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Dare County repeals outdated recording 'return to' requirement to speed electronic filings
Summary
The board voted unanimously to repeal a 1979 ordinance requirement that deeds include a 'return to' name and address on the face of documents, saying modern electronic recording makes that element unnecessary while keeping permanent mailing address requirements.
The Dare County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Nov. 3 to repeal the portion of a 1979 ordinance that required the "return to" name and address be affixed on the face of recorded real‑property documents, saying electronic recording and modern practices make the specific provision obsolete.
Register of Deeds Cheryl House explained that because most recordings are electronic or placed through e‑filing, the old requirement often resulted in unnecessary rejections or delays that could jeopardize funding or loan closings. "If we get a document mailed into us and it does not have the return to on that document, we have to mail it back to them...that can take a week to two weeks," House said, describing the delay risk for borrowers.
The resolution repealed only the 'return to' portion; the board retained the requirement that a grantee’s or owner’s permanent mailing address appear on the face of the document. Commissioners said the change is an administrative streamlining to reduce recording delays in a digital environment.
What happens next: staff will update ordinance text and administrative procedures accordingly; no change was made to the requirement that owners’ permanent mailing addresses remain on recorded instruments.
Why it matters: streamlining recording reduces the risk that title transactions are delayed for administrative technicalities that no longer serve their original purpose in an era of electronic recording.
