The Douglas County Veterans Service Office will be temporarily closed June 5 through 8, 2023 while staff attends mandatory training.
The Douglas County Veterans Service Office will be temporarily closed June 5 through 8, 2023 while staff attends mandatory training.
Why do documents get recorded? Colorado is a Race-Notice state: the recording of documents that affect real property must be made public record and serve as notice to others that someone has an interest in the property.
How do documents get recorded? Documents are sent to the Douglas County Recording office in paper or electronic format. A list of fees for recording different types of documents is included in the FAQ below.
What kinds of documents get recorded? Most of the documents recorded in the Recording office are specific to real estate. However, any document that meets the margin requirements (top margin of 1 inch and bottom/side margins of at least 1/2 inch) can be recorded as long as the appropriate fee is received. If you are recording a document that will impact the ownership of your property, we recommend you contact the Assessor’s office, an attorney, and/or title company before proceeding.
Use Caution When Recording a Document: The very point of recording a document is to make it public for all time. Please use caution when recording a document that contains information of a sensitive nature, as the entire public will have access – online or otherwise – to all contents of the recording.
Documents submitted for recording MUST:
CLICK HERE FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF RECORDING FEES
Documents up to legal size (8.5″ x 14″)
First page: $13
Additional pages: $5 each
Documents larger than legal size (8.5″x 14″)
First page: $13
Additional pages: $10 each
Plats or condominium plats (mylar required)
First page: $13
Additional pages: $10 each
Land Survey Plats
First page: $20
Additional pages: $10 each
Uniform Commercial Code (U.C.C)
Up to 2 pages – paper $13.00
Uniform Commercial Code (U.C.C)
3 or more pages paper $18.00
All electronically recorded UCC statements
unlimited pages – $8.00
Federal Tax Liens or Releases and Redemption Certificates
First page: $8
Additional pages: $5 each
Mining documents/deeds
First page: $8
Additional pages: $5 each
Plus $.25 per mine name listed
Military Discharge/DD-214
No Charge
State Documentary Fee
Sale price greater than $500 requires a fee of $.01 per $100 of sales price to be collected.
Sale price $500 or less: no additional fee required
Please note: personal property is deducted from the consideration of commercial property only $.01 per $100 of sale price
Transfer Documents (Warranty Deeds, Quit Claim Deeds, etc.)
Will be assessed a documentary tax if the consideration is $500 or more in addition to the recording fee. The documentary tax is $.01 per $100.
Technology Fees
Per Colorado Revised Statutes, the County Clerk and Recorder shall collect a surcharge of one dollar for each document received for recording or filing. The County Clerk and Recorder shall also collect the two dollar surcharge imposed by the Electronic Recording Technology Board. These surcharges shall be in addition to any other fees permitted by statute and have already been added to the recording fees listed above.
Yes. There is a convenience fee charged by the third-party company that handles credit card transactions for the County. The convenience fee is not retained by the County. Please note that credit cards CANNOT be accepted for passport application fees.
Checks should be made payable to Douglas County Clerk & Recorder.
Yes. eRecording enables submitters and receivers to create, sign, transmit, record, index, archive, and return the original document – all without ever touching a piece of paper. eRecording increases the speed decreases the cost and improves the accuracy of document filing.
Entities interested in eRecording may contact a third-party vendor already contracted with the County.
If your document meets the listed requirements, it will be recorded, entered into the permanent public record, and given a reception number. The document is then scanned and a digitized image is created. Once the quality of the image is verified, the data (Grantor, Grantee, legal description and cross references) is Indexed so that it may be found by anyone searching for it. Once the Indexing data has been verified, the document will be returned to the submitting party. Subdivision plats and Land Survey Plats are excluded, as State law requires these items to be retained by the Clerk.
Documents being sent via FedEx, UPS, or other shipping companies should be sent to:
Douglas County Clerk & Recorder
301 Wilcox Street
Castle Rock, CO 80104
Attn: Real Estate Recording
Documents being sent via U.S. Mail should be sent to:
Douglas County Clerk & Recorder
PO Box 1360
Castle Rock, CO 80104
Attn: Real Estate Recording
Documents will be returned to the address from which they were received. However, if a self-addressed envelope is included with the documents, they will be returned in that envelope.
