Real estate title glossary
What is recording?
Also called: recording act, recordation
Definition
Recording is filing a deed, mortgage or other instrument with the county recording office so it becomes part of the public land records and gives notice to the world.
Recording does not make a deed valid between the parties, but under state recording acts it protects the holder against later buyers and lenders. States follow race, notice or race-notice rules for who wins when two claims conflict.
How it shows up in a title search
Only recorded documents can be found by a title search. Unrecorded deeds, leases or agreements are the main thing any records-based search can miss.
Guides that go deeper
- County Recorder's Office: What It Records, What It Does Not, and How to Search ItA county recorder's office files and indexes deeds, mortgages and liens. See what it does not do, how it differs from the assessor and treasurer, and real figures.
- What an Automated Title Search MissesAutomation reads the recorded index fast and consistently. It cannot see unrecorded interests, offline records, or resolve name ambiguity.
- Deed vs Title: What Each One Is and How They Work TogetherA deed is the document that transfers ownership. Title is the ownership itself. How the two differ, what legal and equitable title mean, and where to find each.
Related terms
Source: Legal Information Institute, Wex: recording acts. Plain-English summary of general US usage; state law varies, and this is not legal advice.