Hillsborough County Recorder

Recording and record maintenance are handled by the Registry of Deeds in Hillsborough County.

Deeds are $12 for the first page and $4 for each additional page.

A $25 state LCHIP surcharge fee is due upon recording. This should be paid in a separate check on each deed, mortgage, mortgage discharge, and plan set.

Copy fees are $2 per page of a recorded document with an Internet account. Copies of recorded documents from the Registry are $1 per page. There is an additional $2 for certifying documents.

A tax of $15 per $1,000 is imposed upon the sale, granting, or transfer of real estate and any interest therein. If the price or consideration is $4,000 or less a minimum of $40 will be due.

Payment is to be made at the time of recording. Return postage will be added to each document, unless a self-addressed stamped envelope is provided. Submit three separate checks for recording, tax, and LCHIP fee, payable to the Hillsborough County Register of Deeds.

A real property document must contain specific information:

* The latest mailing address of the grantees named in the deed.

* The names of all municipalities in which the property is located. This should be in the first descriptive sentence in the document.

* The name of each person signing the deed as party to the transaction printed or typed underneath the signature.

The recording statute (NH RSA 478-4a Form of Recording) does not allow the recording of deeds and instruments if the above information is not included within the deed. The following guidelines are important to note:

Transfer tax applies to all conveyances, unless an exemption is stated on the deed.

The name of the justice should be printed underneath the signature.

The preparer of the document shall not include an individual's social security number, armed forces service number, credit card number, or deposit account numbers in a document that is prepared and presented for recording with the Register of Deeds.

The town location of the property and the volume and page in which the document is recorded must be on all documents, including discharges, assignments, etc. The town location is the physical location of the property, not the mailing address of the property.

A legal description of the property being conveyed is also required.

Abbreviations should be avoided in a document. Try to provide as much information as possible.


The Register of Deeds has the authority to refuse a document if it does not meet the following requirements:

a. The document must be legible and reproducible.

b. Signatures must be original. This requirement does not apply to a copy of a document attached as an exhibit to the principal document.

c. Documents should be made up of one or more individual one-sided pages. Do not use permanent binding or continuous forms.

d. There should not be any attachment stapled, taped, or otherwise affixed to a page except for a firmly attached label with a barcode or return address.

e. Printing, typing, or writing should be in dark blue or black ink in a size no smaller than the equivalent of 10 point Times New Roman. The size requirement does not apply to page numbers or to any of the following that are not part of the headings or text of the document: form name or number; name, address, and/or telephone number of the printer or producer of the document; directions for placement of recording data or for filling in of blanks; or other non-textual notations.

f. The document should be on white paper of not less than 20 pound weight, without watermarks or colored highlighting or other inclusions that would make the document illegible or unable to be reproduced, and of a size no smaller than 8.5 x 11 inches and no larger than 8.5 x 14 inches.

g. The typing or printing of a name or the application of an embossed or inked stamp shall not render any part of the document illegible or unable to be reproduced.

h. The top margin on the right half of the first page needs to be at least 3 inches. This is for exclusive use by the Register of Deeds. The left half can be used to display administrative comments or return address information. Otherwise, all margins on the first and succeeding pages should be at least 1 inch, provided that the bottom margin can contain non-textual material no closer than 1/2 inch to the bottom of the page, such as the following: page numbering; form names or numbers; name, address, and/or telephone number of the printer or producer of the document; or other non-textual notations.

i. "Legible," as used in this context, means legible to the naked eye, without use of magnification devices, and with respect to a recorded image of a document made and kept in the registry of deeds for viewing and copying by and for the public, legible when viewed with available registry viewing equipment.

j. "Reproducible" as used in this context means capable of reproduction by recording equipment currently available in the registry of deeds, with the resulting recorded image being itself legible and also capable of producing a legible paper copy by use of equipment currently available in the registry.

Transfer Tax: An exemption from the transfer tax must be clearly stated on the deed being recorded.