Chapter 317 | Recorder

Section 317.01 | County recorder - election and term.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

There shall be elected quadrennially in each county a county recorder, who shall assume office on the first Monday in January next after his election and shall hold such office for a period of four years.

Section 317.02 | Bond of county recorder - oath.

• Effective: March 20, 2019
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 291 - 132nd General Assembly

Except as otherwise provided in section 3.061 of the Revised Code, before entering upon the duties of office, the county recorder shall give a bond, conditioned for the faithful discharge of the duties, signed by a bonding or surety company authorized to do business in this state, or, at the recorder's option, by two or more freeholders having real estate in the value of double the amount of the bond over and above all encumbrances to the state in the sum of not less than ten thousand dollars, the surety company and the amount of the bond to be approved by the board of county commissioners. The expense or premium for the bond shall be paid by the board and charged to the general fund of the county. The bond, with the oath of office required by sections 3.22 and 3.23 of the Revised Code, and by Section 7 of Article XV, Ohio Constitution, and the approval of the board indorsed thereon, shall be deposited with the county treasurer.

Section 317.03 | Location of office.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

The office of the county recorder shall be kept in such rooms at the county seat as the board of county commissioners provides.

Section 317.04 | Official seal.

• Effective: January 30, 2014
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 72 - 130th General Assembly

The county recorder shall keep a seal of office, to be procured at the expense of the county, which the county recorder shall affix to all certificates attached to copies of records.

Section 317.05 | Deputies.

• Effective: January 30, 2014
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 72 - 130th General Assembly

The county recorder may appoint deputies to aid in the performance of the county recorder's duties. Such an appointment or removal shall be in writing and filed with the county treasurer. The county recorder and the recorder's sureties shall be responsible for the deputies' neglect of duty or misconduct in office. Before entering upon the discharge of their duties, the deputies shall take the oath of office as prescribed in section 317.02 of the Revised Code.

Section 317.06 | Continuing education.

• Effective: September 29, 2013
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 59 - 130th General Assembly

(A) Each county recorder who is newly elected to a full term of office shall attend and successfully complete at least fifteen hours of continuing education courses during the first year of the recorder's term of office and complete at least another eight hours of such courses each year of the remaining term. Each county recorder who is elected to a subsequent term of office shall attend and successfully complete at least eight hours of such courses in each year of any subsequent term of office. To be counted toward the continuing education hours required by this section, a course must be approved by the Ohio recorders' association. Any county recorder who teaches an approved course shall be entitled to credit for the course in the same manner as if the county recorder had attended the course.

The Ohio recorders' association shall record and, upon request, verify the completion of required course work for each county recorder and issue a statement to each county recorder of the number of hours of continuing education the county recorder has successfully completed. Each year the association shall send a list of the continuing education courses, and the number of hours each county recorder has successfully completed, to the auditor of state and shall provide a copy of this list to any other individual who requests it.

The association shall issue a "failure to complete notice" to any county recorder required to complete continuing education courses under this section who fails to successfully complete at least fifteen hours of continuing education courses during the first year of the county recorder's first term of office or to complete a total of at least thirty-nine hours of such courses, including the fifteen hours completed in the first year of the first term, by the end of that term. The association shall issue a "failure to complete notice" to any county recorder required to complete continuing education courses under this section who fails to successfully complete at least eight hours of continuing education courses each year of any subsequent term of office or to complete a total of at least thirty-two hours of such courses, by the end of that subsequent term. The notice is for informational purposes only and does not affect any individual's ability to hold the office of county recorder.

(B) The costs the county recorder must incur to meet the requirements of division (A) of this section, including registration fees, lodging and meal expenses, and travel expenses shall be paid from the county recorder's technology fund, if such a fund has been established under section 317.321 of the Revised Code.

Section 317.07 | Delivery of seal, books, and records to successor.

• Effective: January 30, 2014
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 72 - 130th General Assembly

Upon leaving office, each county recorder shall deliver to the county recorder's successor, the seal of office, all books, records, and other instruments of writing belonging to the office, and take the successor's receipt for them. In case of the county recorder's death, the county recorder's personal representatives shall deliver the seal, books, records, and instruments to the successor in office.

Section 317.08 | Records to be kept by county recorder.

• Effective: October 3, 2023
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly

(A) The county recorder shall record all instruments in one general record series to be known as the "official records." The county recorder shall record in the official records all of the following instruments that are presented for recording, upon payment of the fees prescribed by law:

(1) Deeds and other instruments of writing for the absolute and unconditional sale or conveyance of lands, tenements, and hereditaments;

(2) Notices as provided in sections 5301.47 to 5301.56 of the Revised Code;

(3) Judgments or decrees in actions brought under section 5303.01 of the Revised Code;

(4) Declarations and bylaws, and all amendments to declarations and bylaws, as provided in Chapter 5311. of the Revised Code;

(5) Affidavits as provided in sections 5301.252 and 5301.56 of the Revised Code;

(6) Certificates as provided in section 5311.17 of the Revised Code;

(7) Articles dedicating archaeological preserves accepted by the director of the Ohio history connection under section 149.52 of the Revised Code;

(8) Articles dedicating nature preserves accepted by the director of natural resources under section 1517.05 of the Revised Code;

(9) Conveyances of conservation easements and agricultural easements under section 5301.68 of the Revised Code;

(10) Instruments extinguishing agricultural easements under section 901.21 or 5301.691 of the Revised Code or pursuant to the terms of such an easement granted to a charitable organization under section 5301.68 of the Revised Code;

(11) Instruments or orders described in division (B)(2)(b) of section 5301.56 of the Revised Code;

(12) No further action letters issued under section 3746.11 of the Revised Code;

(13) Covenants not to sue issued under section 3746.12 of the Revised Code;

(14) Restrictions on the use of property contained in a deed or other instrument as provided in division (E) or (F) of section 3737.882 of the Revised Code;

(15) Any easement executed or granted under section 3734.22, 3734.24, 3734.25, or 3734.26 of the Revised Code;

(16) Any environmental covenant entered into in accordance with sections 5301.80 to 5301.92 of the Revised Code;

(17) Memoranda of trust, as described in division (A) of section 5301.255 of the Revised Code, that describe specific real property;

(18) Agreements entered into under section 1506.44 of the Revised Code;

(19) Mortgages, including amendments, supplements, modifications, and extensions of mortgages, or other instruments of writing by which lands, tenements, or hereditaments are or may be mortgaged or otherwise conditionally sold, conveyed, affected, or encumbered;

(20) Executory installment contracts for the sale of land executed after September 29, 1961, that by their terms are not required to be fully performed by one or more of the parties to them within one year of the date of the contracts;

(21) Options to purchase real estate, including supplements, modifications, and amendments of the options, but no option of that nature shall be recorded if it does not state a specific day and year of expiration of its validity;

(22) Any tax certificate sold under section 5721.33 of the Revised Code, or memorandum of it, that is presented for filing of record;

(23) Powers of attorney, including all memoranda of trust, as described in division (A) of section 5301.255 of the Revised Code, that do not describe specific real property;

(24) Plats and maps of town lots, of the subdivision of town lots, and of other divisions or surveys of lands, any center line survey of a highway located within the county, the plat of which shall be furnished by the director of transportation or county engineer, and all drawings and amendments to drawings, as provided in Chapter 5311. of the Revised Code;

(25) Leases, memoranda of leases, and supplements, modifications, and amendments of leases and memoranda of leases, including a lease described in section 5301.09 of the Revised Code;

(26) Declarations executed pursuant to section 2133.02 of the Revised Code and durable powers of attorney for health care executed pursuant to section 1337.12 of the Revised Code;

(27) Unemployment compensation liens, internal revenue tax liens, and other liens in favor of the United States as described in division (A) of section 317.09 of the Revised Code, personal tax liens, mechanic's liens, agricultural product liens, notices of liens, certificates of satisfaction or partial release of estate tax liens, discharges of recognizances, excise and franchise tax liens on corporations, broker's liens, and liens provided for in section 1513.33, 1513.37, 3752.13, 4141.23, 5164.56, or 5311.18 of the Revised Code;

(28) Corrupt activity lien notices filed pursuant to section 2923.36 of the Revised Code and medicaid fraud lien notices filed pursuant to section 2933.75 of the Revised Code;

(29) Deeds for the purchase of burial lots or other interment rights under section 517.07 of the Revised Code.

(B) All instruments or memoranda of instruments entitled to record shall be recorded in the order in which they are presented for recording.

