Clay County recorder highlights faster online services, fraud alerts and notary monitoring

Clay County's recorder reported that 2025 saw an increase in recorded documents, expanded digital services and new consumer protections.

Recorder Kimberly (first name only in the record) told the board her office recorded just under 10,000 real‑estate documents in 2025, a 12% increase over 2024. The office also issued nearly 600 marriage licenses and processed filing services including birth and death certificates and notary public registrations.

Kimberly described steps taken in 2025 and 2026: implementation of privacy‑legislation procedures with the county attorney's office, launch of online vital‑records ordering for birth/death/marriage certificates, initiation of e‑recording with a vendor, and a property‑fraud alert service that notifies citizens when records are recorded under their names. She said the office will begin a notary‑fraud alert in 2026 to notify notaries when their names appear on newly recorded documents.

Kimberly also emphasized consumer protections: warning citizens about deed‑solicitation mailings that charge inflated fees for copies of recorded deeds and reminding residents the recorder's office is the proper source for copies with minimal cost. She outlined fees ($26 for certified birth certificates, $13 for death records, $125 for marriage license processing in Clay County) and explained statewide indexing tools (moms.mn.gov) that help locate marriage records.

Earlier in the meeting the board recognized Catherine Schulz (15 years) and Stacy Goinsrude (25 years) for long service, with colleagues offering brief remarks.