Recording a deed in Ward County, North Dakota

Recording a deed in Ward County

Deeds affecting property in Ward County, North Dakota are recorded with the County Recorder. 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 N.D. Cent. Code §§ 11-18-02, 11-18-02.2 and 11-18-05, and ch. 47-19. Deeds themselves are governed by N.D. Cent. Code § 47-10-01.

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.
• The grantee's signed statement of consideration, printed on the deed (N.D.C.C. § 11-18-02.2). A transfer on death deed needs none.
• The county auditor's certificate on the deed that the transfer is entered and that all property taxes and special assessments on the land are paid, which the recorder needs before recording it (N.D.C.C. § 11-18-02). Pay anything owing first. A transfer on death deed does not need it.
• Payment for the recording fee, $20 for up to 6 pages. Many offices do not take personal checks.

Formatting

• Type must be at least as large as 10-point Calibri, unless the form was issued by a government agency (N.D.C.C. § 11-18-05). Ten-point type in a serif face like Deedly's reads smaller than 10-point Calibri, so Deedly sets nothing under 11 point.
• 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 11 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 County Recorder in Minot. 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.