The recording of an option to purchase real estate, including any supplement, modification, and amendment of the option, under this section shall serve as notice to any purchaser of an interest in the real estate covered by the option only during the period of the validity of the option as stated in the option.

(C) In addition to the official records, a county recorder may elect to keep a separate set of records that contain the instruments listed in division (A)(24) of this section.

(D) As part of the official records, the county recorder shall keep a separate set of records containing all transfers, conveyances, or assignments of any type of tangible or intangible personal property or any rights or interests in that property if and to the extent that any person wishes to record that personal property transaction and if the applicable instrument is acknowledged before a notary public. If the transferor is a natural person, the notice of personal property transfer shall be recorded in the county in this state in which the transferor maintains the transferor's principal residence. If the transferor is not a natural person, the notice of personal property transfer shall be recorded in the county in this state in which the transferor maintains its principal place of business. If the transferor does not maintain a principal residence or a principal place of business in this state and the transfer is to a trustee of a legacy trust formed pursuant to Chapter 5816. of the Revised Code, the notice of personal property transfer shall be recorded in the county in this state where that trustee maintains a principal residence or principal place of business. In all other instances, the notice of personal property transfer shall be recorded in the county in this state where the property described in the notice is located.

Last updated September 11, 2023 at 10:42 AM

Section 317.081 | County and township zoning resolutions kept by recorder.

• Effective: January 1, 1992
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 20 - 119th General Assembly

The county recorder shall keep county and township zoning resolutions, including text and maps, and amendments to them, in his office and make all these documents available for public inspection during normal business hours. By the fifteenth day of January each year, the county recorder shall notify the board of county commissioners and the board of township trustees of each township within the county of that board's duty under section 303.11, 303.12, 519.11, or 519.12 of the Revised Code to file zoning resolutions and amendments in the office of the county recorder. The fee provided in section 317.32 of the Revised Code shall be charged for each resolution and amendment filed in the office of the county recorder.

Section 317.082 | Social security number not to be included in document filed for recording.

• Effective: September 1, 2008
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 46 - 127th General Assembly

(A) As used in this section, "preparer" means any mortgage company, bank, title agency, or other person responsible for filing documents with the office of a county recorder for recording under section 317.08 of the Revised Code.

(B) Except as provided in division (C) or (D) of this section, the preparer of any document to be recorded by a county recorder under section 317.08 of the Revised Code shall not include any individual's personal information in any document that is filed for recording in the office of the county recorder under that section. The county recorder shall not accept such a document for recording if it includes any individual's personal information. If a document presented for recording includes any individual's personal information and the county recorder refuses to accept that document for recording, the county recorder or the person who attempted to file the document with the county recorder may immediately redact the individual's personal information from the document.

The preparer is not liable in damages in a civil action for any harm an individual allegedly sustains as a result of the inclusion of the individual's personal information on a document in violation of this division if the preparer establishes as an affirmative defense that the preparer made a good faith effort to comply with this division. The county recorder and the county recorder's employees are immune from liability in damages in a civil action brought against the county recorder or an employee of the county recorder to recover damages for any harm an individual allegedly sustains as a result of the county recorder or an employee of the county recorder accepting a document that includes the individual's personal information in violation of this division, unless the county recorder or an employee of the county recorder accepted that document with malicious purpose, in bad faith, or in a wanton or reckless manner, or division (A)(6)(a) or (c) of section 2744.03 of the Revised Code applies.

(C) An individual who executes a document that must be filed by a preparer for recording in the office of the county recorder under section 317.08 of the Revised Code may execute an affidavit consenting to the inclusion of the individual's personal information in the document. If an individual executes an affidavit consenting to the inclusion of the individual's personal information in the document under this division, division (B) of this section does not apply to the preparer of the document or to the county recorder and the county recorder's employees.

(D) Division (B) of this section does not apply to any of the following:

(1) Any document that originates with any court or taxing authority;

(2) Any document that upon its filing for recording in the office of the county recorder under section 317.08 of the Revised Code constitutes a nonconsensual lien against an individual;

(3) Any publicly recorded document that is required by federal or state law to include an individual's social security number or personal information.

(E)(1) This section does not apply to documents that were executed by an individual prior to September 28, 2006.

(2) This section, as amended by this amendment, does not apply to documents that were executed by an individual on or after September 28, 2006, and prior to the effective date of this amendment.

(F) As used in this section, "personal information" has the same meaning as in section 149.45 of the Revised Code.

Section 317.09 | Recording and filing notices of federal tax liens - certificate of discharge or release - fee.

• Effective: January 30, 2014
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 72 - 130th General Assembly

(A)(1) Notices of liens for internal revenue taxes, of liens arising under section 107 of the "Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980," 94 Stat. 2781, 42 U.S.C.A. 9607, as amended, and of any other lien in favor of the United States, as provided in the statutes of the United States or in any regulation adopted under those statutes, certificates discharging the liens, and certificates of release of the liens shall be filed for record, by mail or otherwise, in the office of the county recorder of the county in which the property subject to the lien is situated. If a duplicate copy of a notice of a lien or a certificate of discharge or release of a lien is provided, the county recorder shall endorse on the copy the date and hour that the notice or certificate was received for filing and recording and shall return the copy, by mail or otherwise, to the district director of the internal revenue service of the Ohio district from which the notice or certificate originated, the regional administrator of the region of the United States environmental protection agency from which the notice or certificate originated, or the other official of the United States who originated the notice or certificate, whichever is applicable.

(2) When a notice of a lien in favor of the United States is filed, the county recorder shall record the lien in the official records provided for in section 317.08 of the Revised Code and shall index the lien in the indexes provided for under section 317.18 of the Revised Code. The county recorder shall file and keep all original notices of liens in numerical order. When a certificate of discharge or release of any lien in favor of the United States is issued by the proper official of the United States or the official's delegate and is filed for record in the office of the county recorder in which the original notice of the lien is filed, the county recorder shall record the certificate in the official records provided for in section 317.08 of the Revised Code and shall index the certificate of discharge or release in the indexes provided for in section 317.18 of the Revised Code.

(B) A county recorder may use any nonpaper electronic or magnetic medium specified in section 9.01 of the Revised Code to record the notices of liens and the certificates of discharge or release of liens covered by this section. If the county recorder wishes to dispose of paper versions of the notices and certificates covered by this section because they are no longer needed in that format, the county recorder shall request the county records commission to revise the county's schedule of records retention and disposal in accordance with section 149.38 of the Revised Code to provide for the disposal of those paper records.

(C) The county recorder shall receive a fee of five dollars for filing and indexing each notice of a lien filed pursuant to this section and shall receive a fee of three dollars for filing and indexing a certificate of discharge or release of the lien. The fees provided for in this division shall be collected at the time that the notice or certificate is presented in the office of the county recorder.

Section 317.10 | County recorder shall record certified copy of matter in bankruptcy - fees.

• Effective: January 30, 2014
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 72 - 130th General Assembly

The county recorder shall record any certified copy of any matter in reference to bankruptcy, which any act of congress provides for, as being necessary to be filed in the county wherein lands of the bankrupt are situated, in order to be notice of such bankruptcy. Such a certified copy shall be recorded in the official records and indexed in the same manner as deeds, in the name of the bankrupt as grantor, and in the name of the trustee in bankruptcy, or receiver, as grantee. The county recorder shall be paid the same fees for recording such a certified copy as is provided in section 317.32 of the Revised Code.

Section 317.11 | Names printed or typed on instruments before recording when signatures illegible.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 361 - 100th General Assembly

No instrument by which the title to real estate or personal property or any interest therein or lien thereon, is conveyed, created, encumbered, assigned, discharged, canceled or otherwise disposed of, shall be received for record or filing by the county recorder, if the signatures of the persons signing such instrument are illegibly written, unless the name of each person who in any capacity signed such instrument, and whose written signature is illegible, is legibly printed, typewritten, or stamped upon such instrument immediately beneath the signature of such person. The recorder shall receive any such instrument for record or filing, although it does not comply with this paragraph, if the name of each such person appears elsewhere in the instrument legibly printed, typewritten, or stamped, or if there is written on or attached to the instrument, for record, an affidavit of some person having personal knowledge of the facts, which affidavit states the correct name of the person whose signature was illegibly written and whose name was not printed, typewritten, or stamped thereon.

Whenever, in this section it is required that the name of a person be printed, typewritten, or stamped upon such instrument immediately beneath the signature of such person, such signature shall be written upon the instrument directly preceding or above the printed, typewritten, or stamped name. Such printed, typewritten, or stamped name shall not be superimposed upon the signature so as to render either illegible. Any such instrument shall be entitled to be received for record or filing if the printed, typewritten, or stamped name and signature are deemed by the recorder to be so placed upon such instrument as to render the connection between the two apparent. Any instrument received and recorded or filed by a recorder is conclusively presumed to comply with the requirements of this section, which shall be in addition to the requirements imposed by any other law relating to the recording of instruments.

