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County Recorder backs $75 fee for new privacy-protected property-record forms
Summary
County Recorder Jody Hofer told the Traverse County Commission a new Jan. 1, 2026 law lets judges and families shield certain real property records; Hofer recommended a $75 per-form fee (four forms), which the Board approved unanimously.
County Recorder Jody Hofer told the Traverse County Commission that a new bill effective Jan. 1, 2026 classifies certain real property records as private data for judicial officials and limits public access.
Hofer recommended the county charge the maximum allowable fee of $75 per form for four forms used to place judges and their families on the privacy list; the Board approved that recommendation unanimously on a motion by Commissioner Kayla Schmidt, seconded by Commissioner Chad Metz. Hofer also said staff are awaiting Government Corners paperwork; once received the county has until March 31, 2026 to publish the updated corners to the public and to add them to the GIS system.
Hofer asked for permission to use the Compliance Fund to pay for putting Government Corners on the county GIS and to cover office training costs. The Board agreed to defer a final decision on GIS funding pending receipt of actual cost estimates; the use of the Compliance Fund for this year's office trainings was approved by consensus.