Our office does not provide forms for real estate transactions. Please consult with your legal or real estate professional or lender for appropriate forms.
Members of our staff are prohibited from offering legal advice, including but not limited to: which documents should be recorded, how the documents should be filled out, the order in which documents should be recorded, potential legal ramifications from recording documents.
If you have questions regarding the proper completion of forms or required information, please consult a title company and/or an attorney.
Documents can be searched online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by visiting LandmarkWeb.
To view document images, click on “Log On” in the top right-hand corner to create a new account. You may then search the Indexes using any of the icons from the home screen or one of the popular searches under the Quick Search option.
To obtain a copy of a document, place it in the shopping cart and then check out using a credit card.
Document Search Tips
Begin with the current owner and then search for previous, historical owners of the property starting with the date of the latest filing (deed). Locate the present owner’s deed and then identify the seller listed on the deed (the previous owner). Repeat this same process of finding the last, previous owner in order to identify all of the historical transactions for the property until you find the original patent or deed. You may also use the opposite process by starting with the patent and then tracing ownership forward.
Each deed is recorded in the Grantor and Grantee indices according to the date it was recorded (which is not necessarily the date the deed was issued or signed). You may search for the historical owner(s) name in the index. Any deeds transferring easements, mineral rights, etc., should be notated and you may view a photocopy of the deed for specific details. Images prior to 1990 require an in-person visit to the Recording office to view.
Document images can be viewed online using a secure user name and password. Some historic images are not available online and must be viewed in the Recording office.
Yes. Douglas County provides a free fraud detection service which will alert you any time a document is recorded in your name or on your property. This service is designed to protect against potential “title theft” or fraud.
This fraud alert service is only one step in protecting your information and identity by making you aware of possible occurrences. Douglas County cannot ensure that you are protected from any fraud by this service alone and you are strongly encouraged to take additional measures at your own discretion for protection against potential fraud.
Copies of recorded documents can be requested from the Recording office for a fee or purchased online. Certified copies may be picked up in person, mailed, or emailed.
The Douglas County Recording office does not maintain records of Divorces/Dissolutions, Court Records, Water Court Findings, or Birth/Death Certificates.
Recorded Document Copy Fees:
Once documents are recorded they remain a permanent record.
If you have questions as to whether or not the release for your mortgage has been sent by the mortgage company, please contact the Public Trustee’s Office, [email protected], 303-660-7417.
All Releases of Deeds of Trusts (Mortgages) must be processed by the Public Trustee’s office before they can be recorded by the Recording office.
The legal description and taxing jurisdiction information for a property may be obtained from the Assessor’s office:
Phone: 303-660-7450
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.douglas.co.us/Assessor
The property tax bill for your home is sent by the Treasurer’s Office. Please feel free to contact them at 303-660-7455 or visit Douglas County Treasurer with any questions.
Property Assessments are handled by the Assessor’s office.
Phone: 303-660-7450
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.douglas.co.us/Assessor
The Assessor’s office can help you determine the owner of a property.
Phone: 303-660-7450
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.douglas.co.us/Assessor
A grantor refers to either the seller of a property, the borrower of a mortgage/trust deed, or the person being charged with a lien. Generally, this is the person signing the document. A grantee refers to either the buyer of a property, the bank or lending institution, or the person filing a lien.
Land Survey Plats are deposited with the Recording Office. Deposited surveys are sent to the County Surveyor for verification. Once verified, they are returned to the Recording Office for permanent retention.
Plats of individual pieces of property are called Improvement Location Certificates (ILC’s) and those are obtained from the Building Division at [email protected] or 303-660-7497.
If you live within a municipality (Parker, Castle Rock, Lone Tree) please contact their Building Department about requesting an ILC.
Entities who need access to Douglas County’s records for business purposes have the following option:
Escrow Account – If a business would like to open an escrow account to use for copies or recording documents, they may do so by sending in a letter on company letterhead. Individuals allowed to charge copies must be identified. A minimum deposit of $100 is required.
