Wayne County adopts Register of Deeds fee increases after decades without change

Wayne County commissioners voted to adopt amendments to the county Register of Deeds recording‑fee ordinance to raise certain recording charges that Register Bernard J. Youngblood said have not been increased since 1998.

"In my 26 years of service as Register of Deeds, we have withheld part of the Wayne County budget," Bernard J. Youngblood told the commission during a public hearing. He said rising costs and reduced recording volume had produced projected deficits in the office of roughly $2.4 million to $2.6 million for the year; the proposed fee adjustments would align the office’s fees more closely with other Michigan counties and allow restoration of anti‑fraud staff and services.

Commissioners who questioned Youngblood praised his office’s work on fraud prevention and noted the fee schedule’s long duration without an increase. Youngblood said the department had curtailed expenses and disbanded elements of the fraud‑deterrence team because of the shortfalls and that a fee change would allow rebuilding those functions.

The commission opened the public hearing on the proposed ordinance amendment, took public comment from the Register of Deeds, closed the hearing and adopted the amendments on a subsequent vote. The meeting transcript shows the motion was moved and supported, and the chair announced the motion carried.

Why it matters: The Register of Deeds handles property recordation that protects ownership and helps deter deed and mortgage fraud. Commissioners and staff said updated fees are intended to stabilize the office’s operating budget and to fund fraud‑prevention work that benefits property owners across the county.

Next steps: The amended fee schedule will be implemented per the adopted ordinance language; the Register of Deeds will report on the use of additional funds for anti‑fraud activities as the office restores capacity.