About the Office

Recorder Montgomery was appointed Franklin County Recorder on September 14, 2000 by the Franklin County Commissioners and elected by the people of Franklin County on November 7, 2000. He has been re-elected twice in 2004 and 2008. During his tenure, Recorder Montgomery has increased transparency in his office and provided a high level of key government services to the people of Franklin County by:

• providing electronic access to deeds and mortgage records, saving the taxpayers in excess of an estimated $3 million (as of 2008 and rising) in copying fees by allowing customers to access and print these records from their own homes and offices;
• creating the first Human Resources Department in the history of the Recorder's Office, including an employee training and development program to train managers and other deputy recorders in customer service, public records, employment laws, safety, business continuity, management techniques, emergency response, and other areas;
• providing public outreach to taxpayers on living wills and durable powers of attorney, having disseminated over 50,000 educational packets, including the official forms, over the past eight years to citizens in Central Ohio;
• reducing staff by 10% from when he took office and taking advantage of increased technology and cross training to continue to deliver a high level of customer service;
• archiving all Franklin County land records back to the founding of the United States in an electronic format to ensure the accessibility of these historic records for all posterity;
• employing college interns, receiving excellent work product from and giving valuable job skill training to young people and encouraging them to stay in Ohio and enter public service;
• encouraging Recorder employees to participate in the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program;
• educating veterans about their right to have their discharge records permanently on record and safeguarded at no cost by the County Recorder.

Prior to entering politics and public service at age 31, Recorder Montgomery was already a successful business owner in the wireless telecommunication industry, operating several companies while attending law school in the evening division. At their height, his companies had 12 offices in five states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, employing over 200 people.

Recorder Montgomery earned his doctor of law (J.D.) degree from Capital University Law School in 1996, graduating with distinction, earning membership in the Order of the Curia and receiving the American Jurisprudence Award for the highest grade in corporation law. He also holds a bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University. Recorder Montgomery is admitted to the Ohio bar and was a licensed title agent. Immediately prior to his election, Recorder Montgomery engaged in the private practice of law for several years, focusing on business law, real estate and advanced estate planning. He also founded and then sold a land title agency. In addition, he served as an assistant prosecutor for the Village of Hartford and a special assistant prosecutor for the City of Newark.

Recorder Montgomery has received numerous awards and recognitions for his professional, political, veteran's and community service activities. He has been recognized multiple times by the U.S. Department of Defense Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Program. He has received a certificate of appreciation from the Gold Star Family Committee for his support for recognizing servicemen and women killed in the line of duty with an official Ohio license plate, a program enacted by Senate Bill 25. Recorder Montgomery received an award from the AARP Foundation's Senior Community Service Employment Program for his commitment to retraining and employing senior citizens.

Recorder Montgomery is a member of the Columbus Bar Association, the Ohio Recorder's Association, the Property Records Industry Association, and the International Association of Clerks, Recorders, Election Officials and Treasurers. Originally from McComb in Hancock County, Ohio, Recorder Montgomery now resides in Northeast Columbus with his wife and two sons..

 Click here to download the Recorder Brochure.

 Ohio Recorders Assn Informational Video..

The Franklin County Microfilming Center operates under the Franklin County Microfilming Board and is administered by the Franklin County Recorder. The Microfilming Center serves various Franklin County government offices and agencies and its main duty is the conversion and preservation of County records, which is done by transferring paper and electronic documents onto microfilm, compact discs and computer systems. The Microfilming Center also provides microfilming supplies, processing and duplication services, equipment maintenance and archival storage services, as well as, research, advice and order placement to County agencies on the purchase of new microfilming equipment.

We currently do not have any employment opportunities. Please check back at a later time.

 Click here to download the Public Records Policy.

 Schedule of Records Retention and Disposition

• makes a complete, accurate and permanent record of every document pertaining to the conveyance and encumbrance of land within the county
• maintains permanent land records, retains them in archival form and makes them accessible to the public
• complies with more than 1000 sections of state law in the Ohio Revised Code pertaining to the duties of the Recorder's office
• takes great care to ensure that every document received is accurately filed, recorded and indexed
• serves on the FRANKLIN COUNTY RECORDS COMMISSION which authorizes the retention of county records and determines when or how these county records may be disposed
• serves on the FRANKLIN COUNTY AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING BOARD which authorizes any purchase, lease or contract for data processing equipment for county offices and oversees the Franklin County Data Center
• serves as secretary and member of the FRANKLIN COUNTY MICROFILMING BOARD which authorizes any purchase, lease or contract for microfilming equipment in county offices and oversees the operation of the Franklin County Microfilming Center
• serves as Chief Administrator of the Franklin County Microfilming Center
• collects fees for documents filed in the Recorder's office and pays these monies into the county's general fund
• maintains an accurate record of all monies appropriated to the Recorder's office for its operation
• performs all accounting functions necessary to the operation of the Recorder's office including preparation of annual budgets and reports, vouchers, purchase orders, etc., and maintains all payroll records, sick and vacation leave records and other records pertaining to the Recorder's staff
• files annually an ethics report, inventory of office equipment, affirmative action report, depository agreements for funds and every other report as required by law
• notifies the Franklin County Board of Commissioners and boards of township trustees annually of their duty to file zoning resolutions, maps and amendments