Malheur County Recorder

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

Cash, checks, or money orders are accepted forms of payment. Fees are due upon recording.

To record the first page of a standard deed, the fee is $92. Each additional page is $5.

Standard liens: $77. plus $5 for each additional page.

All Recordable Documents..........
ADDITIONAL PAGES, $5.00 for each additional page after the first.
MULTIPLE DOCUMENT TITLES on a document, $5.00 for each transaction after the first

The non-standard document fee is an additional $20.

Certified copies are $3.75 per document, plus 25 cents a page.

Contact the Malheur County Clerk directly to discuss recording fees.

* Paper should not be larger than 8.5 x 14 inches or smaller than 8.5 x 11 inches.

* The text of the document should be in black ink and should not be smaller than 8 point.

* The document must provide adequate space for recording or filing information on the first page. This space should be 3 inches wide by 2 inches high in the top right corner on the first page.

* Subsequent margins should be a minimum of 1 inch.

* An original grantor signature is required for all real property documents.

* An original notary signature and stamp or seal is required for all real property documents.

* Documents conveying title or interest to the state, county, cities, or district will not be recorded unless the document contains a signature and statement of acceptance to the conveyance. The signature must be notarized.

* Documents submitted for recording must be in the English language.

* All illegible documents (such as a faxed form) will be rejected.

* A statement given in full in ORS 93.040 needs to be included in the body of an instrument transferring or contracting to transfer fee title to real property, except for owner's sale agreements or earnest money receipts.

* All instruments prepared for the purpose of conveying or contracting to convey fee title to any real estate shall contain on the face of such instrument a statement in substantially the following form: 'Until a change is requested, all tax statements shall be sent to the following address: NAME and ADDRESS.'

* Documents pertaining to real property must contain a legal description of the property. The property can be described by giving the subdivision according to the United States survey when coincident with the boundaries thereof, or by lots, blocks and addition names, or by partition plat recording and parcel numbers, or by giving the boundaries thereof by metes and bounds, or by reference to the book and page, document number and fee number of any public record of the county where the description may be found. However, description by tax lot number shall not be adequate for the legal property description. Initial letters, abbreviations, figures, fractions and exponents, to designate the township, range, section or part of a section, or the number of any lot or block or part thereof, or any distance, course, bearing or direction, may be employed in any such description of real property.


FIRST PAGE INFORMATION
The following information must be provided on the first page of an instrument:

* The title of the document or instrument: A document must be clearly labeled in sufficient detail to enable the clerk to record the instrument appropriately. The Malheur County Recorder suggests using large bold print for the title.

* Names of the parties: All documents submitted for recording, including cover sheets or multiple-titled documents, must contain the names of all parties (direct and indirect). If the cover sheet lists multiple titles (as with foreclosure documents), the cover sheet must list all titles. Under each title, the grantor and grantee must be listed. Documents that list only the original grantor's name and the name of the beneficiary or trustee on the cover sheet but fail to list the direct and indirect parties to additional documents will be assessed a $20 nonstandard fee.

* Return address information: The name and address of the person to whom the document is to be returned should be provided.

* Name and address of assignee: For documents assigning a mortgage or trust deed, provide the name and address of the assignee on the first page.

* Consideration: For documents conveying or contracting to convey title to real estate, the true and actual consideration paid for the transfer should be provided.

* Clerk's lien record: For documents recorded in the Clerk's lien record, list the amount of any monetary obligation, the name(s) of all debtors, and the recording reference of any lien claim being satisfied.

A cover page is required if the document does not meet first page requirements or does not provide adequate space for the recording certificate.

An instrument that has been previously recorded may be re-recorded to make corrections in the original. The corrected instrument does not need to be acknowledged again. A document that is being re-recorded should have the following statement: "Re-recorded to correct ___________________ at the request of ____________________ previously recorded as book ___________ and page _________________or microfilm number ___________."