Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Register Of Deeds topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Burke County Register of Deeds reports record volumes, expanded passport work and fraud concerns
Summary
Register of Deeds Stephanie Norman told the board the office is handling ~12,000 land‑records documents and more than 16,000 vital‑records requests annually, has expanded passport services (significant application/photo increases) that generate county revenue, and warned about document‑fraud and pending title‑fraud legislation.
Register of Deeds Stephanie Norman briefed the Burke County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 15 about the scope and workload of her office, highlighting record volumes, new services and fraud‑prevention steps.
Norman said the office records roughly 12,000 land‑records documents per year (about 47 per workday), and processes over 16,000 requests for certified copies of births, deaths and marriages annually. New births in the county rose about 8.7% over the prior year, and new marriage‑license filings increased roughly 26%.
On passport services, Norman said the office’s passport‑acceptance program and passport fairs produced a large uptick in applications and photos. She cited a 60% year‑over‑year increase in applications from 2023–24 to 2024–25 and said the county retains the passport application and photo fees as revenue. “This is free and clear revenue for the county,” Norman said, noting the office’s passport agents recorded only a small error rate during a surprise inspection.
Norman also described the office’s recent adoption of an AI quality‑assurance tool, nicknamed “Courtney,” launched March 31, 2025, to improve accuracy in indexing and QA review. She emphasized the tool supports staff rather than replacing positions.
On risks, Norman warned about document fraud and foreclosure‑rescue scams that often use powers of attorney and sometimes involve attorneys or notaries. She referenced pending state legislation described as “title‑fraud prevention” (Senate Bill 423) that would increase penalties and require new verification steps for some submitters. Norman stressed the register’s statutory duty is to record documents that meet recording standards; the office lacks authority to refuse documents based solely on suspected fraud without a court order.
The board thanked Norman and approved a motion to accept the report.
What to watch: Implementation of procedural changes tied to Senate Bill 423 (if enacted), the county’s fraud notification alert system (residents can sign up for email notices when documents with their names are recorded), and any staffing or space requests Norman said are needed to manage growing workloads.
