Garfield County Recorder

The Office of the Clerk and Recorder is responsible for maintaining land records for real property located in Garfield County.

Documentary fee: $.01 per $100 dollars of applicable sales consideration

Colorado implemented a significant change to recording fees effective July 1, 2025. Beginning July 1, Colorado will implement a uniform flat recording fee of $40 per document, plus a combined $3 surcharge that includes $2 for the Electronic Recording Technology Board and $1 for the Clerk & Recorder technology fee. This brings the total to $43 per recorded document, regardless of page count.

Before submitting documents for recording, please check that the fee amount is correct. Garfield County only refunds overpayments of more than five dollars.

Document quality:
The quality of documents must be good, and the text readable. Please remember that bad originals produce poor public records. Documents which are illegible to begin with will be marked with a clerk's note and recorded as received.

Deeds contain valid grantee address:
Pursuant to C.R.S. 38-35-109(2), all deeds shall include a notation of the legal (mailing) address of the grantee. This address is used to determine where tax statements should be mailed after a property is sold. Submitters should verify the validity and completeness of such address before recording a deed to avoid rejected recordings.

Sufficient margins:
C.R.S. 30-10-406 (3)(a) requires that all documents have a top margin of at least one inch, and a left, right, and bottom margin of at least one half inch. The recorder may refuse to file any document that does not meet these standards.

Checks payable to Garfield County Clerk:
If checks are made out to the wrong party, the check, along with all documents attached will be rejected and returned to the submitter.

Return addresses:
A complete and accurate return address should be clearly marked on the front page of any document submitted for recording. Documents will be returned in approximately 14 working days. No return envelope is required, but is appreciated.

Checks are signed:
Unsigned or stale-dated checks along with all documents attached thereto will be rejected and returned to the submitter.

Notary seals are darkened:
Embossed seals on documents will not show up on the image if they are not darkened or "inked." Submitters should ensure all embossed seals are visible before recordation.

Instructions for order of recording are included:
Please send documents in the order you would like them recorded. Please also include specific instructions as to what documents you are recording and the number of pages in each document. Staples or paper clips are an easy way to indicate which pages constitute a particular document.

Submit to correct county:
Often documents intended for recording in one county are sent somewhere else by mistake. Please be aware that Garfield County will not reject these documents. Please make sure to record documents in the appropriate county.

Documents should be on paper sized 8.5 x 11 inches or 8.5 x 14 inches.

Black ink, in a font size of at least 12 point should be used to ensure legibility.

A deed or other instrument affecting title to real property should be acknowledged substantially in accordance with Colorado Revised Statutes, 38-35-101.

A deed that includes a newly created legal description of real property shall include the name and address of the person who created the legal description.

Immediately following the legal description, the assessor's schedule or parcel number may be included as an aid to identification. If a document does not contain this, it will not render it ineffective.

Any conveyance document presented for recording shall be accompanied by the Colorado Real Property Transfer Declaration (TD-1000).

Torrens Land:

A certificate of registration shall contain the name of the owner, a description of the land and of the estate of the owner, and shall contain a description of all encumbrances, liens, and interest to which the estate of the owner is subject. It shall state the residence of the owner and if a minor, give his age; if under disability, it shall state the nature of the disability; it shall state whether married or not, and if married, name the spouse.