This section does not apply to any instrument executed prior to October 11, 1945, nor to the following: Any decree, order, judgment, or writ of any court; any will, or death certificate; any instrument executed or acknowledged outside this state. This section does not apply to any instrument upon which the signature itself is printed, typewritten, or stamped.

Section 317.111 | Name of preparer to appear on instrument.

• Effective: January 30, 2014
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 72 - 130th General Assembly

No instrument by which the title to real estate or personal property, or any interest therein or lien thereon, is conveyed, created, encumbered, assigned, or otherwise disposed of, shall be received for record or filing by the county recorder unless the name of the person who, and governmental agency, if any, that prepared the instrument appears upon the instrument, and the name is either printed, typewritten, stamped, or signed in a legible manner. An instrument is in compliance with this section if it contains a statement in the following form: "This instrument was prepared by (name)."

This section does not apply to any instrument executed prior to October 5, 1955, nor to the following: any decree, order, judgment, or writ of any court; any will or death certificate; any instrument executed or acknowledged outside of this state.

Section 317.112 | Further requirements for instruments.

• Effective: January 30, 2014
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 72 - 130th General Assembly

(A) Each instrument and its contents by which the title to real estate or personal property, or by which any interest in or lien on real estate or personal property, is conveyed, created, encumbered, assigned, discharged, canceled, or otherwise disposed of, and that is presented to the county recorder for recording or filing shall be of a quality that permits the legible reproduction of the instrument, and the contents of the instrument shall be sufficiently legible to permit their reproduction by photographic or microphotographic processes.

(B)(1) If an instrument that is described in division (A) of this section and that is presented for recording or filing does not satisfy the requirements of that division, the county recorder, prior to recording or filing the instrument, may require the person who presented the instrument for recording or filing to do either of the following:

(a) If the instrument presented was a copy of an original document, to substitute the original document for recording or filing if it satisfies the requirements of division (A) of this section; or

(b) To prepare or cause to be prepared, and present for recording or filing a true copy of the instrument, which true copy shall be handwritten or typewritten, satisfy the requirements of division (A) of this section, and contain a certification of the person who prepared the true copy that it is a true copy of the instrument.

(2) The county recorder shall attach a true copy of an instrument that is presented for recording or filing pursuant to division (B)(1)(b) of this section to the instrument that was presented for recording or filing.

(3) The notice that is imparted by the recording or filing of an instrument is not affected if the county recorder accepts an instrument for recording or filing that subsequently is found not to satisfy the requirements of division (A) of this section.

(C) This section does not apply to wills or death certificates.

Section 317.113 | Certified complete English translation to accompany instrument.

• Effective: February 1, 2002
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 279 - 124th General Assembly

The county recorder shall not accept for recording a deed or other instrument in writing that is executed or certified in whole or in part in a language other than the English language unless it complies with the requirements of sections 317.11, 317.111, and 317.112 of the Revised Code and is accompanied by a complete English translation certified as provided in this section. The translator of the deed or other instrument in writing shall certify that the translation is accurate and that the translator is competent to perform the translation. The translator shall sign and acknowledge the translation of the deed or other instrument in writing before a judge of a court of record in this state, a clerk of a court of record in this state, a county auditor, a county engineer, or a notary public.

A certificate of the translator that is substantially in the following form satisfies the requirements of this section:

"CERTIFICATE OF TRANSLATOR

The undersigned, __________________________, hereby certifies that the document attached to this certificate and made a part of this certificate has been translated into English by the undersigned; that the translation is accurate; and that the undersigned is competent to perform the translation.

______________________________

(Signature of Translator)

SSN: _________________________

State of _________________________

County of ________________________

The foregoing certificate of translator has been acknowledged before me this _____ day of __________, ______

_____________________________

(Signature of Judge or Officer

Taking the Acknowledgment)"

This section does not apply to a deed or other instrument in writing executed or certified prior to August 20, 1996.

Section 317.114 | Standard format of instruments to be recorded.

• Effective: December 28, 2009
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 124 - 128th General Assembly

(A) Except as otherwise provided in divisions (B) and (C) of this section, an instrument or document presented for recording to the county recorder shall have been prepared in accordance with all of the following requirements:

(1) Legible print size not smaller than a font size of ten;

(2) Minimum paper size of eight and one-half inches by eleven inches;

(3) Maximum paper size of eight and one-half inches by fourteen inches;

(4) Black or blue ink only;

(5) No use of highlighting;

(6) Margins of one-inch width on each side of each page of the instrument or document;

(7) A margin of one-inch width across the bottom of each page of the instrument or document;

(8) A three-inch margin of blank space across the top of the first page of each instrument or document to accommodate any certification or indorsement of the county engineer, county auditor, or county recorder, as may be required by law, with the right half of that margin being reserved for the indorsement of the county recorder required by section 317.12 of the Revised Code; and

(9) A one and one-half-inch margin of blank space across the top of each of the remaining pages of the instrument or document to accommodate any certification or indorsement of the county engineer, county auditor, or county recorder, as may be required by law.

(B)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (B)(2) of this section, the county recorder shall accept for recording an instrument or document that does not conform to the requirements set forth in division (A) of this section but shall charge and collect the following additional fees for each such instrument or document: an additional base fee for the recorder's services of ten dollars and a housing trust fund fee of ten dollars, which shall be collected pursuant to section 317.36 of the Revised Code.

(2) The county recorder shall accept for recording an instrument or document that does not conform to the requirements set forth in division (A) of this section but shall not charge and collect the additional fees specified in division (B)(1) of this section for page numbers, hand-written, typed, or printed initials, bar codes, copyright information, trailing portions of signatures, plat description of any oil and gas well location or drilling unit or lease, or any other incidental information that is not essential to the recording process or to the legal validity of the instrument or document and that may appear in either of the side margins or in the bottom margin. In addition, notary stamps and seals and any signatures and initials that may appear within the instrument or document need not satisfy the font size requirement and no additional fees may be charged or collected by the county recorder for such a nonconformance.

(C) This section does not apply to any of the following:

(1) Any document that originates with any court or taxing authority;

(2) Any document authorized to be recorded under section 317.24 of the Revised Code;

(3) Any plat, as defined in section 711.001 of the Revised Code, that is required or authorized by the Revised Code to be recorded;

(4) Any document authorized to be recorded that originates from any state or federal agency;

(5) Any document executed before July 1, 2009.

Section 317.115 | Lot and sublot number after village dissolution.

• Effective: April 30, 2024
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 101 - 135th General Assembly

After a village dissolution under sections 703.31 to 703.39 of the Revised Code, an instrument related to a tract, parcel, or lot of land located within what was previously the territory of the dissolved village may utilize the lot and sublot number previously assigned to the tract, parcel, or lot of land.

Last updated February 12, 2024 at 5:25 PM

Section 317.12 | Indorsement on and receipt for deed - recording.

• Effective: January 30, 2014
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 72 - 130th General Assembly

Upon the presentation of a deed or other instrument of writing for record, the county recorder shall indorse thereon the date, the precise time of its presentation, and a file number. The file numbering shall be consecutive and in the order in which the instrument of writing is received for record, except financing statements, which may have a separate series of file numbers and may be filed separately, as provided by sections 1309.501 to 1309.527 of the Revised Code. The recorder shall, without fee, give to the person presenting such instrument a receipt naming the parties thereto and the date thereof. When a deed or other instrument is recorded, the county recorder shall indorse on it the time when recorded, and the number or letter and page of the official records in which it is recorded.

Section 317.13 | Duties of recorder.

• Effective: October 24, 2024
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 94 - 135th General Assembly

(A) Except as otherwise provided in division (B) of this section, the county recorder shall record in the official records, in legible handwriting, typewriting, or printing, or by any authorized photographic or electronic process, all deeds, mortgages, plats, or other instruments of writing that are required or authorized by the Revised Code to be recorded and that are presented to the county recorder for that purpose. The county recorder shall record the instruments in regular succession, according to the priority of presentation, and shall enter the file number at the beginning of the record. On the record of each instrument, the county recorder shall record the date and precise time the instrument was presented for record. All records made, prior to July 28, 1949, by means authorized by this section or by section 9.01 of the Revised Code shall be deemed properly made.

