Recording a deed in Sedgwick County, Kansas

Recording a deed in Sedgwick County

Deeds affecting property in Sedgwick County, Kansas are recorded with the Register of Deeds. Recording is what puts the world on notice of your ownership and fixes the priority date. An unrecorded deed can still transfer title between the parties, but it leaves you exposed to anyone who records first.

The recording rules the office applies come from K.S.A. § 58-2221. Deeds themselves are governed by K.S.A. §§ 58-2205, 58-2209, 58-2211.

What to bring

• The original signed and notarized deed. Recorders do not record photocopies handed over the counter.
• A completed notarial acknowledgment, with the date, the place where you signed, and the commission expiry all filled in.
• A completed Real Estate Sales Validation Questionnaire (Kansas form PV-RE-22-OP, or the three-part PV-RE-23), placed directly behind the deed, unless the deed is exempt. An exempt deed states its exemption on its face instead (K.S.A. 79-1437e), and a transfer-on-death deed needs neither.
• Payment for the recording fee, $21 for the first page and $17 per additional page. Many offices do not take personal checks.

Formatting

• Kansas law sets no statewide margin. Each register of deeds sets its own: Johnson and Wyandotte counties ask for a 3-inch top margin on page one and 1-inch margins elsewhere, and Shawnee and Leavenworth ask for 2.5 inches. If there is no room for the recording stamp, the register adds a sheet and charges it as a page (K.S.A. 28-115(e)). Deedly leaves 3 inches, which meets every county's rule.
• Deedly's layout, which suits this office: 8.5 × 11 inch paper, a 3-inch clear space at the top of page one for the recording stamp, 1-inch margins on the other edges, and type no smaller than 10 point. Deedly formats every document this way automatically.
• A legal description. A street address alone is not enough.
• A 'when recorded, return to' block so the stamped original comes back to you.

How to file

1. 1In personTake the original to the Register of Deeds in Wichita. This is the fastest route. You usually walk out with the recording information the same day.
2. 2By mailSend the original with a check or money order for the fee and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Allow one to three weeks for the stamped original to come back.
3. 3E-recordingTitle companies, attorneys, and other approved submitters file electronically through services such as Simplifile, CSC, or ePN. Some offices accept filings from the public through those services; check the office's website. If you prepared the deed yourself, in person or by mail is usually simpler.