General Recording Requirements

• Every document must be an original or certified copy, no larger than 8 ½” X 14” size
• The printed, written, or typed words must be considered legible
• A font that is equal to or larger than a 10 pitch Calibri font must be used, unless the form was issued by a government agency
• Documents must have a 1-inch margin at either the top, bottom, or side of each page
• A 3" margin across the top of the first page for recording information (see Recording Fees page)
• No shading, color or aerial photo attachments will be accepted
  • Per Attorney General opinion 2017-L-03 , County Recorders will not record any documents that have exhibits or attachments containing a map, survey or drawing, unless it includes the signature and seal of a registered professional land surveyor
• All dates must be filled in
• Social Security Numbers must be redacted before recorded
• Adequate county legal description that is not abbreviated
• All signatures must be original handwritten
• All original documents must be notarized unless it is an instrument entitled to record without acknowledgment provided for in NDCC 47-19-02

Deeds – Additional Requirements

• Full Consideration Statements (not required on a Mineral Deed or a Transfer on Death Deed)
• Address of the grantee
• Name and address of drafter of a legal description executed in the State of ND on or after 1/1/2000 that contains a metes and bounds legal description (NDCC 47-19-03.1); in the form of “This legal description was prepared by (name) (address).” Or “The legal description was obtained from a previously recorded instrument.”
• All property taxes must be paid in full before a deed can be transferred. (not required on a Mineral Deed, Personal Representatives Deed or a Transfer on Death Deed)

Mortgages – Additional Requirements

• Address of the mortgagee(s)
• Address of the assignee(s) on an assignment of mortgage

Subdivision Plats & Auditor Lot Plats

• Must be eRecorded
• Size requirement for a Subdivision plat is 22” X 34”. An Auditor plat needs to be no larger than 8 ½” X 14”
• No shading or aerial photos will be accepted

Surveys

• Must be no larger than 8 ½” X 14”
• Must have Surveyor’s signature/initials over the Surveyor’s seal & a full notary acknowledgment

Corner Monument Record (now available on NDRIN)

• Must be no larger than 8 ½” X 14”
• Must have Surveyor’s signature/initials over the Surveyor’s seal
• Paper should be a good bond stock weighing not less than 16 pounds

 Recorder's Duties: NDCC Chapter 11-18

If a deed creates a parcel split in one of the following jurisdictions, please reach out to the appropriate contact prior to submitting the deed for recording to discuss any subdivision requirements or an exemption certificate related to the same.

Cass Jurisdiction and Combined ET
Cole Hansen – Cass County Planner:  701-298-2375 or HansenC@casscountynd.gov

City of Fargo Jurisdiction and ET
Mark Williams – Assistant Planning Director:  701-241-1535 or Mwilliams@fargond.gov

City of West Fargo Jurisdiction and ET
Aaron Nelson - Planning Director: 701-515-5370 or Aaron.Nelson@westfargond.gov

RECORDER FEES

NDCC 11-18-05 effective July 1, 2017

Advance Payment:  All fee payments are due in advance except for those eRecording via our approved eRecording vendors: Simplifile; Indecomm Global Service; Corporation Service Company; and, eRecording Partners Network.

Checks: Should be made payable to Cass County Government. If mailing, send to the attention of the Cass County Recorder at PO Box 2806, Fargo, ND 58108-2806.

Credit Cards:  We accept credit card payments in person or remotely upon contacting our office. Our credit card vendor, GovPay/Allpaid, charges a 2.95% service fee ($3.99 minimum).

Note:  UCC/CNS filings are filed online with the Secretary of State. Fixture filings are filed with the Secretary of State and also recorded in the appropriate county with the same recording fees as above.

Cass County Recorder’s office is now eRecording electronically transmitted documents. Below are the current vendors for Cass County. The cut off time to eRecord a document is 4:00pm CST. Anything submitted after this time will be recorded the following morning at 8:00am CST.

Corporation Service Co.

eRecording Partners

Simplifile

Indecomm Global

DOCUMENT SEARCHES AND HISTORICAL INDEX

The North Dakota Recorders Information Network at WWW.NDRIN.COM is an online subscription-based records repository to which Cass County and 49 other North Dakota counties export their recorded documents.

• Cass documents are fully indexed and searchable back to 1986.
• Cass documents from Nov. 1984 thru 1985 are a work in progress and load as indexing is completed.
• To find documents recorded prior to 1999, follow the link below to Cass County’s historical index pages. To view and/or print copies of documents identified in the index, search by book/page, grantor/grantee, or instrument number on the NDRIN website. 

Index of / (casscountynd.gov)

Contact the Recorders Office at 701-241-5620 if you need assistance finding a document.

The Cass County Recorder's Office also has public computers available for research purposes. We are happy to show you how to use our search program if needed.

The Cass County Recorder's Office has teamed up with Fidlar Technologies to offer Property Fraud Alert.  Property Fraud Alert is a FREE notification service that alerts subscribers (via email, text message, or a voice phone call) each time a document with their name is recorded in the Cass County Recorder's Office. To learn more about Property Fraud Alert and to sign up in Cass County (and other North Dakota counties), please click the Property Fraud Alert logo below.  This website link also has tips on how to sign up with business, trust, and common names.  If you would like assistance signing up, please call the Fidlar customer service specialists at the Property Fraud Alert Hotline: 1-800-728-3858.

While Property Fraud Alert does not prevent fraud from happening, it provides an early warning system for property owners to take appropriate actions should they determine possible fraudulent activity has taken place.

NDRIN
North Dakota Recorders Information Network

NDACo
North Dakota Association of Counties

UCC/CNS
Uniform Commercial Code/Central Notice System (ND Secretary of State)

NDPLS
ND Society of Professional Land Surveyors

Subdivision Plat Index
Cass County on-line plat index

Auditor's Lot Index
Cass County online Auditor's Lot index

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON:

• Birth & Death Records
• Passport Information
• Divorce Decrees: Clerk of Courts
• Marriage licenses: Contact the  Finance Office

Our Mission

• As a land Records office, we are to maintain a permanent record of all documents which we record
• To provide and maintain a permanent database for property records search
• To provide quality service and information to our customers

This office is responsible for the following:

• Recording any and all types of documents which affect title to real property in Cass County ND
• Recording/Filing Power of Attorneys
• Filing Wills for safekeeping
• Filing Corner Monument Records
• Filing Burial Permits

• Who owns a piece of property?

  It is helpful to have a legal description of the property you are inquiring about. We will provide you with the last deed of record. You may also subscribe to the NDRIN website. It is a subscription based site where 50 counties in North Dakota upload their real estate records.

• How do I transfer property?

  In most cases, you will need to have a deed drawn up to transfer property. We advise you to contact a real estate attorney or a title company. We do not have forms available and cannot assist you with the legalities of such documents. North Dakota is a race to record state.

• How do I obtain a copy of my deed?

  You may request a copy of your deed either in person, by phone, by mail or email. It is helpful to have the legal description of your property. Copy fees are $1 a page. A certified copy is $5 for the first page, $2 for each additional page. To fax or email a document is an additional $3 fee. Payment is required up front.

• How do I get a copy of my divorce decree?

  Contact the Clerk of District Courts in the Courthouse at 701-451-6900.

• Who do I call for a copy of my birth certificate?

  Birth records are only available from the North Dakota Division of Vital Records in Bismarck.  They can also be ordered online from the ND Department of Health.