Belknap County Recorder

The Registry of Deeds is responsible for recording in Belknap County.

To record a document, the fee is $12 for the first page and $4 for each additional page.

The state of New Hampshire requires a $25 L-CHIP surcharge fee, funding the Land & Community Heritage Investment Program, on the following documents: deeds, mortgages, discharge of mortgages, and plans.

A $2 surcharge is imposed on all documents including plans (NH RSA 478:17j) and is included with recording.

Copies are $2 per page of a recorded document via Internet account. Fees are $1 per page of recorded document at the Registry Office. An additional $2 will be charged for certifying the document. For copies to be delivered by mail, include appropriate postage and a self-addressed stamped return envelope.

Transfer Tax: A tax of $15 per $1,000 is imposed on the sale, grant, or transfer of real estate and any interest therein. When the price or consideration is $4,000 or less there will be a minimum of $40 due. Any exemption to the transfer tax must be clearly stated on the deed.

Payment is due at the time of recording. Return postage should be added to each document. A 1-3 page document should have 45 cents in postage, a 4-8 page document should have 65 cents in postage, and so on. Checks can be made payable to the Belknap County Registry of Deeds.

As of January 2015, separate checks are required for transfer tax stamps, recording fee, and L-CHIP fees.

A. ORIGINAL document on material with markings and of a size to insure suitable permanent recording thereof.

1. Top margin on the right half of the first page shall be at least three (3) inches.
2. Print shall be NO SMALLER than the equivalent of 10 point Times New Roman.
3. All margins on ALL PAGES shall be at least one (1) inch.
4. One-sided pages not bound nor in a continuous form. (NH RSA 478:4 Recording requirement)

B. Containing the following information

1. The latest mailing address of the grantees named in the deed or instrument.
2. The names of all municipalities in which the property is located in the first descriptive sentence.
3. The names of each person signing the deed or instrument as party to the transaction, printed or typed under the signature. (NH RSA 478:4a Form of Recording)
This statute does not allow the recording of deeds and instruments if the above information is not included within the deed or instrument.

C. Transfer tax applied to all deeds of conveyance unless exemption is stated on deed.
D. Name of Justice printed under signature (eff. 1/2000)
E. Please review RSA478:4a, II "Uniform Standards for document recordings" adopted 12/1/2001.

PLANS MUST HAVE THE FOLLOWING:
A. Plans must be on Mylar if drawn after January 1, 1988 and must be legible and reproducible. (See NHRSA 676:18 and NHRSA 478:la)
B. Plans must be signed and sealed by a licensed land surveyor and have original signatures in permanent ink.
C. No shading or colors allowed.
D. Original signatures and proper approvals as required.

Submit original documents for recordation. Individual pages of a document should not be permanently bound or in a continuous form. All documents must be suitable for reproduction. Use clean white 20# paper. Paper sized 8.5 x 11 inches is preferred, but 8.5 x 14 is also accepted.

The top margin on the right half of the first page should be at least 3 inches. All other margins on this page and on subsequent pages should be at least 1 inch.
Printing or typing should be no smaller than 10 point Times New Roman. Printing should be on one side of the page only.

Provide the latest mailing address of the grantee named in the instrument.

In the first descriptive sentence of the deed, state the names of all municipalities in which the real property is located

Corresponding signatures should be printed or typed underneath the signatures of each person signing the instrument as a party to the transaction.

Transfer tax applies to all deeds of conveyance, unless an exemption is stated on the deed.