Recording Checklist

All Documents

  • Document dated
  • Document signed
  • Notary Acknowledgment needs
    • Date
    • Names of Individuals you are notarizing
    • Legible Notary Seal
    • Notary Signature
    • Notary Commission Expiration Date
  • Marital status must be on the form:
    • "A Single Person"
    • "Husband and Wife"
    • "Divorced and not remarried"
    • "Widowed and not remarried"
    • "Married to each other"
    • Marital status of only "Married" is ambiguous and unacceptable.
  • Full Legal Description (Tax Statements use brief legal descriptions and are not sufficient. Also cannot state revised description.)
  • Draftsman Statement - Include name and address.
  • Recording fees
    • $46 per document* - Payable to Itasca County Recorder
    • *Some exceptions may apply. Torrens property and plats may have additional fees.
  • White-out is unacceptable and may prevent accurate digital reproduction of a document.
  • When a document is delivered for recording please note the following (preferably on your cover letter):
    • Telephone number in case there are questions.
    • Address of where to return document (original document is returned after recording process). Documents are returned within 10 business days.
    • Whether document is to be recorded in "Abstract" or "Torrens."
    • Specific recording order if multiple documents are being filed.
  • Contact office before mailing Torrens documents, there may be additional requirements.
  • To ensure same day recording, deliver documents as early as possible or call in advance.

Transfer Deeds

Transfer deeds:
  • State Deed Tax included (purchase price times .0033 - Payable to Itasca County Auditor/Treasurer)
  • Electronic CRV number noted on document.
  • If applicable, statement regarding "Total consideration for this transfer is $500 or less."
    • State Deed Tax in this case will be the minimum of $1.65
  • Tax Statement: Include name and address of person to receive the Tax Statement
  • All delinquent taxes must be paid before a property can be transferred.
  • If splitting a tax parcel - all current taxes must be paid and split must be previously approved, may need a survey.
  • Completed Well Certificate or E-Well number listed on Deed and $50 fee (payable to Itasca County Recorder) OR one of the statements that apply:
    • "The Seller certifies that the seller does not know of any wells on the described real property."
    • Or "I am familiar with the property described in this instrument and I certify that the status and the number of wells on the described real property have not changed since the last previously filed well disclosure certificate."

Miscellaneous Documents

  • Correction Documents (Need to have new signatures, new acknowledgements, and a correction statement.)
  • Mortgage Registration Tax included (Mortgage amount times .0023 - Payable to Itasca County Auditor/Treasurer)
  • Itasca County does not have a conservation fee.

Document Standards

Minnesota Statutes (as of July 31, 2014)

507.093 Standards for Documents to Be Recorded or Filed
The following standards are imposed on documents to be recorded with the county recorder or the registrar of titles other than by electronic means as provided in section 507.24:
  1. The document shall consist of one or more individual sheets measuring no larger than 8.5 inches by 14 inches.
  2. The form of the document shall be printed, typewritten, or computer generated in black ink and the form of the document shall not be smaller than 8-point type.
  3. The document shall be on white paper of not less than 20-pound weight with no background color or images and, except for the first page, shall have a border of at least one-half inch on the top, bottom, and each side.
  4. The first page of the document shall contain a blank space at the top measuring 3 inches as measured from the top of the page, and a border of one-half inch on each side and the bottom. The right half of the blank space shall be reserved for recording information and the left half shall be reserved for tax certification. Any person may attach an administrative page before the first page of the document to accommodate this standard. The administrative page may contain the document title, document date, and, if applicable, the grantor and grantee, and shall be deemed part of the document when recorded.
  5. The title of the document shall be prominently displayed at the top of the first page below the blank space referred to in 4, or on the administrative page.
  6. No additional sheet shall be attached or affixed to a page that covers up any information or printed part of the form.
  7. A document presented for recording must be sufficiently legible to reproduce a readable copy using the county recorder's or registrar of title's current method of reproduction.

508.82 Registrar of Titles' Fees

Subd. 2.Variance from standards. A document should conform to the standards in section 507.093, paragraph (a), but should not be rejected unless the document is not legible or cannot be archived. This subdivision applies only to documents dated after July 31, 1997, and does not apply to Minnesota uniform conveyancing blanks on file in the office of the commissioner of commerce provided for under section 507.09, certified copies, or any other form provided for under Minnesota Statutes.