Cook County Certificate of Trust Form

Last validated May 14, 2026 by our Forms Development Team

Cook County Certificate of Trust Form

Cook County Certificate of Trust Form

Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.

Document Last Validated 5/12/2026
Cook County Certificate of Trust Guide

Cook County Certificate of Trust Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.

Document Last Validated 5/14/2026
Cook County Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document

Cook County Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.

Document Last Validated 5/8/2026

All 3 documents above included • One-time purchase • No recurring fees

Immediate Download • Secure Checkout

Important: Your property must be located in Cook County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the office below.

Where to Record Your Documents

Cook County Recorder

Address:
Courthouse - 411 West 2nd St
Grand Marais, Minnesota 55604

Hours: 8:00 to 4:00 Monday through Friday

Phone: (218) 387-3660

Recording Tips for Cook County:
  • Bring your driver's license or state-issued photo ID
  • Verify all names are spelled correctly before recording
  • Bring extra funds - fees can vary by document type and page count
  • Recorded documents become public record - avoid including SSNs
  • Ask about their eRecording option for future transactions

Cities and Jurisdictions in Cook County

Properties in any of these areas use Cook County forms:

  • Grand Marais
  • Grand Portage
  • Hovland
  • Lutsen
  • Schroeder
  • Tofte

View Complete Recorder Office Guide

Hours, fees, requirements, and more for Cook County

How do I get my forms?

Forms are available for immediate download after payment. The Cook County forms will be in your account ready to download to your computer. An account is created for you during checkout if you don't have one. Forms are NOT emailed.

Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Cook County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable formatting requirements used for recording in Cook County, including margin requirements, font requirements, and other layout standards. This guarantee applies to formatting, not to the legal sufficiency of information entered by the user or the suitability of a form for a particular transaction.

Can I reuse these forms?

Yes. You can reuse the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have multiple properties in Cook County you only need to order once.

What do I need to use these forms?

The forms are PDFs that you fill out on your computer. You'll need Adobe Reader (free software that most computers already have). You do NOT enter your property information online - you download the blank forms and complete them privately on your own computer.

Are there any recurring fees?

No. This is a one-time purchase. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.

How much does it cost to record in Cook County?

Recording fees in Cook County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (218) 387-3660 for current fees.

Questions answered? Let's get started!

The certificate of trust is codified under the Minnesota Trust Code at Minn. Stat. 501C.1013.

This document is an abstract of the trust instrument setting forth "fewer than all of the provisions . . . and any amendments to the instrument," and contains only essential information relevant to the transaction for which it is being presented (Minn. Stat. 501C.1013, Subd. 1). It "serves to document the existence of the trust, the identity of the trustees, the powers of the trustees and any limitations on those powers, and other matters the certificate of trust sets out, as though the full trust instrument had been recorded or presented" (Subd. 4).

Presented to a recipient in situations regarding personal property, or filed with the county recorder in situations regarding real property, a certificate of trust is "prima facie proof as to matters contained in it" (Subd. 4).

A certificate is valid when executed by settlor or trustee "any time after the execution or creation of a trust" (Subd. 1). The basic content requirements include the name of the trust; the date of the trust instrument; the name and address of each acting trustee; the number of trustees required to act; and the powers of the trustee relevant to the transaction at hand. The certificate also declares whether the trust has terminated or the trust instrument has been revoked (Subd. 1 (1-6)).

For use in real property transactions, the certificate requires the name of each settlor and original trustee, along with a specific statement relating to the authority of the trustee and any restrictions on the trustee's power "to sell, convey, pledge, mortgage, lease, or transfer title to any interest in real property" (Subd. 2). Transactions affecting real property may also require an affidavit of trustee under Minn. Stat. 501C.1014.

The representations contained within the certificate are made by the executing trustee or settlor under oath before a public notary and as such the executing party ensure there are no provisions in the trust instrument or subsequent amendments to limit the power of the trustee in the transaction or "to exercise any other power identified in the certificate" (Subd. 1).

Contact an attorney with any questions regarding trusts or certificates of trust, as each situation is unique.

(Minnesota COT Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)

Important: Your property must be located in Cook County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the office below.

This Certificate of Trust meets all recording requirements specific to Cook County.

Our Promise

The documents you receive here are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable Cook County recording format requirements. If there is a rejection caused by our formatting, we will correct the issue or refund your payment. This guarantee applies to document formatting only and does not extend to information entered by the user, the selection of the form, or the legal effect of the completed document.

Save Time and Money

Get your Cook County Certificate of Trust form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.

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March 25th, 2022

Using your site was simple, and the forms downloaded as expected.

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David C.

December 14th, 2018

I needed to file an affidavit of succession. I downloaded the forms and filled in the blanks. The instructions and example sheet were very helpful. I got the paper recorded with the county today and all went smoothly. Good product.

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October 7th, 2024

Found exactly what I was looking for and it helped tremendously.

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July 2nd, 2021

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December 1st, 2020

Quick and easy, however, I couldn't get the guide to download.

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January 4th, 2019

I love this guide. Thank you for having this available.

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James S.

September 21st, 2021

The affidavit guidance was a great help and helped reduce the stress that usually comes with dealing with legalese. The Preliminary Change of Ownership that CA requires is quite complex since it covers a hoard of situations. I was left with a bit of uncertainty, but I definitely wouldn't want to try it without guidance.

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July 8th, 2020

Good site. Saved me a trip to one or two courthouses.

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May 17th, 2023

What a great service to provide with excellent directions! At first I thought I would need an attorney, but I walked through the steps and now I have it finished! Saved a ton of money. Thanks Deed.com.

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Thomas E.

December 18th, 2018

Great, immediate access to everything I needed to assist my client! This is truly a great resource for a Notary Public! I will surely keep my account open, and will refer others as well!

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Jeffrey M.

December 1st, 2021

Great service. It had all the forms I needed.

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Teri B.

January 7th, 2019

Glad to have all of the helpful extra information, even though they don't answer all questions for all situations. So, I accessed public records and asked questions at the auditor's office. Also, on my Mac computer, filling out the actual deed form is a challenge because the screen jumps to the last page everytime I try to type a few letters or hit the return key, so I'm rollling back up to the first 2 pages after most keystrokes. A bit annoying. Overall, happy to have these form options are available! There is really no need to wait and pay for an attorney when all the information needed is available via public records. Fill in the blanks!

Reply from Staff

Thanks so much for the feedback Teri. There are known issues between Adobe and Mac, we try to work around them as much as possible. Have a wonderful day!

JIM H.

July 21st, 2022

Excellent service Always find the documents in minutes. Supporting docs is a super plus!

Reply from Staff

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Maria S.

January 10th, 2019

The paperwork/forms are fine, but there isn't enough explanation for me to figure out how to file the extra forms (which I do need in my case). The main form, Deed Upon Death is fine. I think the price is pretty high for these forms. I wouldn't have purchased it because there are places to get them for much cheaper (about 6 dollars), but this site had the extra forms I wanted (property in a trust and another form). Unfortunately these were included as a "courtesy" and there are no instructions for them. So three stars for being clear about what was in the package, having the right forms that I need, but instructions for putting them to use and price took a couple of stars off. Downloading was easy and once you download you can type the info into the PDF--that makes working with the forms much easier.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for the feedback Maria. Regarding the supplement documents, it is best to get assistance from the agency that requires them. These are not legal documents, they should provide full support and guidance for them.

Linda G.

August 22nd, 2021

I like it so far- now I just need to complete my filing in the County seat!

Reply from Staff

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