Fees for recording documents with the county will change Sept. 1. During the 2012 legislative session, the Washington State Legislature passed legislation, which changes the surcharges collected to support programs for homeless persons. The current surcharge of $30 applies to all recorded documents except assignments or substitutions of previously recorded deeds of trust; documents recording a birth, marriage, divorce or death; or any document otherwise exempted from a recording fee under state law. The new surcharge beginning Sept. 1 will be $40 and will apply only to “documents related to real property,” with the same exceptions as previously detailed.

As a result of these changes, the total recording fee for general recorded documents will be either $32 for the first page if the document is not related to real property, or $72 for the first page if the document is property-related. The auditor’s office staff will determine the fee to be assessed based on the document title and the presence of a legal description or tax parcel number on the document. Second and subsequent pages remain $1 per page.

Documents submitted without the correct payment amount will be returned.

For a schedule of updated fees, contact Kira Sable at kiras@sanjuanco.com or 378-2161.