Recorder App
Erinn Hickel
The county recorder maintains and provides public access to a permanent archive of recorded documents. The recorder is responsible for examination and recording of all documents presented to this office that deal with establishing ownership of land in the county or as required by law.
Effective January 1, 2008, Section 1798.89 of the Civil Code was added to read: "Unless otherwise required to do so by state or federal law, no person, entity, or government agency shall present for recording or filing with a county recorder a document that is required by any provision of law to be open to the public if that record displays more than the last four digits of a Social Security number."
The primary duty of the county recorder is to record instruments submitted for recording. It is the duty of the recorder to see that each instrument meets the essential requirements for recording. Each instrument must be entered in the Entry Book, properly indexed, and recorded in the manner provided by law.
It is the duty of the county recorder to prepare, proof and furnish any submitted copy of any transcript of any record or copy of any record or instrument in all cases, when required by law or ordered by the court or requested by any parties and, if further requested, to certify under seal as to the correctness thereof.
It is the duty of the county recorder to keep an accurate account of all fees charged and collected and to deposit such collections daily in the depository or depositories duly designated by the county board of finance. It is also the duty of the recorder to pay over all of such collections to the county treasurer immediately after the close of each calendar month.
In Official Opinion No. 22 of the Attorney General, dated March 20, 1958, and Official Opinion No. 58of the Attorney General, dated September 28, 1964, it was held that there is no affirmative duty imposedupon the county recorder to search his official records, at the request of any party, for liens or otherinstruments, and to certify to the results of such search, and to certify to an interested party as tothe existence of or lack thereof of a presently effective financial statement in his files. However, acounty recorder does have permissive authority for searching his records upon request and as an electedpublic official may wish to do so.
The Recorder is an elected position authorized by Article 6, Section 2 of the Indiana Constitution and serves a four (4) year term. IC 36-2-11 details the specific duties of the recorder position which focuses mainly on the recording, filing, and preservation of documentation in the realm of property records. Recorded documents or instruments must meet the requirements of IC 36-2-11-16 and IC 36-2-11-16.5. Instruments recorded in the Recorder's office include Deeds, Mortgages, Assignments, Releases, Powers of Attorney, Real Estate Contracts, Annexations, Trustee Elections, Affidavits, Surveys, Federal Tax Liens, Mechanics Liens, Military Discharges, Articles of Incorporation, Cemetery Deeds, Bonds, Plats, Condominiums, Firms Doing Business Under Assumed Names, Delinquent Sewer Liens, and Miscellaneous Instruments.
The elective office of recorder was one of the first 4 local offices created by the Constitution of the State of Indiana in 1816. It is the primary duty of the recorder to record instruments submitted for recording and maintain those records for perpetuity.
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