Recording Standards

Document Standards Checklist

Use this checklist along with the Document Standards Guide below to ensure your documents are ready for recording.

1. Prepare documents legibly according to the statutory requirements, or in the absence of statutes, according to the best practices, leaving sufficient blank space for recorder’s stamp.
2. Properly title, date, and execute the document including typed names and titles beneath all signatures. Make sure each name and signature is consistent throughout the document.
3. Properly witness and/or acknowledge all documents according to the law, including a complete, legible notary jurats.
4. Include the complete legal description of the property with all initial recordings and on subsequent recordings where required by statute.
5. Properly reference previously recorded documents when you submit subsequent related documents for recording. This may include document numbers, book & page number and recording dates.
6. Include the name and address of preparer and the return-to address for the document. Also, include your telephone number to call if there is a minor, correctable problem.
7. Identify schedules and exhibits clearly and number the pages so the jurisdiction can tell that they belong with the document.
8. Include the correct filing fee and use separate check for taxes.
9. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope to ensure return of the original document.
10. Check your work, especially for extra fees, to make sure your document is complete for recording in order to avoid rejection.

Document Standards Guide

All documents presented for recording should meet the following physical requirements:

1. Legible font of size ten or larger in blue or black ink only.
2. Paper size of 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches or 8 1/2 inches by 14 inches.
3. Text should not be highlighted.
4. One inch margins on the sides and bottom of the document.
5. A three inch margin of blank space at the top of the first page and a one and one-half inch margin at the top of the remaining pages.

Use the below Standards Template as a visual aid.

Exceptions to the above standards

1. Notary stamps, seals, and any signatures or initials that appear within the document need not satisfy the font size requirement
2. Documents originating from any court or taxing authority.
3. Documents authorized to be recorded under section 317.24 of the Ohio Revised Code.
4. Plats required to be recorded by section 711.001 of the Ohio Revised Code.
5. Recordable documents that originate from any state or federal agency.
6. Documents executed before July 1, 2009.

Documents that do not meet the above standards and are not exempt from complying with the standards may still be recorded with an additional fee of $20.