Rice County Recorder Information

Land records in Rice County are recorded by the County Recorder. The office is held by Mike Fangman.

All public records may be viewed for free in the public research area during business hours. LandShark is a subscription-based web application for research and image retrieval of recorded documents. Land Notification sends free email alerts to Rice County residents when documents are recorded under a monitored name; a Google or Yahoo account is required to sign up.

Checked October 2026 against official publications. Sources: Minn. Stat. 357.18 County Recorder · Electronic recording | Rice County, MN · Recorder's Office FAQs

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

Other charges

Fee schedule effective April 1, 2026.

StatewideThe $46 recording fee is divided by statute: $10.50 goes to the state general fund, $10 to the county recorder's technology fund, and $25.50 to the county general fund. Recording a plat costs $56. Amended floor plans and condominium or common interest community plats cost 50 cents per unit, with a $56 minimum. A noncertified copy of a document submitted for recording costs $2 when a copy or duplicate original comes with it. The recorder collects a $54 fee for receipt of a completed well disclosure certificate (Minn. Stat. § 103I.235). Each county board sets the per-page fee for noncertified copies.

Rice County charges $75.00 per tax parcel for a judicial real property notice, consent or request under Minn. Stat. 480.50, subd. 6. Emailing or mailing recorded documents costs $10.00 per document. An attest page costs $2.00 per copy.

Paying the office

Recording fees are processed by the County Recorder Department. Deed tax and mortgage registration tax are processed by the Property Tax & Elections Department and are paid by a separate check made payable to Rice County.

Transfer tax

Deed tax. .0033 of the net consideration when the consideration exceeds $3,000; $1.65 when there is no consideration or it is $3,000 or less. The tax is collected when the document is recorded. (statewide, Minn. Stat. § 287.21, subd. 1)

StatewideThe deed tax is due when a taxable deed or instrument is presented for recording (Minn. Stat. § 287.21, subd. 1(d)). A mortgage registry tax is imposed on the privilege of recording a mortgage. Its rate is .0023 of the debt, or portion of a debt, secured by a recorded mortgage of real property in Minnesota (Minn. Stat. § 287.035). Some counties are authorized by special statute to impose their own additional deed and mortgage registry taxes. For example, Minn. Stat. § 383B.80 allows Hennepin County a rate of .0001.

Checked October 2026 against official publications. Sources: Minn. Stat. 357.18 County Recorder · Minn. Stat. 287.21 Imposition of tax · Minn. Stat. 287.035 Imposition of tax · 2026 Rice County Fee Schedule · Recording fees-Deed Tax & Mortgage Registration Tax (MRT)

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

StatewideThe first page has a 3-inch blank space at the top and a one-half inch border on each side and the bottom. The right half of the top blank space is reserved for recording information and the left half for tax certification.

StatewideThese standards apply to documents recorded other than by electronic means. Plats, registered land surveys, and common interest community plats are excepted. The document title must be prominently displayed at the top of the first page, below the blank space, or on the administrative page. No additional sheet may be attached so that it covers information. Documents must be legible enough to reproduce a readable copy. A document should conform to these standards, but should not be rejected unless it is not legible or cannot be archived (Minn. Stat. § 357.18, subd. 5).

Forms filed along with a transfer

• Certificate of Real Estate Value Statewide Minnesota Department of Revenue (filed with the county auditor)
  whenever any real estate is sold for a consideration in excess of $3,000
• Well Disclosure Certificate Statewide Minnesota Department of Health
  for a deed or other instrument of conveyance requiring a certificate of value, unless the deed contains the statutory no-wells or unchanged-status statement

Submitting documents

Checked October 2026 against official publications. Sources: Minn. Stat. 357.18 County Recorder · Minn. Stat. 507.093 Standards for documents · Minn. Stat. 507.091 Name and address of drafter · Minn. Stat. 507.092 Name and address for tax statements · Minn. Stat. 272.115 Certificate of value · Recorder's Office | Rice County, MN · Real Estate recording | Rice County, MN