(B)(1) The county recorder may refuse to record an instrument of writing presented for recording if the instrument is not required or authorized by the Revised Code to be recorded or the county recorder has reasonable cause to believe the instrument is materially false or fraudulent.

(2) The county recorder shall refuse to record a right-to-list home sale agreement described in division (B) of section 5301.94 of the Revised Code.

Division (B) of this section does not create a duty upon a recorder to inspect, evaluate, or investigate an instrument of writing, including a right-to-list home sale agreement, that is presented for recording.

(C) If a person presents an instrument of writing to the county recorder for recording and the county recorder, pursuant to division (B) of this section, refuses to record the instrument, the person has a cause of action for an order from the court of common pleas in the county that the county recorder serves, to require the county recorder to record the instrument. If the court determines that the instrument is required or authorized by the Revised Code to be recorded, is not materially false or fraudulent, and is not a right-to-list home sale agreement, it shall order the county recorder to record the instrument.

(D) The county recorder shall keep confidential information that is subject to a real property confidentiality notice under section 111.431 of the Revised Code, in accordance with that section. A copy of the real property confidentiality notice shall accompany subsequent recordings of the property, unless the program participant's certification has been canceled under section 111.431 or 111.45 of the Revised Code.

(E)(1) Not later than June 30, 2026, each county recorder, county auditor, and county engineer shall make available to the public a method for electronically recording instruments related to conveyances of real property that adheres to the standards governing conveyances of real property adopted by a county in accordance with section 319.203 of the Revised Code.

(2) Not later than June 30, 2026, a county recorder shall make available to the public a method for electronically recording instruments, other than those related to conveyances of real property, specified in division (A) or (D) of section 317.08 of the Revised Code, except division (A)(24) of that section.

(3) Divisions (E)(1) and (2) of this section do not apply to instruments specifically exempt from recording under either of the following:

(a) The standards governing conveyances of real property adopted by a county in accordance with section 319.203 of the Revised Code; or

(b) The minimum standards for boundary surveys promulgated by the board of registration for professional engineers and surveyors pursuant to Chapter 4733. of the Revised Code.

(F) Not later than June 30, 2026, a county recorder shall make available to the public on the county recorder's web site electronic indexes for, and electronic versions of, all instruments recorded on or after January 1, 1980, except veteran discharge papers recorded under section 317.24 of the Revised Code or any instrument or portion thereof prohibited from being disclosed under federal or state law. A county recorder may require a username and password to access the electronic indexes and instruments, but may not require a fee to create a username and password or to otherwise access the electronic indexes and instruments.

Last updated August 27, 2024 at 2:57 PM

Section 317.14 | Copy of record in one county may be recorded in another county.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

When a deed, mortgage, power of attorney, or other instrument of writing, for the sale, conveyance, or encumbrance of lands, tenements, or hereditaments, situated in two or more counties in this state, has been recorded in one of such counties, or when a new county is organized and such lands, tenements, or hereditaments are situated within the new county, and the instrument has been recorded in the county from which the new county was taken, or when, by change of county lines, lands are transferred from one county to another and such instrument has been recorded in the county from which the lands were transferred, any person interested in such lands may procure from the county recorder a certified copy of the record and cause it to be recorded in any other county containing such lands, tenements, or hereditaments, in the same manner as the original instrument is required to be recorded. In making the record, such certificate shall be recorded with the copy, and the record of the copy and certificate shall have the same validity and legal effect as the record of the original instrument.

Section 317.15 | Copy of record in other cases.

• Effective: January 30, 2014
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 72 - 130th General Assembly

When a deed or other instrument of writing for the sale, conveyance, or encumbrance of lands, tenements, or hereditaments, situated within this state, has been recorded in the official records of a county of the state, other than the county in which they are situated, whether or not the county in which the instrument is recorded ever comprised a part of the territory in which the lands, tenements, and hereditaments are situated, any person interested therein may procure, from the official records of the county in which the instrument is recorded, a certified copy of the record from the county recorder, with the seal of office affixed thereto, and cause it to be recorded in the county where such lands, tenements, or hereditaments lie, in the manner provided by section 5301.25 of the Revised Code. In making such a record, the certificate shall have the same validity and legal effect as the record of other deeds and instruments of writing.

Section 317.16 | Force and effect of certified copies.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

After copies of records have been recorded, as provided in sections 317.14 and 317.15 of the Revised Code, in the county in which such lands, tenements, or hereditaments lie, a copy of such record, certified by the county recorder of the county in which the premises are situated, shall be received in evidence in the same manner and have the same force and effect as if the record were of the original instrument.

Section 317.17 | Transcription of records of other counties.

• Effective: January 30, 2014
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 72 - 130th General Assembly

When directed by the board of county commissioners to do so, the county recorder may transcribe in the official records provided for that purpose, from the records of other counties, all deeds, mortgages, powers of attorney, and other instruments of writing, for the sale, conveyance, or encumbrance of lands, tenements, or hereditaments situated within the county recorder's county. When transcribed, those records shall be part of the records of the county and have the same legal effect as other records of instruments of like kind recorded originally in the county recorder's office. Copies of those records shall be received in evidence in the same manner and with the same effect as original records of like instruments.

Section 317.18 | Direct and reverse indexes.

• Effective: April 30, 2024
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 101 - 135th General Assembly

The county recorder shall make and keep up direct and reverse indexes of all the names of both parties to all instruments previously received for record by the county recorder. The indexes shall show the kind of instrument, the range, township, and section or the survey number and number of acres, or the permanent parcel number provided for under section 319.28 of the Revised Code, or the lot and sublot number and the part thereof, all as the case requires, of each tract, parcel, or lot of land described in any such instrument. The name of each grantor shall be entered in the direct index, and the name of each grantee shall be entered in the reverse index. After a village dissolution under sections 703.31 to 703.39 of the Revised Code, the county recorder may continue to utilize the lot and sublot number previously assigned to a tract, parcel, or lot of land.

As to notices of claims filed in accordance with sections 5301.51, 5301.52, and 5301.56 of the Revised Code, there shall be entered in the reverse index the name of each claimant, followed by the name of the present owner of title against whom the claim is asserted, if the notice contains the name of the present owner; or, if the notice contains the names of more than one such owner, there shall be entered the name of the first owner followed by "and others" or its equivalent.

In all cases of deeds, mortgages, or other instruments made by any sheriff, master commissioner, marshal, auditor, executor, administrator, trustee, or other officer, for the sale, conveyance, or encumbrance of any lands, tenements, or hereditaments, and recorded in the recorder's office, the recorder shall index the parties to such instrument under their appropriate letters, respectively, as follows:

(A) The names of the persons represented by such officer as owners of the lands, tenements, or hereditaments described in any such instruments;

(B) The official designation of the officer by whom such instrument was made;

(C) The individual names of the officers by whom such instrument was made.

Whenever, in the opinion of the board of county commissioners, it becomes necessary to transcribe, on account of its worn out or incomplete condition, any volume of an index in use, such volume shall be revised and transcribed to conform with this section; except that in counties having a sectional index in conformity with section 317.20 of the Revised Code, such transcript shall be only a copy of the original.

Last updated February 7, 2024 at 10:35 AM

Section 317.19 | Daily registers of deeds and mortgages.

• Effective: January 30, 2014
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 72 - 130th General Assembly

The county recorder shall keep a daily register of deeds and mortgages, in which shall be noted, as soon as filed, in alphabetical order according to the names of the grantors, respectively, all deeds and mortgages affecting real estate, filed in the county recorder's office. The county recorder shall keep the register in the county recorder's office, and it shall be open to the inspection of the public during business hours. The county recorder may destroy the daily register after the expiration of a period of ten years from the date of the last entry in the register.

Section 317.20 | Sectional indexes.

• Effective: January 30, 2014
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 72 - 130th General Assembly

(A) When, in the opinion of the board of county commissioners, sectional indexes are needed and it so directs, in addition to the indexes provided for in section 317.18 of the Revised Code, the board may provide for making, in books prepared for that purpose, sectional indexes to the records of all real estate in the county beginning with some designated year and continuing through the period of years that the board specifies. The sectional indexes shall place under the heads of the original surveyed sections or surveys, parts of a section or survey, squares, subdivisions, permanent parcel numbers provided for under section 319.28 of the Revised Code, or lots, on the left-hand page or on the upper portion of that page of the index book, the name of the grantor, then the name of the grantee, then the number and page of the record in which the instrument is found recorded, then the character of the instrument, and then a pertinent description of the interest in property conveyed by the deed, lease, or assignment of lease, and shall place under similar headings on the right-hand page or on the lower portion of that page of the index book, beginning at the bottom, all the mortgages, liens, notices provided for in sections 5301.51, 5301.52, and 5301.56 of the Revised Code, or other encumbrances affecting the real estate.

