Senate approves $1 increase to land‑survey filing fee, adopts amendment to boost recorder preservation fund

The Missouri Senate on Feb. 9 took up Senate Bill 938 and approved an increase in the land‑survey filing fee from $4 to $5, directing the additional dollar to the Missouri Department of Agriculture Land Survey Program. Sponsors said the program's fees have been $1 for the land survey program since 1969 and are no longer sustaining operations.

Senator from Cole, sponsor of SB 938, told the chamber that the fee would raise roughly $792,000 in the first year with subsequent increases projected in later years; he said the change would restore viability to a program that maintains a central repository of surveys and related public records. "These fees have been a dollar since 1969," he said while explaining the bill's intent to support accurate property-boundary information.

Colleagues pressed for fiscal clarity. One senator noted the land survey fund had a balance above $1 million but was being drawn down and asked whether spending the balance further might be preferable to raising fees. The sponsor said the Department of Agriculture reported the program's operating cost at about $1.2 million annually and that the fee and rule‑making authority were intended to sustain service.

During floor debate the senator from the fourth offered an amendment that would instead increase the total filing fee to $6 and deposit one of the added dollars into the recorder preservation fund; senators worked to craft an amendment that accomplished the preservation transfer without changing the bill title. The Senate adopted Amendment 1 (the version that did not change the title) and then perfected and ordered SB 938 printed.

The measure will proceed through printing and enrollment; sponsors said the fee authority also includes rulemaking language to allow future fee adjustments by the department. The fiscal note was referenced during debate and senators asked officials and staff to monitor fund balances and implementation.