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The office of the Recorder of Deeds is responsible for maintaining real property records in Clay County.
Recording Fees
The fee to record a standard document is $24 for the first page and $3 for each additional page.
Number of Pages........Cost to Record
.............1..........................$24.00
.............2..........................$27.00
.............3..........................$30.00
.............4..........................$33.00
.............5..........................$36.00
ETC.
Non-standard fee, if applicable: $25 in addition to recording fee
Documents meeting the statutory requirements but are exempt from the formatting standards will have only the per-page recording fee schedule applied.
The following documents are exempt from the new standardization requirements:
1. Documents signed prior to January 1, 2002
2. Military separation papers
3. Documents executed outside the United States
4. Certified copies of documents, including birth & death certificates
5. Any document where one of the original parties is deceased or incapacitated
6. Judgments or other documents formatted to meet court requirements
7. Fixture Filings on the National Approved U.C.C Forms
8. Tax Liens
9. Trustee Deeds Under Sale
10. Home School Letter
An exempt document cover page will be added to the front of this document at no additional charge and will be numbered
If a document releases or assigns more than one item, there is a $5 charge for each additional item assigned or released.
Certification of a recorded document is $1 per document.
The Recorder's Office only accepts cash or checks as a form of payment.
Document Formatting Requirements
All recorded documents are classified into one of three types: Standard, non-standard, or exempt.
A. Standard Documents
In order to be considered standard, a document must meet all of the formatting requirements:
* It must be printed on white or light colored 8.5 x 11 inch paper with no watermarks or logos. Attachments to a page may not be stapled or taped other than a securely attached bar-coded label or as required by law. "Attachment," in this sense, does not refer to an exhibit but additions to a document page.
* Printing must be in black or dark ink and on one side of the page only. Signatures must also be in black or dark ink. All signatures must have a corresponding name typed, stamped, or printed underneath.
* Do not use continuous forms or those with permanent binding. However, documents may be stapled for presentation when presented to the recorder.
* The font size must be a minimum of 8 point. Non-essential information within any of the margins is exempt from the font requirement. The Recorder is neither responsible nor liable for insuring that non-essential information is archived.
* On the first page, provide a 3-inch blank margin at the top. All other margins can be a minimum of .75 of an inch.
The first page must contain the following information:
1. The title of the document.
2. The date of the document.
3. Names of grantors. Grantors and grantees must be designated in order to be indexed. There are no limitations as to combinations or exclusions, but it is necessary to include the words "grantor" and "grantee." This responsibility falls to the preparer of the document.
4. Names of grantees.
5. Any statutorily required addresses. Statutory addresses must also be designated (for example: "grantee's mailing address" should be given before the grantee's mailing address).
6. A legal description of the real property. The address of the property is not acceptable as a legal description.
7. A reference book and page number, if required.
This information should begin after the 3-inch top margin. If there is not enough room on the first page, provide the page reference where the information appears in the document. If at least one of the required fields begins on the first page and continues uninterrupted onto subsequent pages, this will satisfy the first-page requirements.
A cover page is not a requirement, but if it is presented it will be recorded as the first page of the document. A cover page must meet the formatting requirements and must also satisfy the first-page designations.
If presenting a document for re-recording, there must be a new first page or cover sheet with the correct margins and required first-page designations.
In Clay County, Missouri, sales prices of homes are not part of the public record.
B. Non-standard Document
A non-standard document is one that does not meet the standardization requirements. An additional $25 will be added to the recording costs for a non-standard document.
A county recorder may refuse any document presented for recording if it does not meet the requirements. This does not mean that the recorder can refuse a document if the person submitting the document is willing to pay the $25 penalty fee. Rather, the recorder can refuse it as a standard document, but will give the submitter the option of reformatting it or paying the penalty fee.
A non-standard document cover page will be added to the front of the document at no additional charge.