Mortgage release deadlines by state
After a mortgage is paid off, state law gives the lender a fixed time to record a satisfaction or release, from 10 days after a request in Minnesota to 90 days in Ohio, Montana and Virginia. Below are the deadline, what starts the clock, the penalty and the statute for 21 states, each read from the official code on October 15, 2026.
| State | Deadline | Starts | If the lender misses it | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 30 days | after receiving satisfaction of the mortgage or deed of trust | Liable to the owner if still not recorded 30 days after a certified-mail request | A.R.S. § 33-712 |
| Connecticut | 60 days | after a written request sent by registered or certified mail | $200 per week after the 60 days, up to $5,000, or actual damages | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 49-8 |
| Delaware | 60 days | after the debt is satisfied (including any satisfaction fee) | The recorder files a complaint with the Attorney General | 25 Del. C. § 2111 |
| Florida | 60 days | after the loan is paid in full (or paid under an estoppel letter) | Statutory duty to execute and record the satisfaction | Fla. Stat. § 701.04(2) |
| Illinois | 30 days | after payment of the debt | $200 per offense to the aggrieved party | 765 ILCS 905/4 |
| Iowa | 30 days | after payment in full | Statutory duty to acknowledge and file the satisfaction | Iowa Code § 655.1 |
| Kansas | 20 days | after a written demand by certified or registered mail | $500 in damages plus a reasonable attorney's fee | K.S.A. § 58-2309a |
| Maine | 60 days | after full performance of the mortgage | $200 per week after the 60 days, up to $5,000, or actual loss | 33 M.R.S. § 551 |
| Massachusetts | 45 days | after receipt of full payment | Liable in damages to the mortgagor | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 183, § 55 |
| Minnesota | 10 days | after a request and tender of reasonable charges | Liable for actual damages | Minn. Stat. § 507.41 |
| Missouri | 45 days | after a request and tender of costs | Daily damages of up to $300 a day, subject to the statute's limits | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 443.130 |
| Montana | 90 days | after a request for a certificate of discharge or release | Liable to the mortgagor | Mont. Code § 71-1-212 |
| Nevada | 21 calendar days | after written notice that the debt was paid | After 75 days a title insurer may record a release itself | NRS 106.260 |
| New Hampshire | 60 days | after the mortgage is satisfied and reasonable charges are tendered | Statutory duty to record the discharge | RSA 479:7 |
| North Carolina | 30 days | after the creditor receives full payment | Statutory duty to submit the satisfaction for recording | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 45-36.9 |
| North Dakota | 10 days | after a written demand once the balance is zero | The discharge must then be recorded within 30 days of signing | N.D. Cent. Code § 35-03-15 |
| Ohio | 90 days | after the mortgage is satisfied | After a further 15-day notice, $100 per day in damages plus fees | Ohio Rev. Code § 5301.36 |
| Oregon | 30 days | after a request and tender of reasonable charges | Liable to the mortgagor | ORS 86.140 |
| South Carolina | 3 months | after a certified-mail request and tender of the recording fee | A forfeiture payable to the person who asked | S.C. Code § 29-3-310 |
| Virginia | 90 days | after payment, when no settlement agent handles it | $500 forfeited to the borrower, plus court costs and fees if unpaid after demand | Va. Code § 55.1-339 |
| Washington | 60 days | after a request or demand for the satisfaction | Damages and a reasonable attorney's fee | RCW 61.16.030 |
Not yet in the table: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Their official codes either block automated reading or render only in a browser, and we list a state only after reading its statute from the official source. More guidance on how a satisfaction works: satisfaction of mortgage and is that mortgage actually open?
Questions
How long does a lender have to release a mortgage after it is paid off?
It depends on the state: from 10 days after a request in Minnesota to 90 days in Ohio, Montana and Virginia. Florida, Delaware, Maine and New Hampshire allow 60 days; Illinois, Iowa, North Carolina and Arizona 30 days. The table lists 21 states with the statute for each.
What happens if the lender never records the release?
Many states set a penalty: $200 a week up to $5,000 in Connecticut and Maine, $500 in Kansas and Virginia, $100 a day in Ohio after notice. Until a release is recorded, the mortgage still shows as open in the county records and can delay a sale or refinance.
How do I check whether my mortgage release was recorded?
Search the county recorder or clerk for a satisfaction, release or reconveyance that cites your mortgage, or run a HeritageDeed report, which matches every recorded mortgage to its release and lists the ones still open.
Summaries of statutes read 2026-10-15, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to this page. Not legal advice: read the statute and check for amendments before relying on a deadline.