Seneca County Recorder Information

About Seneca County Recorder

The recorder is responsible for maintaining real property records in Seneca County.

Recording Fees

The fee to record and index a deed, mortgage, affidavit, agreement, annexation, easement, certificate of transfer, land contract, lease, mechanic's lien, partnership, trust document, or power of attorney is $34 for the first two pages. Each page thereafter is $8.

No. of Pages....Total Fee
1 & 2...................$34.00
3............................$42.00
4............................$50.00
5............................$58.00
6............................$66.00
7............................$74.00
8............................$82.00
9............................$90.00
10...........................$98.00
11...........................$106.00
12...........................$114.00
13...........................$122.00
14...........................$130.00
15...........................$138.00 ETC.

Separate release, partial release, or assignment
First two pages-$34.00
Each additional page-$8.00

If a document does not meet the requirements, it can be recorded for an additional $20.

Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care:
Documents with one or two pages-$34.00
Documents with three pages-$36.00
Documents with four or more pages-$40.00 max

A certified copy is $2 per page.

The county auditor's conveyance fee is $4 per $1,000, and the transfer fee is 50 cents per tract.

For document return via mail, submit a self-addressed stamped envelope with adequate postage. Overpayments and underpayments of any amount are both returned unrecorded.

If you have questions about recording fees or auditor's fees due upon recording, contact the Seneca County recorder at 419-447-4434.

Document Formatting Requirements

Until a document is recorded, it is fraudulent insofar as it relates to a subsequent bona fide purchaser of the same real estate having, at the time of purchase, no knowledge of the existence of the former deed.

* Submit real property documents on white 8.5 x 11 inch or 8.5 x 14 inch paper. Submit an original or a certified copy of an original.

* Use a font size of at least 10 point and blue or black ink. The document should not make use of any highlighting. Font used should be Times New Roman, Helvetica, or Palatino.

* Provide a blank 3-inch margin at the top of the first page. This space is reserved for the recorder, auditor, and engineer. On the top of each remaining page, a 1.5 inch margin is required. Side and bottom margins should be at least 1 inch.

* If signatures in the document are considered to be illegible, the name should be printed or typed beneath it. The grantor must sign the document and acknowledge it before a clerk of court or another person authorized to take acknowledgments.

* The name of the person who prepared the document should be listed, which can be done in the following format: "This instrument was prepared by NAME."

* The conveyance document presented to the recorder should bear the stamp of the county auditor stating that the document has been examined and that the grantor is in compliance with 319.202 of the Ohio Revised Code.

* Documents of conveyance should state the marital status of the grantor.

* The total consideration paid is required to be included on real property documents.

* The grantee's address (for tax mailing purposes) needs to be included with transfers of title.

* A legal description of the real property is required, as well as any prior recorded information.

* A recorded grant should include a reference by volume and page to the record of the deed or other recorded instrument under which the grantor claims title, but the omission of the reference will not affect the validity.

QUITCLAIM, GENERAL WARRANTY, LIMITED WARRANTY

A quitclaim deed does not include any covenants on the part of the grantor.

General warranty covenants in a deed will have the full force and effect of the following: "The grantor covenants with the grantee, his heirs, assigns, and successors, that he is lawfully seized in fee simple of the granted premises; that they are free from all encumbrances; that he has good right to sell and convey the same, and that he does warrant and will defend the same to the grantee and his heirs, assigns, and successors, forever, against the lawful claims and demands of all persons."

The words "limited warranty covenants" will have the full force and effect of the following words: "The grantor covenants with the grantee, his heirs, assigns, and successors, that the granted premises are free from all encumbrances made by the grantor, and that he does warrant and will defend the same to the grantee and his heirs, assigns, and successors, forever, against the lawful claims and demands of all persons claiming by, through, or under the grantor, but against none other."