Michigan Register of Deeds: $30 Recording Fee, Transfer Tax and the 60 Day Discharge
A Michigan register of deeds charges $30 to record any document. Transfer tax is $4.30 per $500 in most counties, and a lender has 60 days to discharge a mortgage.
Quick answer
A Michigan register of deeds charges $30 to record a document, whatever its length. State and county transfer tax on a deed is $4.30 for each $500 of value in a county under 2,000,000 people. A mortgagee must discharge a paid mortgage within 60 days, or owe the mortgagor $1,000 plus actual damages after a request.
What does it cost to record a deed in Michigan?
Michigan separates the recording fee, which the register of deeds keeps, from the two transfer taxes, which are paid on a sale. The numbers below come from the Michigan Compiled Laws.
| Charge | Amount | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Recording a document, any number of pages | $30.00 | MCL 600.2567(1)(a) |
| Extra instrument assigned or discharged in the same document | $3.00 for each additional instrument | MCL 600.2567(1)(b) |
| State real estate transfer tax | $3.75 for each $500 or fraction of the total value | MCL 207.525 |
| County real estate transfer tax | 55 cents for each $500 or fraction in a county under 2,000,000 people (up to 75 cents in a county of 2,000,000 or more) | MCL 207.504 |
What does a Michigan sale add up to?
On a $200,000 sale in a county under 2,000,000 people, the combined tax is $3.75 plus $0.55, or $4.30, for each of the 400 units of $500. That is $1,720 in transfer tax, plus $30 to record the deed. A longer document costs the same to record: Michigan charges $30 whether the deed is one page or twenty.
Wayne, Oakland, Lenawee, Oceana, Tuscola, Hillsdale and Roscommon counties, all searched by HeritageDeed, are below 2,000,000 residents, so the 55 cent county rate is the one that applies in each. The statute lets a county of 2,000,000 or more charge up to 75 cents.
Odd amounts round up. A $200,100 sale has 401 units of $500 because the tax applies to each $500 or fraction, so the tax is $1,724.30.
How does a Michigan mortgage get discharged?
The mortgagee prepares and files the discharge
Under MCL 565.41, after a mortgage has been paid or otherwise satisfied, the mortgagee, or the mortgagee's personal representative, successor or assign, prepares a discharge and files it with the register of deeds for the county.
Sixty days
MCL 565.44(2) sets the time period for the discharge, the certificate or the filing at 60 days. It was 75 days for the first two years after the 2004 amendment, and 60 days since.
The penalty is $1,000 plus actual damages
A mortgagee that refuses or neglects to discharge within that period after being requested, and after tender of its reasonable charges, is liable to the mortgagor or the mortgagor's heirs or assigns for $1,000 in damages, and for all actual damages caused by the neglect. A court may award double costs.
The register cross references it
The Oakland and Wayne County registers of deeds cross reference a recorded discharge to the mortgage it discharges. A mortgage with a cross referenced discharge is shown as discharged; one without is open of record.
Why Michigan land contracts matter in a title search
Michigan buyers sometimes purchase on a land contract instead of with a mortgage. Under a land contract the seller keeps legal title until the buyer finishes paying and a deed in fulfilment is recorded. A search that finds a land contract, but no deed in fulfilment, has found a property where the person who occupies it may not yet be the owner of record.
HeritageDeed reports a land contract that has no recorded fulfilment, and ties each document to the parcel through the register of deeds' index. In Oakland County the register indexes documents to each parcel number, so a search runs from the parcel number. The county's parcel records give the number, the address and the assessed and taxable values, but not owner names, so the owner of record is read from the newest recorded deed into the parcel.
Which Michigan counties does HeritageDeed search?
HeritageDeed searches the register of deeds in Wayne County (Detroit), Oakland County, Lenawee County, Oceana County, Tuscola County, Hillsdale County and Roscommon County. The Michigan page explains what each search covers. It does not search delinquent property taxes, which the county treasurer holds, or court judgments and liens that are not indexed to the parcel.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to record a deed in Michigan?
- The register of deeds charges $30 to record a document, no matter how many pages. A deed on a sale also carries state and county transfer tax of $4.30 for each $500 of value in a county under 2,000,000 people.
- How is Michigan transfer tax calculated?
- The state tax is $3.75 for each $500 or fraction of the total value, and the county tax is 55 cents for each $500 or fraction in a county under 2,000,000 people. A $200,000 sale pays $1,720 combined.
- How long does a Michigan lender have to discharge a mortgage?
- Sixty days after the mortgage is paid or satisfied, under MCL 565.41 and 565.44(2). A lender that refuses or neglects to discharge after a request is liable for $1,000 plus actual damages.
- Does Michigan recording cost more for a longer document?
- No. The fee in MCL 600.2567(1)(a) is $30 regardless of the number of pages, with $3 added for each extra instrument assigned or discharged in the same document.
- What is a deed in fulfilment of a land contract?
- It is the deed the seller records to pass legal title to the buyer once a Michigan land contract has been paid. Until it is recorded, legal title stays with the seller.
- Does a Michigan title search show unpaid property taxes?
- Not in the register of deeds' records. Delinquent property taxes are held by the county treasurer, and a HeritageDeed report does not search them.
Legal references
Statutes and rules cited in this article.
- 1MCL 600.2567 (register of deeds fees)
- 2MCL 207.525 (state real estate transfer tax rate)
- 3MCL 207.504 (county real estate transfer tax rate)
- 4MCL 565.41 (discharge of mortgage)
- 5MCL 565.44 (discharge of mortgage, civil liability and time periods)
Cite this guide
APA
HeritageDeed. (2026, November 10). Michigan Register of Deeds: $30 Recording Fee, Transfer Tax and the 60 Day Discharge. https://heritagedeed.com/blog/michigan-register-of-deeds-fees-transfer-tax-discharge
MLA
“Michigan Register of Deeds: $30 Recording Fee, Transfer Tax and the 60 Day Discharge.” HeritageDeed, November 10, 2026, heritagedeed.com/blog/michigan-register-of-deeds-fees-transfer-tax-discharge.
Link (HTML)
<a href="https://heritagedeed.com/blog/michigan-register-of-deeds-fees-transfer-tax-discharge">Michigan Register of Deeds: $30 Recording Fee, Transfer Tax and the 60 Day Discharge</a> (HeritageDeed)HeritageDeed provides public-record search reports only. Reports do not constitute title insurance, an attorney opinion of title, or a title insurance commitment.
