Maricopa County Recorder Information

Land records in Maricopa County are recorded by the County Recorder. The office is held by Justin Heap.

Maricopa Title Alert, launched in June 2023, applies only to documents recorded after sign up, places no limit on how many names a subscriber may monitor, and is not intended for commercial purposes. Official copies of recorded documents may be purchased through the Recorded Document Search, by email download or by mail.

Verified September 2026 against official publications. Sources: Recorder · A.R.S. 11-475 - Fees; exemptions · Maricopa Title Alert - Maricopa County Recorder

These government fees are separate from any Deeds.com service fees. Confirm current charges with the recorder's office.

Other charges

StatewideA.R.S. § 11-475(A)(2) sets $15 per instrument for recording papers to which the United States, this state or a political subdivision of this state, including cities, towns and irrigation, drainage and electrical districts, is a party, when recorded at the request of that entity. The fees in § 11-475(A), paragraphs 1 and 2 include the special recording surcharge of not to exceed four dollars for each instrument authorized by § 11-475.01 and the two dollar real estate transfer fee under § 11-1132. Copies and certifications are furnished at one-half of the established fee when requested by any state agency for official purposes. No fee is received for duties performed for an office, agency or department of the county where the document is to be recorded when the fees would otherwise be paid from public monies, or for any act necessary to record or release a restitution lien filed pursuant to § 13-806 or any lien necessary to enforce a support order.

The office's fee page lists $24 for the first page and $20 per additional page for plats and surveys (A.R.S. 11-481, 11-481.C), and $0 for military discharge documents (A.R.S. 11-465), child support documents (A.R.S. 25-508.B), racketeering documents (A.R.S. 13-2314.03) and restitution documents. For government agencies it lists $14 for plats and surveys first page, $10 per additional page, $0 for any County agency, copies at $0.50 per page and certification at $1.50 per document. Bulk purchase of previous day recordings is listed at $185 per day for daily recorded documents, $8 per day for daily affidavits of value, $0.0125 for the grantor/grantee index, and $1 per page for maps when a book reaches its 50 pages.

Paying the office

At the office's recording kiosks, the only payment method accepted for recordings is credit card. Frequent customers may open a customer account with the Recorder's Office from which recording and copy fees are debited; accounts may be replenished by credit card online with a Visa/MasterCard, by ACH/wire transfer, or with a check.

Transfer tax

No transfer tax. None is collected when a document is recorded. (statewide, Ariz. Const. art. 9, § 24)

StatewideA.R.S. § 11-1132 provides that before recording a deed or contract relating to the sale or transfer of real property, the county recorder shall collect a fee of two dollars for the deed or contract. That fee is included in the amount charged pursuant to § 11-475(A), and the county retains all monies collected in the same manner as monies collected under § 11-475. Under A.R.S. § 11-1134 the affidavit and fee required by that article do not apply to the instruments and transfers of title listed in that section, and any instrument describing a transaction that is exempt must note the exemption on the face of the instrument at the time of recording, indicating the specific exemption claimed.

Verified September 2026 against official publications. Sources: A.R.S. 11-475 - Fees; exemptions · Arizona Constitution Article 9 Section 24 - Prohibition of new real property sale or transfer taxes · A.R.S. 11-1132 - Real estate transfer fee; collection; disposition of proceeds · Recording Fees - Maricopa County Recorder · Frequently Asked Questions - Maricopa County Recorder · Locations and Hours - Maricopa County Recorder

Confirm current requirements with the recorder's office before submitting documents.

StatewideThe left three and one-half inches of the top margin of the first page or sheet may be used by the public to show the name of the person requesting recording and the name and address to which the document is to be returned following recording. Markings, entries or text within the one-half inch margin are deemed not to impart the notice otherwise imparted by recordation unless they appear in the reproduction produced under the direction and control of the county recorder; failure to meet the one-half inch margin requirement may affect notice but is not grounds for rejection.

StatewideA.R.S. § 11-480(A) provides that only an instrument that, on presentation to a county recorder for recordation, fails to meet the listed conditions may be rejected at the time of presentation: each instrument shall have a caption briefly stating the nature of the instrument, such as warranty deed, release of mortgage and like captions; each instrument shall be an original and shall be sufficiently legible for the recorder to make certified copies from the photographic or micrographic record; each instrument shall have original signatures except when otherwise provided by law; and the size and print size requirements. The recorder has no obligation to index an instrument under any subject index category unless that category is included in the caption. Any instrument that modifies in any way the provisions of a previously recorded document must state the date of recordation and the docket and page of the document being modified. Any instrument accepted for recordation is not subject to a later claim of invalidity for failure to comply with the requirements of that section.

Forms filed along with a transfer

• Affidavit of Property Value (Affidavit of Legal Value), Form 82162 Statewide Arizona Department of Revenue
  Each deed evidencing a transfer of title and any contract relating to the sale of real property shall have the affidavit appended at the time of recording; the county recorder shall refuse to record any such instrument if a complete affidavit is not appended unless the instrument bears a notation indicating an exemption pursuant to A.R.S. § 11-1134.

Submitting documents

The office states a document must be an original or government-issued certified copy to be accepted for recording, and that it does not guarantee documents received by mail will be recorded on the day received. Its digital recording accounts are described as designed for high-volume customers and not suitable for one-time recordings.

Verified September 2026 against official publications. Sources: A.R.S. 11-480 - Requirements for form of instruments · A.R.S. 11-1133 - Affidavit of legal value · Frequently Asked Questions - Maricopa County Recorder · Digital Recording Program - Maricopa County Recorder