Electronic Recording Instructions

It looks like we will be expanding our electronic recording pilot program to add a few more submitters. Thus far, we’ve averaged about 8 documents a day submitted electronically. The system works just fine although the “look back gap” is still a problem. When a customer walks into the registry to record a document he will typically do a quick name search on one of our public access computers to determine if any new documents that would effect his property have been recorded recently. Finding none, the customer comes to the recording counter. But there’s always a slight chance that in that gap of time between performing that search and getting the document on record (usually no more than five minutes) another document will be recorded that does effect that property. To protect our customers, the registry recording system has a “look back” feature that compares a newly entered name with all the names entered within the preceding hour. So, if the sheriff had just recorded an attachment against your seller right before you reach the recording counter, when your document is entered (but before it’s officially on record) a warning will appear about the other filing. When you’re standing there across the recording counter, we can alert you to this match. But if you’re back at your office having submitted your documents electronically, we can’t duplicate this in-person ability to communicate. For now, customers who chose to submit documents electronically must bear this risk. We have prepared a downloadable set of instructions for customers who are set to begin filing electronically.