include:

  • Butterfield
  • Darfur
  • La Salle
  • Lewisville
  • Madelia
  • Odin
  • Saint James

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 Watonwan 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 Watonwan County using our eRecording service.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Watonwan County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Watonwan 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 Watonwan County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Watonwan County.

What are supplemental forms?

Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by Minnesota or Watonwan 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 Watonwan 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 Watonwan 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 Watonwan 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.

4.8 out of 5 - ( 4434 Reviews )

James S.

November 21st, 2024

Forms used, created quitclaim deed that the county accepted without a second look (turns out they see deeds.com forms regularly via erecording and in person). Will be back for any real estate related forms I need and they carry. Will always be my first stop. Also, will use erecording next time, mad I didn't see it this time.

Reply from Staff

Thanks for the kind words James, glad we could help. Look forward to seeing you again.

Thomas G.

November 21st, 2024

Wasn’t what I expected

Reply from Staff

Sorry to hear that your expectations were missed. Your order has been canceled. We do hope that you find something more suitable to your expectations elsewhere. Do keep in mind that purchasing legal forms should not be an exploratory endeavor.

Jimmy P.

November 20th, 2024

They sent me everything I would need to do this. Easy purchase -Easy download. Great!! I'll be back here for all my document needs.

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

JACK G.

December 27th, 2019

Worked out good
can the forms be filled out on the computer and printed off.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Larry L.

September 18th, 2023

Easy, quick and responsive for recording purposes.

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

Kurt P.

November 20th, 2020

I like the basics. The one thing I would recommend changing would be, something that tells me I have actually have submitted my package, or that I can leave at any time without needing to click on a "Submit" button.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Bruce H.

May 10th, 2019

The forms were easy to download, no problem great site

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Douglas C.

August 30th, 2019

Excellent website with examples on how to fill out forms. Even better was the help from the office of the county clerk. I called them twice and they were extremely helpful on how to fill out the forms. Kudos to them!!!

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Jeanne A.

October 22nd, 2019

great forms, nice that they are fillable pdfs, easy to use, no issues. thanks.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

David M.

May 21st, 2020

Extremely easy to use. The sample completed document was very helpful. I really appreciated not having to spend a few hundred dollars for a lawyer to generate a document that I can produce myself for a small fraction of the cost.

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

Leatrice K.

February 24th, 2021

I am how simple this site is to use. I am so thankful to be able to do this and not have to worry about traveling downtown. Thank you.

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

Julie K.

September 4th, 2023

The process for obtaining document itself was easy, and the included guide and example are great! rnI do have an issue with the format itself, though. The form has pre-defined text boxes, which cannot be altered without partially rebuilding the entire document. For the 'property description' field on the Mineral Deed form, the text box is not large enough for the rather lengthy legal description entered on my original plat.rnFortunately, I have a copy of Adobe Pro, so I have been able to re-build the doc to accommodate this short-coming.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on our legal form. We're pleased to hear that you found the process for obtaining the document and the included guide beneficial.

We understand and appreciate your concern regarding the formatting and size limitations of certain fields, especially the 'property description' field. Our forms are designed to adhere to specific formatting requirements that are often mandated for legal compliance. Making direct alterations to the document can result in them becoming non-conforming, which is why we advise customers to use an exhibit page when their legal description is extensive or does not fit.

Tim R.

May 9th, 2019

Quick and efficient

Reply from Staff

Thank you Tim, we appreciate your feedback.

Sharon B.

April 3rd, 2024

Downloaded pdf form was difficult to use,/modify and has too much space between sections.

Reply from Staff

Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us improve. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

Geraldine B.

December 7th, 2019

Top notch real estate forms. Easy to use, printed out nice, and the guide and example are priceless. You're not going to find anything better anywhere.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for the kind words Geraldine! Have an incredible day!