Dakota County Certificate of Trust Form

Last validated October 19, 2026 by our Forms Development Team

Formatted for recording in Dakota County, for property anywhere in the county: rural and unincorporated areas as well as Dakota City, Emerson, Homer, Hubbard, Jackson, South Sioux City.

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Dakota County Certificate of Trust Form

Dakota County Certificate of Trust Form

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

Document last validated 10/9/2026
Dakota County Certificate of Trust Guide

Dakota County Certificate of Trust Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.

Document last validated 8/4/2026
Dakota County Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document

Dakota County Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.

Document last validated 10/19/2026

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

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

Where to Record Your Documents

Dakota County Register of Deeds

Address:
1601 Broadway St / PO Box 39
Dakota City, Nebraska 68731

Hours: 8:00am to 4:30pm.Monday through Friday

Phone: (402) 987-2166

Recording Tips for Dakota County:
  • Bring your driver's license or state-issued photo ID
  • Ensure all signatures are in blue or black ink
  • Leave recording info boxes blank - the office fills these
  • Make copies of your documents before recording - keep originals safe
  • Recorded documents become public record - avoid including SSNs

Cities and Jurisdictions in Dakota County

Properties in any of these areas use Dakota County forms:

  • Dakota City
  • Emerson
  • Homer
  • Hubbard
  • Jackson
  • South Sioux City

View Complete Recorder Office Guide

Hours, fees, requirements, and more for Dakota County

How do I get my forms?

Forms are available for immediate download after payment. The Dakota 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 Dakota County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable formatting requirements used for recording in Dakota 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 Dakota 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. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader is recommended, and most PDF apps also work. 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 Dakota County?

Recording fees in Dakota County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (402) 987-2166 for current fees.

Questions answered? Let's get started!

The Nebraska certification of trust is codified at Neb. Rev. Stat. Ann. 30-38, 103 and falls under the Nebraska Uniform Trust Code, a collection of statutes adopted from the Uniform Trust Code to govern trusts in the State of Nebraska.

In Nebraska, the certification of trust is an affidavit signed by each acting trustee of the trust, containing sworn statements made in the presence of a notary public. The certificate verifies the existence of the trust and is an abstract of relevant provisions of the trust in lieu of the entire trust instrument.

The document may be presented by a trustee or requested by any person doing business with a trustee, particularly in transactions involving real property (though failure to request a certificate of trust is not considered an "improper act" under 30-38,106). As the trust itself cannot hold title, the trustee acts as a representative of the trust. When the transaction for which the certificate of trust is presented or requested involves real property, the legal description of the parcel subject to the transaction should be included.

The certificate of trust may be used by trustees of both living trusts and testamentary trusts. For a living trust, the certificate requires the date of the trust instrument's execution and the identity of the trust's settlor. For a testamentary trust, the certificate gives the death date of the decedent and the testator's identity. In Nebraska, a certificate of trust requires the identity of the beneficiary or beneficiaries of the trust and their relationship to the settlor or testator, as well.

Essential information contained in the certificate includes the name of the currently acting trustee and a description of the trustee's relevant powers, and any restrictions on those powers in dealing with the trust's assets. In addition, the certificate identifies any successor trustee named by the trust instrument (or will, in the case of a testamentary trust), or the procedure given for choosing a successor trustee, if any exists.

If more than one person is an appointed trustee, the document requires details regarding co-trustees' authority to exercise powers. For example, a trust's provisions might specify a single trustee in charge of certain duties, and require that trustee to handle those duties solely. Or, the trust may stipulate that trustees are to act and sign documents jointly.
Additional requirements for the document include the name under which the trust will take and hold assets, the trust's identification number, and the name of the state or other jurisdiction under which the trust was formed. Trusts can further be categorized into revocable or irrevocable trusts, so the certificate should identify whether or not the trust can be revoked, and by whom it is revocable.

Finally, the document requires a notice that the trust has not been revoked or amended so as to cause the statements contained within to be incorrect, and that all the acting trustees have signed the certificate. Recipients of a certificate may rely upon the statements contained within as factual (Neb. Rev. Stat. Ann. 30-38,105). The presentation of a certificate of trust, however, does not prevent the recipient from requesting the excerpts from the trust instrument conferring the relevant powers to act in the pending transaction unto the trustee ( 30-38,104).

Aside from the above requirements, the certificate should meet all prerequisites for recording documents affecting real property in the State of Nebraska. Consult a lawyer with any questions about certifications and trusts in Nebraska, as each situation is unique.

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

Important: Your property must be located in Dakota County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the county recording office listed above.

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

Our Promise

The documents you receive here are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable Dakota 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 Dakota 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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