RECORDER

The Recorder’s office serves as the repository of real estate documents for the county. We are charged with maintaining, preserving, and protecting in a methodical manner for posterity and security purposes authentic documentation of all legal documents that identify ownership rights and relate to real estate in the county. 

A comprehensive index of these vast quantities of documents is crucial to the county, the landowners, and all customers of the office. A consistent and reliable index that is trustworthy for all past, current, and future consumers and stakeholders cannot be overstated. Without the index, the document is essentially lost. However, no matter how detailed and comprehensive the index is, the document must still “speak” for itself and be evaluated for intent, meaning, and legality. The index is merely the method to get to the document. 

The Lake of the Woods County Recorder’s office has an unwavering commitment to high quality standards for document recording and preservation. Quality control is incorporated in all procedures related to document recording and document preservation with the ultimate goal of creating and archiving the highest possible quality document image and data records. This commitment to high quality standards is supported by MN St. 507.093. 

The County Recorder’s office operates under numerous MN Statutes. The office does not answer to a department at the state level, nor does it take direction from the County Board of Commissioners. The only guidance or direction the office can rely on is its own interpretation of the statutes.  As such, our procedures and standards are based on 25 years of experience. Practices have changed rapidly over the past two decades and will probably continue to do so. Our local standards have also borrowed from the national PRIA Standards and other MN County Recorders.