You are NOT on the Ketchikan Gateway Borough official website, you are on Deeds.com, a private website that is not affiliated with any government agency.
The State Recorder's Office is part of the Department of Natural Resources and administers the statewide recording system. It consists of 34 separate recording districts serviced by a total of 5 separate offices located throughout Alaska.
Properties in Ketchikan District, which covers Ketchikan Gateway Borough and most of the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, are now recorded at the Juneau Office.
District boundaries do not always correspond to those of the boroughs. A list of communities in each district is available on the website of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources.
Recording Fees
Make checks payable to Department of Natural Resources.
For recording all documents: first page* or fraction thereof : $20.00
Each additional page or fraction thereof (same instrument): $5.00
For indexing each name or claim name over six: $2.00
Non-standard document fee: $50.00
For recording plats or surveys:
First sheet: $20.00
Each additional sheet same plat (affidavits, tax status, etc. submitted with initial filing of plat-no charge): $5.00
Certification fee, per document: $5.00
For conforming a copy of any recorded instrument at time of recording**: $2.00
For copying any document by photocopy process:
First page or fraction thereof: $1.25
Each additional page or fraction thereof (same instrument): $0.25
Copy of plats, full scale on paper, each sheet: $3.00
Copy of plats, full scale on mylar, each sheet: $10.00
*Reference to "page" means one side of sheet; double sided sheets are two pages.
**At the time of recording, a conformed copy is $2.00. Any copy made after that time will be charged $1.25 for the first page and $0.25 for each additional page of same document.
Document Formatting Requirements
* Documents must be submitted on opaque white paper stock no larger than 8.5 x 14 inches in size.
* Copies of governmental or court documents must be certified by the appropriate agency in order to be eligible for recording.
* At the top of the first page, there must be a 2-inch margin and 1-inch margins on all remaining sides and all subsequent pages. A $50 non-standard document fee can be paid in addition to the appropriate recording fee if a document can't meet the margin requirements. Taping, gluing, or stapling one page onto a bigger page to meet margin requirements is not acceptable and will result in the non-standard document fee.
* The document must have a title that reflects its overall intent. If a title contains multiple functions, it is indexed only under the first function listed, unless the submitting party requests that it be recorded for multiple purposes. Additional fees will be due for documents recorded for multiple purposes.
* Text must be of consistent clarity (i.e. no broken characters or severe light and dark zones in the text) to ensure that the camera can measure a strong light and dark contrast between the text and the background. Type size should be at least 10 point font.
* Clearly identify the grantor, grantee, and legal description to be indexed. All required indexing information must be in English.
* The document must list the recording district in which it is to be recorded. This must be clearly stated. For example, an Aleutians East document would state Aleutians Islands.
* Return address information should be included and must contain the name and complete address (including zip code) of the person to whom the document is to be returned after recording. If the return address information is in a cover letter, the letter may be recorded with the document (becoming part of the public record), provided the requisite fee is included. Failure to clearly identify the return address information will result in non-acceptance. The return address information should not be placed in the document margins.
* Documents must be signed and all signatures present must be originals (unless the document is a copy authorized to be recorded by other law).
* Deeds must contain the complete mailing address of all persons who grant or acquire an interest.
* Any document that amends, corrects, extends, modifies, or releases a previously recorded document must contain the book and page or serial number reference of the prior recording.
* On a document with a legal description, the legal description must be complete enough that a particular parcel can be geographically located and identified. A legal description is sufficient enough for recording purposes if it contains, at a minimum, a section, township, range, and meridian designation or, in the case of subdivided property, the lot, block, subdivision name, or plat number of the parcel.