Forsyth County Register of Deeds: Searching Winston-Salem Deeds and Land Records
How to search Forsyth County, NC land records online for free, how far back they go, what recording costs, and what the Register of Deeds does not hold.
Quick answer
The Forsyth County Register of Deeds, at 201 North Chestnut Street in Winston-Salem, records deeds, deeds of trust, satisfactions, plats and other land records. Its free online record search shows index entries and document images; computerized indexes began in 1965. Judgments, liens filed in court, foreclosures, estates and wills are kept by the Clerk of Court.
What does the Forsyth County Register of Deeds record?
In its own words, the Forsyth County Register of Deeds "records and maintains public land records, real estate conveyances and various miscellaneous documents." The list of document types it records includes deeds, deeds of trust and mortgages, notices of foreclosure, satisfactions, rights-of-way, plats, leases and covenant agreements, UCC filings, affidavits, separation and prenuptial agreements, powers of attorney and living wills.
Searches for Forsyth County property records often mix up two counties: Forsyth County, North Carolina (Winston-Salem, Kernersville, Clemmons, Lewisville) and Forsyth County, Georgia. Everything here is about the North Carolina county, whose official pages are on forsyth.cc.
Definition
Register of Deeds — The North Carolina county office that records and indexes instruments affecting land, so the public can find them and so the order in which they were recorded can be proved.
How do you search Forsyth County deeds online?
The Register's FAQ says free land records searches and copies are available online, through the record search linked from its Online Record Search page. The site shows actual images of recorded real estate documents. The steps below work for most residential questions.
Confirm the parcel and owner with the tax office
Forsyth County Tax Administration's Tax Parcel Viewer and Detailed Property Information search show tax maps and property record cards. Use them to confirm the parcel and the owner name before you search the deed index.
Find the deed into the current owner
In the online record search, search the owner as grantee (the party who received title) and open the most recent deed. That vesting deed gives the book and page you will use to walk the chain back.
List every deed of trust the owner signed
Search the owner as grantor. In North Carolina a home loan is usually a deed of trust, so look for deeds of trust, assignments, substitutions of trustee and any notice of foreclosure recorded after the vesting deed.
Check each deed of trust for a satisfaction
The Register lists five documents that can cancel a deed of trust: a Satisfaction of Security Instrument, a Trustee's Satisfaction, a Notice of Satisfaction, a Certificate of Satisfaction and an Affidavit of Satisfaction. Look for one of them for every loan.
Follow the chain back
Each deed normally cites the deed before it. Follow the references until you reach the start of the period you care about. For older books the office itself, on the 2nd floor of the Forsyth County Government Center, is the place to ask.
How far back do Forsyth County land records go?
The Register publishes a short history of its records. It says documents "were not officially recorded in Forsyth County until 1913, there are some instruments that were recorded in 1849 when the county was formed."
| Period | What the Register says about its records |
|---|---|
| 1849 to 1904 | Early records were copied by hand |
| 1904 to 1929 | Documents were typed until photocopy equipment arrived |
| 1954 | Microfilming introduced |
| 1962 | Birth, death and marriage records integrated into the system |
| 1965 | Computerized indexes began |
What does the Forsyth County Register of Deeds charge?
Register of deeds fees are set statewide by G.S. 161-10, and Forsyth's fee page follows it. The office does not accept personal checks, and card payments carry an added fee of 3% of the transaction or a minimum of $1.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Standard document, such as a deed | $26 for the first 15 pages, $4 each additional page |
| Deed of trust or mortgage | $64 for the first 35 pages, $4 each additional page |
| Satisfaction instruments | No fee |
| Plat | $21 per sheet |
| Non-standard document | $25 |
| Certified copy | $5 first page, $2 each additional page |
| Uncertified copy | $0.25 per page |
How do you record a document in Forsyth County?
Documents can be recorded in the office, by mail or electronically, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. Electronic recordings must reach the office by 4:30 p.m. on a business day. By mail, the Register accepts business checks, money orders and cashier's checks for the exact amount, payable to the Forsyth County Register of Deeds, and needs a self-addressed stamped envelope to mail the recorded document back.
The Register lists its recording standards under G.S. 161-14(b): letter or legal size paper, a 3 inch blank margin at the top of the first page, side margins of at least half an inch, black type on white paper, a font of 9 points or larger, printing on one side, and the type of instrument at the top of the first page. It adds that a deed should carry a current mailing address for the grantee and that a deed of trust prepared in North Carolina should name its draftsman on the front page. A document that misses the standards costs an extra $25.
On top of the recording fee, the seller pays North Carolina excise tax on a deed of $1 for each $500 of value, collected by the register of deeds before recording (G.S. 105-228.30).
The Register does not draft or advise
What happens to the records when you pay off a home loan?
