Washington County Recorder Information

Land records in Washington County are recorded by the County Recorder.

RecordEASE online access: occasional user $3.25 per login/session; subscription $30 per month; searches $0.50 each; documents $1.50 each; certificates of title, tract pages, and tract cards $2.50 each; recorded plats $5 each. Abstract and Torrens records are available. The Public Research Room on the first floor of the Government Center is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 4:15 p.m.

Checked October 2026 against official publications. Sources: Minn. Stat. 357.18 County Recorder · Property Records | Washington County, MN

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

Added at recording

Other charges

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.

Email copies cost $1.50 per document, and paper copies $1 per page, both prepaid. An attested copy costs $2 and a certified plat $15. Torrens fees: exchange certificate of title $20, plus $20 per canceled certificate; residuary certificate $40, plus $40 per additional certificate; memorials and amended declarations $46, plus $20 per additional certificate; transfer of fee ownership certificate of title $46, plus $40 per additional certificate; plats, registered land surveys, and condominiums $56, plus $20 per additional certificate. Examiner of Titles fees: approval $200, directive $200, district court actions (proceeding subsequent) $500. There is no recording fee for a discharge of a racial covenant.

Paying the office

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 · Property Records | Washington County, MN

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

The office lists these recording requirements: the original document, dated and signed; an acknowledgment with the date, a legible notary seal, the notary's signature, and the notary commission expiration date; the names and marital status of the signers; for a corporate acknowledgment, the business name and the signers and their titles; a legal description; exhibits noted on the document and attached; and a drafted-by statement with name and address. White-out or white-out tape is unacceptable on any legal document. Examiner of Titles review is required at recording for certain Torrens 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 · Property Records | Washington County, MN