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Register of Deeds proposes flat $50 recording fee; senator sponsoring bill
Summary
Register of Deeds Jessica Spalding told the commissioners that the Register of Deeds Association will propose legislation to change recording fees from a per-page fee to a flat $50, with $5 per document directed to a registry preservation surcharge; Senator Rick Bennett is sponsoring the bill.
Jessica Spalding, the county’s Register of Deeds, briefed the Board of Commissioners Dec. 2 on a proposal by registers across Maine to change recording fees from a per-page schedule to a flat $50 charge.
Spalding said the registers have not increased fees since 2011 and that a flat fee would reduce confusion for submitters and reduce rejections. Under the proposal, $45 would be recorded as the recording fee and $5 per document would go to a registry preservation and surcharge fund to preserve and restore public records.
Spalding said the Register of Deeds Association has secured a legislative sponsor: "Senator Rick Bennett out of Oxford County" is listed as the bill’s sponsor, she said. She also told commissioners staff expects the change to boost county general revenue and estimated a roughly 65% increase in recording-related income using 2023 numbers as a baseline.
Commissioners asked for the draft legislation and Spalding said she would follow up with the Maine County Commissioners Association (MCCA) and provide a copy to interested commissioners.
No formal county action on the legislation was recorded in the transcript; the presentation was introductory and for the commission’s awareness.