(B) The compensation for the services rendered under this section shall be paid from the general revenue fund of the county, and no additional levy shall be made in consequence of the services.

(C) If the board of county commissioners decides to have sectional indexes made, it shall advertise for three consecutive weeks in one newspaper of general circulation in the county or as provided in section 7.16 of the Revised Code for sealed proposals to do the work provided for in this section, shall contract with the lowest and best bidder, and shall require the successful bidder to give a bond for the faithful performance of the contract in the sum that the board fixes. The work shall be done to the acceptance of the auditor of state upon allowance by the board. The board may reject any and all bids for the work, provided that no more than five cents shall be paid for each entry of each tract or lot of land.

(D) When the sectional indexes are brought up and completed, the county recorder shall maintain the indexes and comply with division (E) of this section in connection with registered land.

(E)(1) As used in division (E) of this section, "housing accommodations" and "restrictive covenant" have the same meanings as in section 4112.01 of the Revised Code.

(2) In connection with any transfer of registered land that occurs on and after March 30, 1999, in accordance with Chapters 5309. and 5310. of the Revised Code, the county recorder shall delete from the sectional indexes maintained under this section all references to any restrictive covenant that appears to apply to the transferred registered land, if any inclusion of the restrictive covenant in a transfer, rental, or lease of housing accommodations, any honoring or exercising of the restrictive covenant, or any attempt to honor or exercise the restrictive covenant constitutes an unlawful discriminatory practice under division (H)(9) of section 4112.02 of the Revised Code.

Section 317.21 | Plats, records, and documents for use of county and municipal authorities.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

Whenever the county recorder, county auditor, and county treasurer, or a majority of them, determines to provide, for the convenience of the various county officials and the more efficient performance of their duties, including those prescribed by sections 5309.01 to 5309.98 and 5310.01 to 5310.21, inclusive, of the Revised Code, plats, records, abstracts, books, copies of records, abstracts of records, existing or destroyed by fire or otherwise, or other documents or instruments affecting the title of any lands, tenements, or hereditaments within the county, they may acquire the same by purchase, lease, or rental. When acquired, such property shall be kept up and maintained in the office of the recorder or auditor, as such officials determine, and shall be at all times subject to the use, examination, and inspection of the public, and all officials of the county and the municipal corporations therein.

Section 317.22 | Prerequisites to recording.

• Effective: January 30, 2014
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 72 - 130th General Assembly

No deed of absolute conveyance of land or any conveyance, absolute or otherwise, of minerals or mineral rights shall be recorded by the county recorder until:

(A) The conveyance presented to the county recorder bears the stamp of the county auditor stating the conveyance has been examined and the grantor has complied with section 319.202 of the Revised Code;

(B) Such conveyance has been presented to the county auditor, and by the county auditor indorsed "transferred," or "transfer not necessary."

Before any real estate, the title to which has passed under the laws of descent, is transferred from the name of the ancestor to the heir at law or next of kin of such ancestor, or to any grantee of such heir or next of kin; and before any deed or conveyance of real estate made by any such heir or next of kin is presented to or filed for record by the recorder, the heir or next of kin, or that person's grantee, agent, or attorney shall present to the auditor the affidavit of such heir or next of kin, or of two persons resident of this state, each of whom has personal knowledge of the facts. Such affidavit shall set forth the date of the ancestor's death, and the place of residence at the time of death; the fact that the ancestor died intestate; the names, ages, and addresses, so far as known and can be ascertained, of each of such ancestor's heirs at law and next of kin, who, by the ancestor's death, inherited such real estate, the relationship of each to the ancestor, and the part or portion of such real estate inherited by each. Such transfers shall be made by the auditor in accordance with the statement contained in the affidavit, and the auditor shall indorse upon the deed or conveyance the fact that such transfer was made by affidavit. The affidavit shall be filed with the county recorder of the county in which such real estate is situated, at or before the time such deed or conveyance is filed with the county recorder, and shall be recorded by the county recorder of the county in the official records and indexed in the direct and reverse indexes in the county recorder's office, in the name of such ancestor as grantor and of each such heir or next of kin as grantee, in the same manner as if such names occurred in a deed of conveyance from the ancestor to such heirs at law. The county recorder shall receive the same fees for such indexing and recording as provided by section 317.32 of the Revised Code.

(C) The record of such affidavit shall, in the trial of any cause, so far as competent, be prima-facie evidence.

(D) No county recorder shall record a conveyance if the indorsement, indorsements, or stamps of indorsement of a county auditor indicating compliance with section 319.202 of the Revised Code on the conveyance are in whole or in part defaced, illegible, or incomplete.

Section 317.23 | Recording of deed to university land.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

The county recorder shall not record any lease, deed, or other conveyance of lots or lands belonging to any university keeping transfer books, unless such instrument is indorsed by the president or other proper officer of such university, showing that such instrument has been transferred on such books.

Section 317.24 | Record of discharge.

• Effective: September 28, 2012
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 490 - 129th General Assembly

(A) As used in this section:

(1) "Authorized party" means any of the following:

(a) The person who is the subject of the record of discharge;

(b) A county veterans service officer who is certified by the department of veterans services;

(c) An attorney-in-fact, agent, or other representative of the person who is the subject of the record of discharge, if authorized to inspect or copy the record of discharge by that person in a power of attorney or other document;

(d) A person authorized, for good cause shown, by a court of record to inspect or copy the record of discharge;

(e) If the person who is the subject of the record of discharge is deceased, the executor or administrator, or an heir, legatee, or devisee, of the person's estate or a funeral director who is to perform the funeral for the deceased person.

(2) "Separation code" or "separation program number" means the coded number or numbers used to specify the reasons for a person's separation from active duty, as contained in one of the following:

(a) Regarding a separation code, as contained in line 23 or 26 of a veteran's discharge paper, United States department of defense form DD-214;

(b) Regarding a separation program number, as contained in line 9(c) or line 11(c) of a veteran's discharge paper, under prior versions of United States department of defense form DD-214.

(3) "Service-related document" means any United States department of defense form DD-215 or DD-220, or any National Guard Bureau form NGB-22 or NGB-22A.

(B)(1) Upon request of any discharged member of the armed forces of the United States and presentation of the member's discharge, the county recorder shall record the discharge in a book to be furnished by the board of county commissioners for that purpose. There shall be no fee for the recording. The record of discharge, or a certified copy of the record, shall be received in evidence in all cases where the original discharge would be received.

(2)(a) A discharge recorded under division (B)(1) or (D) of this section is not a public record under section 149.43 of the Revised Code for a period of seventy-five years after the date of the recording. During that period, the county recorder's office shall make the record of discharge available only to an authorized party or to a person other than an authorized party as provided by division (B)(2)(b) of this section. Except as provided in section 317.27 of the Revised Code, the authorized party shall pay the reasonable costs of copying the record of discharge.

(b) A person other than an authorized party may request to view or receive a copy of a discharge record recorded under division (B)(1) or (D) of this section. Upon such a person's request, the county recorder's office shall provide a copy of the discharged record to the person that shall be redacted to contain only the name, rank, date of birth, date of discharge, and type of discharge of the person who is the subject of the discharge record. Except as provided in section 317.27 of the Revised Code, a person other than an authorized party shall pay the reasonable costs of copying the record of discharge.

(3) A county veterans service officer, who is an authorized party, may request to receive, from a county recorder's office, a record of discharge if the veterans service officer has a need for access to the record of discharge for the purpose of supporting a veteran's claim for benefits, and the county recorder's office shall make the record available to the county veterans service officer.

(C) Upon application by a person whose discharge has been recorded pursuant to this section, the county recorder shall, without fee, expunge the person's record of discharge, expunge the person's separation program number or separation code from the person's record of discharge and from any of the person's other service-related documents that have been recorded, or expunge the person's social security number from the person's record of discharge and from any of the person's other service-related documents that have been recorded. The application shall be in the following form:

"APPLICATION FOR EXPUNGEMENT

OF DISCHARGE RECORD OR OTHER INFORMATION

I, ________________ (Name of Applicant), the undersigned, hereby request the County Recorder of the County of ____________ (Name of County), state of Ohio, to expunge my __________ (Insert Record of Discharge, Separation Program Number or Separation Code from my Record of Discharge and other service-related documents, or Social Security Number from my Record of Discharge and other service-related documents).

