Lake County Recorder

The County Clerk is responsible for recording and maintaining real property records.

To record a document in the deed and mortgage book, the fee is $86 for the first page and $5 for each additional page.

The fee for locating a public record is $3.75 per record. Copy fees are $.025 per page.

A non-standard instrument will be an additional $20.

Contact the Lake County Clerk's office directly if you have questions about recording fees.

A document submitted for recording must be printed on sheets of paper no larger than 8.5 x 14 (minimum size is 8.5 x 11 inches) inches with printing or typewriting in black ink and a font size of at least 8 point. The paper should be of sufficient quality for photographic reproduction and should be heavy enough that it does not permit "bleed through" of ink if it contains printing on both sides. For best results, use white paper.

Flaps or riders submitted with the document must be attached to a page on at least two sides. Anything under the flap or rider will not be recorded.

A document that contains highlighting will be rejected.

Submit an original copy with original signatures and notary stamps. No photocopies, unless they are certified copies, or electronically generated reproductions (especially of signatures and notary seals) are accepted. Notary signals must not cover text or signatures. A blurred or faint notary stamp is not acceptable for recording. The information may be written outside the seal border or a new seal/acknowledgment can be affixed to compensate.

The grantor must sign the document and have his/her signature notarized. Names should be printed or typed beneath signatures in the document.

The first page must have a 2 inch border at the top and a 1.5 inch border on the sides and bottom. If this space is not provided, additional fees will apply.

The first page must contain the following information:

1. The document must be clearly titled with the name of the transaction. A clear title will enable the clerk to record the document in the appropriate record. Instruments may have more than one title, but each title must be clearly distinguishable.

2. List the names and addresses of the parties to the conveyance (grantor and grantee), as well as under which capacity those parties are serving. If a cover sheet lists multiple titles, the grantor's name and address and the grantee's name and address must be listed under each title.

3. Provide the name and address of the person to whom the document is to be returned after recording, preceded by the words "Return to."

4. All instruments prepared for the purpose of conveying or contracting to convey fee title to any real estate shall provide the tax statement address, which can be provided in substantially the following form: "Until a change is requested, all tax statements should be sent to the following address..."

5. State the amount of true and actual consideration, which includes the amount of cash, and the amount of any lien, mortgage, contract, indebtedness, or encumbrance existing against the property to which the property remains subject or which the purchaser agrees to pay or assume.

6. For documents that are to be recorded in the Clerk's Lien Records, list the judgment or warrant amount.


A cover sheet containing all the required first-page information may be attached to the document and recorded along with it for an additional fee.

A statement outlined in the Oregon Revised Statutes 93.040(1) is required on all deeds submitted for recording and should be included in the body of the deed. This is a mandatory statement for sales agreements, earnest money receipts, or other instruments for conveyance of fee title to real property.

Real property should be described for recordation by giving the subdivision name, lot, and block; or the book and page or instrument number of a previously recorded deed where the legal description can be found. The assessor's map and tax lot number is not acceptable as a legal description.

If a document is rejected as illegible due to a notary and/or corporate seal or highlighted areas covering text, a new document can be prepared. The following options can also be considered: if the illegible information is, according to the submitting party, either unimportant or unnecessary it can be removed or crossed out. However, please check with legal counsel prior to doing so; the information may be required. If a form contains illegible text, a legible form of the same kind may be attached to the original and should state "attached for legibility" in a prominent location on the attached page. Attaching extra pages will increase the overall cost of recording.