Recording a deed in St. Louis County, Missouri

Recording a deed in St. Louis County

Deeds affecting property in St. Louis County, Missouri are recorded with the Recorder 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 Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 442.380 to 442.400, 59.310, 59.330. Deeds themselves are governed by Mo. Rev. Stat. § 442.020.

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.
• Payment for the recording fee, about $26 for the first page and $3 for each page after that. Many offices do not take personal checks.

Formatting

• Missouri requires a 3-inch top margin on the first page and 0.75-inch margins elsewhere, with type of at least 8 points in black or dark ink on white paper of at least 20-pound weight (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 59.310).
• Below that margin, the first page must show the title, the date of the document, every grantor's name and marital status, the grantees' names, the statutory addresses, and the legal description (§ 59.310.2). Deedly lays out every Missouri document so that all of them start on page one.
• A recorder may refuse a document that misses these rules, or record it as "non-standard" for an extra $25 (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 59.310.1, .3).
• 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, 0.75-inch margins on the other edges, and type no smaller than 8 point. Deedly formats every document this way automatically.
• A legal description. A street address alone is not enough.

How to file

1. 1In personTake the original to the Recorder of Deeds in Clayton. 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.