Dated this __________ day of __________, _____

_________________________________

(Signature of Applicant)

Sworn to and subscribed before me by ____________ (Name of Applicant) on __________, _____

________________________________________

Notary Public

My commission expires __________, _____"

(D) Upon the request of any person who served during World War I or World War II as a member of any armed force of the government of Poland or Czechoslovakia and participated while so serving in armed conflict with an enemy of the United States and who has been a citizen of the United States for at least ten years, and the presentation of the person's discharge, the county recorder shall record the person's discharge in a book to be furnished by the board of county commissioners for that purpose. No fee shall be charged for the recording. The record, or a certified copy of it, shall be received in evidence in all cases where the original would be received.

Section 317.241 | Issuance of Ohio veterans identification cards.

• Effective: September 8, 2016
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 173 - 131st General Assembly

(A) The board of county commissioners may by resolution allow the county recorder or county veterans service office to issue Ohio veterans identification cards to individuals who have met the following requirements:

(1) Presented the individual's armed forces discharge record for recording in the record of discharges in the office of the county recorder;

(2) Provided, while appearing in person at a county recorder's office or county veterans service office, two forms of current and valid identification, at least one of which bears a photograph of the individual;

(3) Paid a fee, if a fee has been established by the county.

A board of county commissioners may, by resolution, authorize a county recorder or county veterans service office to collect a fee from individuals requesting a veterans identification card. The fee may not exceed two dollars.

If a county veterans service office maintains access to the state and federal military service verification system, the county veterans service office or county recorder, by consulting the county veterans service office, shall confirm before issuing a veterans identification card that the individual's armed forces discharge record exists in the system's database and does not indicate the individual was dishonorably discharged.

(B) A county recorder or county veterans service office who has in operation, before the effective date of this section, a program to issue veterans identification cards may continue to issue veterans identification cards without a resolution of the board of county commissioners, if the county recorder or county veterans service office conforms the program, as necessary, so that it otherwise is in compliance with this section.

(C) An Ohio veterans identification card expires ten years after the date of issuance. A veteran whose identification card has expired may apply to a county recorder or county veterans service office for the issuance of a new identification card, and a veteran whose current card has been lost or damaged may apply to a county recorder or county veterans service office for a replacement identification card, by meeting the requirements described in this section.

(D) The following documents are valid forms of identification for the purposes of this section:

(1) An original or a certified birth certificate;

(2) An identification card issued by the United States department of veterans affairs;

(3) A United States military identification card;

(4) A social security card;

(5) A license or permit to carry a concealed weapon issued by this state or any other state;

(6) A motor vehicle operator's license issued by this state or any other state that bears a photograph of the licensee;

(7) An identification card issued by this state or any other state that bears a photograph of the individual identified;

(8) A valid passport that bears a photograph of the individual to whom the passport was issued;

(9) A United States armed forces discharge record.

(E) Fees collected under this section shall be deposited into the county treasury to the credit of the county general fund.

(F)(1) An Ohio veterans identification card shall conform to the material and design standards established by the Ohio recorders association in consultation with the county commissioners' association of Ohio and Ohio state association of county veterans service officers. All issuing entities shall follow the design standards established pursuant to Sec. 317.242.

(2) An applicant for an Ohio veterans identification card shall be photographed in color at the time the application for the card is made. A county recorder or county veterans service office that issues identification cards shall provide the necessary equipment to take a color photograph of an applicant for an Ohio veterans identification card. Photographic records of a county recorder's office or county veterans service office that are obtained under this section are the property of the county recorder's office or county veterans service office.

(G) All application materials, including applications, photographs, documents, or other information submitted with an application or obtained by a county recorder or county veterans service office are not public records under section 149.43 of the Revised Code. The county recorder or county veterans service office may only release application materials as follows:

(1) To a state, local, or federal governmental agency for criminal justice purposes or to a court for any purpose arising in the court;

(2) To the department of veterans services, but only if the veteran gives prior signed written approval;

(3) To a county veterans service commission, but only if the veteran gives prior signed written approval.

A governmental agency, a court, the department of veterans services, or a county veterans service commission to which application materials have been released shall maintain the confidentiality of those materials.

(H) A county recorder or county veterans service office may contract with any other political subdivision of the state for Ohio veterans identification card production services.

(I) A county recorder or county veterans service office may accept donations, in the form of supplies and equipment, to be used in the production of Ohio veterans identification cards.

Section 317.242 | Material and design standards for Ohio veterans identification cards.

• Effective: September 8, 2016
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 173 - 131st General Assembly

The Ohio recorders association, in consultation with the county commissioners' association of Ohio and Ohio state association of county veteran service officers, shall establish material and design standards for Ohio veterans identification cards that may be issued by county recorders or county veterans service offices.

The material and design standards shall require that an Ohio identification card include the name of this state, a distinguishing number assigned to the cardholder, a color photograph of the cardholder, the cardholder's name and residence address, the cardholder's branch of service, dates of service, and date of discharge, the name of the issuing county, the indexing number that has been assigned to the veteran's record of discharge, and the date of the card's issuance and expiration.

An Ohio veterans identification card shall not display the cardholder's social security number unless federal law requires the cardholder's social security number to be displayed on a veterans identification card.

Section 317.25 | Records of soldiers' graves.

• Effective: July 20, 1984
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 371 - 115th General Assembly

The county recorder shall be the custodian of all records which are provided for the county and furnished under the laws of this state, providing for the registration of the graves of all persons who served in any war in which the United States had a part and who were honorably discharged from the United States army, navy, or marine or nurse corps. The recorder shall provide the necessary and proper equipment to preserve and protect such records and they shall be available for public examination at all times.

On proper request from any duly constituted and authorized veterans' organization, providing such request is made at least thirty days prior to Memorial day of each year, the recorder shall furnish such organization a list of all veterans' grave locations within the county, giving the name, section, lot, and grave number or location in the cemetery, as designated by the request.

Section 317.26 | Indorsement of fee on instrument - record.

• Effective: January 30, 2014
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 72 - 130th General Assembly

Upon the presentation of any instrument of writing for filing or record, the county recorder shall indorse thereon the fee for filing or recording the instrument.

Section 317.27 | Certified copy of record.

• Effective: April 7, 2009
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 248 - 127th General Assembly

On demand and tender of the proper fees, the county recorder shall furnish to any person an accurate, certified copy of any record in the recorder's office other than a record of discharge under section 317.24 of the Revised Code, and affix the recorder's official seal thereto. The recorder shall issue, without charge, upon the request of an authorized party, as defined in section 317.24 of the Revised Code or a person other than an authorized party as defined in that section, one certified copy or one certified photostatic copy of the recorded record of discharge under that section, with the official seal of the county recorder affixed thereto.

Any certified copy of any record, document, or map and any transcription of records, required or permitted to be made by the recorder, may be made by any method provided for the making of records.

Section 317.28 | Acknowledgments.

• Effective: January 30, 2014
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 72 - 130th General Assembly

No county recorder, and no deputy or employee of the county recorder, shall take the acknowledgement of any instrument required to be filed or recorded in the county recorder's office.

Section 317.29 | Records transcribed into new books.

• Effective: January 30, 2014
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 72 - 130th General Assembly

When the records in the county recorder's office, or any part of them, become defaced or injured, the recorder, when directed to do so by the board of county commissioners, shall transcribe them into new books or on other media, which shall be as valid as the original record, and transcripts from the new books or other media shall be received and taken as of the same force and effect.

Section 317.30 | Records affecting real estate - restoration.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

When any of the records of a county are destroyed in whole or in part, a map, plat, deed, conveyance, mortgage, power of attorney, or other instrument in writing, or record in any proceeding authorized by law to be recorded, which affects real estate in the county, or the continuing rights of parties to such record, and of which the original or exemplification thereof has been recorded, such original, or exemplification, or a certified copy of the former record may be recorded in the proper office for it. In re-recording it, the officer shall record the certificate of the previous record with date of filing for record appearing on the original or certified certificate so recorded, which shall be held as the date of the recording of the instrument to which it is attached. Certified copies of records authorized by this section to be made shall have the same force and effect as evidence as certified copies of the original record.

Section 317.31 | Making and comparison of record.

• Effective: January 30, 2014
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 72 - 130th General Assembly

When any instrument or record mentioned in section 317.30 of the Revised Code is presented to the county recorder or other proper custodian of such records, the county recorder or other custodian shall forthwith record and index it in the same manner as provided for in the original recording. A competent person shall compare such record with the instrument so recorded, and, if correctly recorded, certify on the margin of the page upon which the record has been made the correctness of it.

Section 317.32 | Recording fees.

