Penobscot County Recorder Information

About Penobscot County Recorder

The Registry of Deeds is responsible for recording and maintaining real property records in Penobscot County.

Recording Fees

First page - $19.00 plus $3.00 surcharge (state government and municipalities are exempt from surcharge)
Each additional page - $2.00 per page.

Names in excess of four to be indexed - $1.00 per name (please count all grantors, grantees, aka's, trustees, dba's, partners, nominees)

Marginal references to prior documents - $13.00 each after the first one.

Transfer tax - based on the value of the property as set forth in the declaration of value, $2.20 for each $500 or fraction thereof and imposed in equal parts on the grantor and grantee, unless transfer is exempt.

Document Formatting Requirements

* A deed must be acknowledged by the grantor or by one of the persons executing the instrument. A certificate of acknowledgment or proof of execution must be endorsed on the deed or attached to it.

* Use white paper that is either 8.5 x 1 1 inches or 8.5 x 14 inches. 1.5" top margin on the first page, 1.5" bottom margin last page, 1" top margin all other pages, .75" side margins for all pages.

* A deed should contain, in addition to the name of the grantee, the grantee's mailing address.

* Beneath the signature of the grantor, grantee, and person taking acknowledgment, the name of each person signing should be printed or typed. Names that are used for indexing must be indexed as they appear typed or printed under each signature.

* When the register of deeds receives an instrument, they will certify on the instrument the day, hour, and minute when it was received for recording, along with the book and page number where the document is located. If there is not sufficient room on the deed for the placement of such information, the register of deeds will add an additional page, for which an extra $2 can be charged.

* The marital status of grantors to the conveyance should be stated in the deed.

* Unless the transaction is exempt, the seller of residential real property shall provide to the purchaser a property disclosure statement containing the following information: water supply system, insulation, heating system or heating source, waste disposal system, hazardous materials, and known defects. For more specific guidelines on the property disclosure statement, interested parties are directed to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 33, Chapter 7.

* All documents of conveyance must be accompanied by a Real Estate Transfer Tax Form. The transfer tax, which is $4.40 per $1000, is determined by the amount at which the property is sold. The transfer tax is equally divided between buyer and seller, unless exempt pursuant to Title 36, 4641-C. An exemption from the transfer tax must be clearly stated on the transfer tax form. The Real Estate Transfer Tax Form and instructions can be found on the websites of the Registry of Deeds or the Maine Department of Revenue.