Helpful Links
Disclaimer
If you do not know the owner of the property, you may be able to search the Laurinburg/Scotland County GIS to get the owner's name and in most cases a book and page reference to the deed.
Recording Information
The register of deeds and his staff are barred by law from the practice of law. Therefore, we are not allowed to assist in or advise citizens on how to prepare documents, or answer questions of a legal nature. The role of the register is to simply record and index the instruments presented to him after he has determined that all statutory and locally adopted applicable prerequisites to recording have been met. The Document Standards for North Carolina (PDF) must be followed as well.
Prerequisites
Effective July 1, 2020, all deeds transferring real property shall not be accepted unless the Scotland County Tax Collector has certified that no delinquent ad valorem county taxes, ad valorem municipal taxes, or other taxes with which the collector is charged are a lien on the property described in the deed or it contains a statement "This instrument prepared by: _____, a licensed North Carolina attorney, delinquent taxes, if any, to be paid by the closing attorney to the county tax collector upon disbursem*nt of closing proceeds."
A few of the most common prerequisites to recording are:
- Generally all instruments presented to the register of deeds for recording shall be the original document containing original signatures, and proof of acknowledgement or notarization.
- All deeds and deeds of trust drawn within the state of North Carolina are required to have the name of the person or law firm who drafted the instrument on the first page of the instrument.
- Recording fees must be paid to the register of deeds before any instrument is filed or registered unless the instrument offered for recording may, by statute, be recorded without charge.
- If the instrument is a conveyance of real property (other than deeds of trust or mortgages) it must reflect the amount of Excise Tax to be paid by the Grantor at a rate of $2 per $1000 - except when the transfer is:
- By Gift
- By Intestacy
- By Lease for a Term of Years
- By Merger or Consolidation
- By Operation of Law
- By or Pursuant to the Provision of a Will
- North Carolina law requires that all instruments presented on paper must conform to recording standards as set out in G.S. 25-9-521
The above information is not meant to be construed as being totally inclusive. Any instrument presented for recording is judged on an individual basis and is subject to all applicable North Carolina laws and local ordinances.
Public Records
Once a document is recorded in the real property books it becomes a public record. This means that it is available for public inspection and copies may be purchased by anyone. The purpose of making property records public records is to help insure property rights and avoid deceits and lawsuits. Anyone can research property records to identify the property owner and/or any possible liens against the property.
Internet Record Redaction
Any person preparing or filing a document for recordation or filing in the official records may not include a social security, employer taxpayer identification, drivers license, state identification, passport, checking account, savings account, credit card, or debit card number, or personal identification (PIN) code or passwords in the document, unless expressly required by law or court order, adopted by the State Registrar on records of vital events, or redacted so that no more than the last four digits of the identification number is included.
Request to Remove Image or Copy of Official Record
Any person has a right to request a register of deeds or clerk of court to remove, from an image or copy of an official record placed on a register of deeds' or clerk of court's Internet website available to the general public or on an Internet website available to the general public used by a register of deeds or clerk of court to display:
- Checking Account
- Credit Card
- Debit Card Number
- Drivers License
- Employer Taxpayer Identification
- Passport
- Personal Identification (PIN) Code or Passwords Contained in an Official Record
- Public Records
- Savings Account
- Social Security
- State Identification
The request must be made in writing and delivered by mail, facsimile, or electronic transmission, or delivered in person, to the register of deeds or clerk of court. The request must specify the personal information to be redacted, information that identifies the document that contains the personal information and unique information that identifies the location within the document that contains the social security, employer taxpayer identification, drivers license, state identification, passport, checking account, savings account, credit card, or debit card number, or personal identification (PIN) code or passwords to be redacted. No fee will be charged for the redaction pursuant to such a request. Any person who requests a redaction without proper authority to do so shall be guilty of an infraction, punishable by a fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500 for each violation.