• Effective: October 24, 2024
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 94 - 135th General Assembly

The county recorder shall charge and collect fees to include, except as otherwise provided in division (A)(2) of this section, base fees for the recorder's services and housing trust fund fees collected pursuant to section 317.36 of the Revised Code, and may charge and collect a document preservation surcharge, as follows:

(A)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (A)(2) of this section, for recording and indexing an instrument if the photocopy or any similar process is employed:

(a) A base fee of seventeen dollars for the first two pages and a housing trust fund fee of seventeen dollars, and a base fee of four dollars and a housing trust fund fee of four dollars for each subsequent page, size eight and one-half inches by fourteen inches, or fraction of a page, including the caption page, of such instrument; and

(b) A document preservation surcharge of up to five dollars, which shall be deposited in the county treasury to the credit of the county general fund.

(2) For recording and indexing an instrument described in division (D) of section 317.08 of the Revised Code if the photocopy or any similar process is employed, a fee of thirty-four dollars for the first two pages to be deposited as specified elsewhere in this division, and a fee of eight dollars to be deposited in the same manner for each subsequent page, size eight and one-half inches by fourteen inches, or fraction of a page, including the caption page, of that instrument. If the county recorder's technology fund has been established under section 317.321 of the Revised Code, of the thirty-four dollars, seventeen dollars shall be deposited into the county treasury to the credit of the county recorder's technology fund and seventeen dollars shall be deposited into the county treasury to the credit of the county general fund. If the county recorder's technology fund has not been established, the thirty-four dollars shall be deposited into the county treasury to the credit of the county general fund.

(3) The document preservation surcharge is intended to support the preservation and digitization of documents and ongoing costs incurred by a county recorder's office to make available to the public a web site with appropriate security features, electronic document hosting, online viewing, and print and download features that enable an individual to print or download a copy of a public record from the web site.

(B) For certifying a copy or electronic record from the record previously recorded, a base fee of one dollar and a housing trust fund fee of one dollar per page, size eight and one-half inches by fourteen inches, or fraction of a page; for each certification if the recorder's seal is required, except as to instruments issued by the armed forces of the United States, a base fee of fifty cents and a housing trust fund fee of fifty cents;

(C) For entering or indexing any marginal reference, or any reference previously accomplished as a marginal reference now accomplished through electronic means, by separate recorded instrument, a base fee of two dollars and a housing trust fund fee of two dollars for each marginal reference, or reference previously accomplished as a marginal reference now accomplished through electronic means, set out in that instrument, in addition to the fees set forth in division (A)(1) of this section;

(D) For indexing in the real estate mortgage records, pursuant to section 1309.519 of the Revised Code, financing statements covering crops growing or to be grown, timber to be cut, minerals or the like, including oil and gas, accounts subject to section 1309.301 of the Revised Code, or fixture filings made pursuant to section 1309.334 of the Revised Code, a base fee of two dollars and a housing trust fund fee of two dollars for each name indexed;

(E) For filing zoning resolutions, including text and maps, in the office of the recorder as required under sections 303.11 and 519.11 of the Revised Code, a base fee of twenty-five dollars and a housing trust fund fee of twenty-five dollars, regardless of the size or length of the resolutions;

(F) For filing zoning amendments, including text and maps, in the office of the recorder as required under sections 303.12 and 519.12 of the Revised Code, a base fee of ten dollars and a housing trust fund fee of ten dollars regardless of the size or length of the amendments;

(G) For photocopying a document, other than at the time of recording and indexing as provided for in division (A)(1) or (2) of this section, a base fee of one dollar and a housing trust fund fee of one dollar per page, size eight and one-half inches by fourteen inches, or fraction thereof;

(H) For local facsimile or electronic transmission of a document, a base fee of one dollar and a housing trust fund fee of one dollar per page, size eight and one-half inches by fourteen inches, or fraction thereof; for long distance facsimile transmission of a document, a base fee of two dollars and a housing trust fund fee of two dollars per page, size eight and one-half inches by fourteen inches, or fraction thereof;

(I) For recording a declaration executed pursuant to section 2133.02 of the Revised Code or a durable power of attorney for health care executed pursuant to section 1337.12 of the Revised Code, or both a declaration and a durable power of attorney for health care, a base fee of at least seventeen dollars but not more than twenty dollars and a housing trust fund fee of at least seventeen dollars but not more than twenty dollars.

In any county in which the recorder employs the photostatic or any similar process for recording maps, plats, or prints the recorder shall determine, charge, and collect for the recording or rerecording of any map, plat, or print, a base fee of five cents and a housing trust fund fee of five cents per square inch, for each square inch of the map, plat, or print filed for that recording or rerecording, with a minimum base fee of twenty dollars and a minimum housing trust fund fee of twenty dollars; for certifying a copy from the record, a base fee of two cents and a housing trust fund fee of two cents per square inch of the record, with a minimum base fee of two dollars and a minimum housing trust fund fee of two dollars.

The fees provided in this section shall be paid upon the presentation of the instruments for record or upon the application for any certified copy of the record, except that the payment of fees for providing copies of instruments conveying or extinguishing agricultural easements to the office of farmland preservation in the department of agriculture under division (H) of section 5301.691 of the Revised Code shall be governed by that division, and payment of fees for electronic recording may be made by electronic funds transfer, automated clearing house, or other electronic means after presentation.

The fees provided for in this section shall not apply to the recording, indexing, or making of a certified copy or to the filing of any instrument by a county land reutilization corporation.

The fees provided for in this section shall not apply to the recording, indexing, or making of a certified copy or to the filing of any instrument by a county land reutilization corporation's wholly owned subsidiary or any other electing subdivision as defined in section 5722.01 of the Revised Code if the wholly owned subsidiary or the electing subdivision is acting in capacity consistent with the purpose of the land reutilization program.

Last updated August 27, 2024 at 2:58 PM

Section 317.321 | Acquisition or maintenance of imaging and other technological equipment and contract services therefor; proposal to reserve funds.

• Effective: October 3, 2023
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly

(A) Not later than the first day of October of any year, the county recorder may submit to the board of county commissioners a proposal for funding any of the following:

(1) The acquisition and maintenance of imaging and other technological equipment and contract services therefor;

(2) To reserve funds for the office's future technology needs if the county recorder has no immediate plans for the acquisition of imaging and other technological equipment or contract services, or to use the county recorder's technology fund as a dedicated revenue source to repay debt to purchase any imaging and other technological equipment before the accumulation of adequate resources to purchase the equipment with cash.

(3) Subject to division (G) of this section, for other expenses associated with the acquisition and maintenance of imaging and other technological equipment and contract services.

(B) The proposal shall be in writing and shall include at least the following:

(1) A request that an amount not to exceed eight dollars of the total base fees collected for filing or recording a document for which a fee is charged as required by division (A)(1) of section 317.32 or by section 1309.525 or 5310.15 of the Revised Code be placed in the county treasury to the credit of the county recorder's technology fund;

(2) Except as provided in division (E)(3) of this section, the number of years, not to exceed five, for which the county recorder requests that the amount requested under division (A)(1) of this section be given the designation specified in that division;

(3) An estimate of the total amount of fees that will be generated for filing or recording a document for which a fee is charged as required by division (A)(1) or (2) of section 317.32 of the Revised Code or by section 1309.525 or 5310.15 of the Revised Code;

(4) An estimate of the total amount of fees for filing or recording a document for which a fee is charged as required by division (A)(1) or (2) of section 317.32 or by section 1309.525 or 5310.15 of the Revised Code that will be credited to the county recorder's technology fund if the request submitted under division (B)(1) of this section is approved by the board of county commissioners.

(C) A proposal for the purposes of division (A)(1) of this section shall include a description or summary of the imaging and other technological equipment that the county recorder proposes to acquire and maintain, and the nature of contract services that the county recorder proposes to utilize, if the proposal is for those purposes. A proposal for the purposes of division (A)(2) of this section shall explain the general future technology needs of the office for imaging and other technological equipment, or for revenue to repay debt, if the proposal is for those purposes. A proposal for the purposes of division (A)(3) of this section shall identify the other expenses associated with the acquisition and maintenance of imaging and other technological equipment and contract services that the county recorder proposes to pay with moneys in the county recorder's technology fund, if the proposal is for those purposes.

(D) The board of county commissioners shall receive a proposal and the clerk shall enter it on the journal. At the same time, the board shall establish a date, not sooner than fifteen or later than thirty days after the board receives the proposal, on which to meet with the recorder to review the proposal.