The deed is not touched. The Register explains that deeds of trust and mortgages "are canceled or satisfied by the noteholder after the debt has been paid in full," while deeds "are not canceled." It is the owner's or noteholder's responsibility to cancel the deed of trust in the county where it was recorded, and there is no fee to do it.
Under G.S. 45-36.9, the secured creditor must submit a satisfaction for recording within 30 days after it receives full payment. The Register adds that copies of payoffs and satisfactions are not mailed to you automatically; you can contact the office to check that the loan has been marked satisfied. Its FAQ also answers a common worry: you received your deed at closing, it is not mailed after payoff, and a free copy is available online.
Until a satisfaction is on record, the deed of trust still shows as an encumbrance. Our guide to whether a mortgage is actually open explains how to pair a loan with its release.
Which Forsyth County records are not at the Register of Deeds?
- Court files. The Register's home page says: "Information about Divorce Decrees, Estates, Foreclosures, Judgements, Liens, Wills and Paternity is located in the Forsyth County Clerk of Court Office."
- Judgment liens. Under G.S. 1-234 the clerk of superior court records a money judgment on the judgment docket, where it is a lien on the debtor's land in that county for 10 years.
- Contractor claims of lien. G.S. 44A-12 requires a claim of lien on real property to be filed with the clerk of superior court, not the register of deeds.
- Property tax status. Tax Administration's bill search covers paid bills and unpaid bills that are not currently in a past due collection action, so a delinquency may need a direct inquiry.
Get notified when a document is recorded in your name
Where does a title search fit?
A deed lookup answers one question. A title search reads the whole run of deeds, deeds of trust, satisfactions and recorded liens, and then checks the court records the deed index does not hold. It is not title insurance or legal advice, and in a sale an attorney or title insurer decides what the record means.
HeritageDeed runs records searches in Forsyth County: a $49 report. The Forsyth County title search page lists what the report checks and its limits. For the other North Carolina county we cover, see our guide to the Durham County Register of Deeds.
Key takeaways
Key takeaways
- The Forsyth County Register of Deeds is at 201 North Chestnut Street, Winston-Salem, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
- Its free online record search shows index entries and document images; computerized indexes began in 1965.
- Recording a deed costs $26 for the first 15 pages and a deed of trust $64 for the first 35; satisfactions are free.
- Judgments, court liens, foreclosure files, estates and wills are at the Clerk of Court, not the Register.
- The free Property Fraud Alert emails and texts you when a document is recorded in your name.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I search for a deed in Forsyth County, NC?
- Use the Register of Deeds' free online record search, linked from its Online Record Search page on forsyth.cc. Search the owner's name as grantee to find the deed into them, then open the document image. The Register says free land records searches and copies are available there.
- Where is the Forsyth County Register of Deeds office?
- At 201 North Chestnut Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, on the 2nd floor of the Forsyth County Government Center. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, except holidays. The phone number is 336-703-2700.
- How much does it cost to record a deed in Forsyth County?
- A standard document such as a deed costs $26 for the first 15 pages and $4 for each additional page. The seller also pays North Carolina excise tax of $1 per $500 of value. A non-standard document adds $25.
- How do I get a copy of my deed after I pay off my mortgage?
- You received the deed at closing, and it is not mailed to you after payoff. The Register's FAQ says a free copy is available through its online record search. Check that a satisfaction of your deed of trust has been recorded.
- Does the Forsyth County Register of Deeds have judgments and liens?
- Not court judgments. The Register says information about judgments, liens, foreclosures, estates and wills is located in the Clerk of Court office. Contractor claims of lien on real property are also filed with the clerk under G.S. 44A-12.
- Can the Register of Deeds remove a fraudulent deed?
- No. The Register says its fraud alert does not give it authority to remove a document properly submitted for recording. If you find a document you did not sign, contact the parties named on it and an attorney.
Sources
Primary records and official documentation cited in this article.
- 1Forsyth County Register of Deeds, home page
- 2Forsyth County Register of Deeds, Recording Documents
- 3Forsyth County Register of Deeds, Online Record Search
- 4Forsyth County Register of Deeds, Cancellation of Deeds of Trust
- 5Forsyth County Register of Deeds, Fees
- 6Forsyth County Register of Deeds, FAQs
- 7Forsyth County Register of Deeds, Property Fraud Alert
- 8Forsyth County Tax Administration
- 9N.C. Gen. Stat. 161-10, Uniform fees of registers of deeds
- 10N.C. Gen. Stat. 105-228.30, Excise tax on conveyances
- 11N.C. Gen. Stat. 45-36.9, Satisfaction within 30 days
- 12N.C. Gen. Stat. 1-234, Judgment docketing and lien
- 13N.C. Gen. Stat. 44A-12, Filing claim of lien on real property
HeritageDeed provides public-record search reports only. Reports do not constitute title insurance, an attorney opinion of title, or a title insurance commitment.