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Statewide recording fee moves to flat $43; Montezuma County to decide whether to waive $1 death‑certificate surcharge
Summary
Recorder staff told the Board of County Commissioners a new state law replaces page‑based recording fees with a flat $40 recording fee plus a $1 local surcharge and a $2 state surcharge (total $43). Death certificates will be recorded without the $40 base fee but may carry the $1 county surcharge unless commissioners waive it. The change takes
Recorder staff briefed the Board of County Commissioners on a state law change that standardizes recording fees across Colorado and takes effect July 1.
Under the new rule described by county recording staff, the state replaces the prior page‑based charge (previously $13 for the first page and $5 for each additional page) with a flat $40 recording fee for most documents, plus a $2 state surcharge and a $1 county surcharge. That yields a $43 total charge for recorded documents in most cases. Recorder staff said death certificates are an exception: the state will no longer require the $40 base charge for death certificates, but counties may charge a $1 local surcharge for those filings unless the Board directs otherwise.
Recorder staff told commissioners the county currently records a substantial number of out‑of‑state death certificates (for example, when decedents own property in the county) and that the county will need to decide whether to waive the $1 surcharge for death certificates. “It’s up to the commissioners,” staff said, noting other counties had taken different approaches (some absorb the dollar, some waive it, some fund it via copy fees).
The office will close at 2:30 p.m. on June 30 to implement the system changes and is preparing a worksheet comparing the county’s expected revenue under the new flat fee versus the old page‑based system. Staff said a preliminary statewide comparison showed the change would be roughly revenue‑neutral for most counties; in Montezuma County’s case, staff said the fiscal impact looked “really close.”
What does not change: marriage‑license fees, birth‑certificate fees, and UCC filing fees (recorder staff said the UCC fee stays at $13 for the first two pages and $5 thereafter). Staff also warned that mining‑claim filings, which are common in summer months, will be subject to the flat charge.
Ending: Recorder staff said they will return with a worksheet recommending how Montezuma County should treat the $1 death‑certificate surcharge.
