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. Information on the cost to record documents is included in the FAQ section on this page. Recorded documents are considered archived content that is preserved in its orginal state. If accessibility assistance is needed, please contact our office at 303-660-7446 or [email protected].
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:
NOTE: Effective July 1, 2025, a new flat fee schedule will be in effect for document recording in all Colorado County Clerk Offices. The purpose of the flat fee schedule is to provide clear and efficient pricing and processing for recorded documents.
CLICK HERE FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF RECORDING FEES
Documents 8.5″ x 14″ to 24″ x 36″
Per document: $43
Death Certificates and Verifications of Death
No charge
Land Survey Plats
Per document: $53
Uniform Commercial Code (U.C.C)
1 to 2 pages: $13.00
Uniform Commercial Code (U.C.C)
3 or more pages: $18.00
All electronically recorded UCC statements
Per document: $8.00
Military Discharge/DD-214
No Charge
State Documentary Fee
Documentary Fee on all Documents Granting or Conveying Title to Real Property if Consideration is Greater than $500.00: $0.01 per $100
NOTE: Personal property is deducted from the consideration of commercial property.
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.
Yes, document images can be viewed online by visiting LandmarkWeb. 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 viewed online by visiting LandmarkWeb. 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.