(E)(1) Except as provided in division (E)(3) of this section, not later than the fifteenth day of December of any year in which a proposal is submitted under division (A) of this section, the board of county commissioners shall approve, reject, or modify the proposal and notify the county recorder of its action on the proposal. If the board rejects or modifies the proposal, it shall make a written finding that the request is for a purpose other than for a purpose in division (A) of this section, or that the amount requested is excessive as determined by the board.

(2) A proposal submitted under division (A) of this section that was approved by the board of county commissioners before, and is in effect on the effective date of this amendment, shall continue in effect until January 1, 2030, notwithstanding the number of years of funding specified in the approved proposal.

(3) A proposal submitted under division (A) of this section between October 1, 2019, and October 1, 2028, may request that an amount that does not exceed three dollars be credited to the county recorder's technology fund, in addition to the amount previously approved by the board of county commissioners in a proposal described in division (E)(2) of this section. The proposal may be submitted each year during that time period, but shall be limited to funding in the following fiscal year. If the total of the amount under division (E)(2) of this section and the amount requested under this division does not exceed eight dollars, the board shall approve the proposal and notify the county recorder of its approval.

(4) If the total amount of fees provided for in divisions (B), (E)(2), and (E)(3) of this section is less than eight dollars, a proposal requesting additional fees may be submitted to the board of county commissioners under division (E)(1) of this section, as long as the total amount of the fees in divisions (B) and (E)(2), (3), and (4) of this section that are to be credited to the county recorder's technology fund does not exceed eight dollars, and the proposal is for a number of years, not to exceed five.

(5) When a proposal is approved by the board of county commissioners under division (E) of this section, the county recorder's technology fund is established in the county treasury, and, beginning on the following first day of January, the fees approved shall be deposited in that fund.

(F) The acquisition and maintenance of imaging and other technological equipment, and other associated expenses and contract services therefor, shall be specifically governed by sections 307.80 to 307.806, 307.84 to 307.846, 307.86 to 307.92, and 5705.38, and by division (D) of section 5705.41 of the Revised Code.

(G) If the use of the county recorder's technology fund for the purposes of division (A)(3) of this section includes associated expenses for personnel, the use of the fund for personnel shall be strictly confined to personnel directly related to imaging and other technological equipment, and any compensation increases for those personnel shall not exceed the average of the annual aggregate percentage increase or decrease in the compensation fixed by the board of county commissioners for their employees, and for the officers in section 325.27 of the Revised Code. Use of the fund for compensation bonuses, or for recognizing outstanding employee performance in a manner described in section 325.25 of the Revised Code, is prohibited.

(H) If a county is under a fiscal caution under section 118.025 of the Revised Code, or is under a fiscal watch or fiscal emergency as defined in section 118.01 of the Revised Code, the board of county commissioners, notwithstanding sections 5705.14 to 5705.16 of the Revised Code, may transfer from the county recorder's technology fund any moneys the board deems necessary.

Last updated September 18, 2023 at 8:44 AM

Section 317.322 | Recording fee not charged for military power of attorney.

• Effective: May 18, 2005
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 426 - 125th General Assembly

Notwithstanding any contrary provision of section 317.32 or Chapter 1337. of the Revised Code, the county recorder shall not charge a fee to any member of the armed forces of the United States who presents for recording a military power of attorney executed pursuant to section 574(a) of the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994," 107 Stat. 1674 (1993), 10 U.S.C. 1044b.

Section 317.33 | Suit on bond of county recorder.

• Effective: March 14, 2002
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 405 - 124th General Assembly

(A) Except as otherwise provided in division (B) of this section, if a county recorder refuses to accept a deed or other instrument of writing presented to the recorder for recording, the legal fee for recording it being paid or tendered; or refuses to give a receipt therefor, when required; or fails to number consecutively all deeds or other instruments of writing upon receipt; or fails to index a deed or other instrument of writing, by the morning of the day next after it is filed for record; or neglects, without reasonable cause, to record a deed or other instrument of writing within twenty days after it is received for record; or demands and receives a greater fee for the recorder's services than that allowed by law; or knowingly endorses on a deed or other instrument of writing a different date from that on which it was presented for record, or a different date from that on which it was recorded; or refuses to make out and certify a copy of any record in the recorder's office, when demanded, the recorder's legal fee for the copy being paid or tendered; or purposely destroys, defaces, or injures any book, record, or seal belonging to the recorder's office, or any deed or other instrument of writing deposited in the recorder's office for record, or negligently suffers it to be destroyed, defaced, or injured; or does or omits any other act, contrary to sections 317.01 to 317.33 of the Revised Code, the recorder shall be liable solely on the recorder's bond to any party harmed by the improper conduct.

(B) If a county recorder, acting under division (B) of section 317.13 of the Revised Code, improperly refuses to record an instrument of writing in a manner that is not described in division (A)(6)(b) of section 2744.03 of the Revised Code, the recorder shall not be personally liable on account of the improper refusal and the surety that issued the recorder's bond shall not have a right of subrogation against the recorder on account of a claim made on the recorder's bond as a result of the improper refusal.

Section 317.34 | Recording without approval.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

No county recorder shall record a map or plan of a subdivision of a lot or ground without the approval or certification of such map or plan by the planning commission, platting commissioner, legislative authority, engineer, or other board or officer.

Section 317.35 | Record of plans and drawings of public buildings.

• Effective: January 30, 2014
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 72 - 130th General Assembly

(A) The county recorder shall record the plans and drawings filed under section 9.56 of the Revised Code and shall make them available for public inspection.

(B) For services provided, the county recorder shall charge for photocopying ten dollars for the first two pages and two dollars for each page thereafter.

Section 317.36 | Collection and amount of low- and moderate-income housing trust fund fee.

• Effective: October 24, 2024
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 94 - 135th General Assembly

(A) The county recorder shall collect the low- and moderate-income housing trust fund fee as specified in sections 317.114, 317.32, 1563.42, 1702.59, 2505.13, 4141.23, 4509.60, 5164.56, 5310.15, 5703.93, 5719.07, 5727.56, 5733.22, 6101.09, and 6115.09 of the Revised Code. The amount of any housing trust fund fee the recorder is authorized to collect is equal to the amount of any base fee the recorder is authorized to collect for services. The housing trust fund fee shall be collected in addition to the base fee.

(B) The recorder shall certify the amounts collected as housing trust fund fees pursuant to division (A) of this section into the county treasury as housing trust fund fees to be paid to the treasurer of state pursuant to section 319.63 of the Revised Code.

(C) The document preservation surcharge collected under section 317.32 of the Revised Code is not a base fee under this section.

Last updated August 27, 2024 at 2:58 PM

Section 317.37 | Separate instrument under RC 5301.28 et seq. defined.

• Effective: July 1, 2009
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 525 - 127th General Assembly

As used in sections 5301.28 to 5301.35 of the Revised Code, "separate instrument" means either the recording of an entirely new instrument or a written and signed entry on the margin of the original instrument bearing the proper endorsement that is recorded distinct and apart from the original instrument of record. For instruments that convey or affect an interest in crude oil or natural gas, such as a lease, assignment, easement, lien, or right-of-way, in a county in which the county recorder requires an assignment, release, partial release, satisfaction, cancellation, or waiver of priority to be made by separate instrument, the county recorder does not have the power to limit the number of assignments, releases, partial releases, satisfactions, cancellations, or waivers of priority that may be executed and recorded by means of a single instrument.

Section 317.41 | Distribution of forms for durable power of attorney for health care and declaration governing use or continuation, or withholding or withdrawal, of life-sustaining treatment.

• Effective: November 6, 1996
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 644 - 121st General Assembly

A county recorder, upon request, may distribute to any person free of charge a copy of the printed form of the declaration described in section 2133.07 of the Revised Code and a copy of the printed form of the durable power of attorney for health care described in section 1337.17 of the Revised Code.

Section 317.42 | Posting warning of public record character of recorded documents.

• Effective: September 27, 2002
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 309 - 124th General Assembly

(A) The county recorder shall display at all times, in a conspicuous place in the office of the recorder, a printed card that shall read substantially as follows:

"WARNING

Documents recorded in the recorder's office generally are considered to be public records. Other persons have access to the information contained in recorded documents."

(B) If the county recorder fails to post a card in accordance with division (A) of this section, the county recorder is not liable in a civil action for injury, death, or loss to person or property that allegedly results from that failure.

Section 317.99 | Penalty.

• Effective: January 1, 1974
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 511 - 109th General Assembly

Whoever violates section 317.34 of the Revised Code shall be fined not less than one hundred nor more than five hundred dollars.