Massachusetts · Document Recording
Recording a Deed or Document in Barnstable County, MA
Barnstable County (population 228,996) records real-property documents through the Barnstable County Registry of Deeds. Below is what it costs and how to submit. Filing a memorandum of contract? We record it with the county for $199, notary included — no trip to the courthouse.
Barnstable County recorder — contact
- Recording office
- Barnstable County Registry of Deeds
- Mailing address
- Standard mail: P.O. Box 368, Barnstable, MA 02630; Overnight (FedEx/UPS): 3195 Main St, Barnstable, MA 02630
- Phone
- (508) 362-7733
- Checks payable to
- Barnstable Registry of Deeds
- Electronic recording
- Paper / mail
Barnstable County recording fees
- First page / base fee
- $155 flat fee per deed/easement regardless of page count (statewide MA fee schedule)
- Additional pages
- Not page-based — MA deed recording fee is flat ($155); Mortgage $205; Mortgage Discharge $105
- Other fees
- Excise tax (not a recording fee): $6.48 per $1,000 of stated consideration ($3.42 state + $3.06 county) on deeds $100+; no municipal lien/records-mgmt rider identified
Counties change fees without notice. Check with the Barnstable County Registry of Deeds before you mail a check.
What Barnstable County requires
- Page formatting
- White paper, one-sided printing only, max 8.5"x14", return name/address on front of page 1, property address in left margin for deeds/mortgages/discharges (statewide MA standard, effective docs recorded after 1/1/2008)
- Cover sheet
- No separate cover sheet mandated; recording info block (3"x3" blank area, upper right of page 1) required per statewide MA Indexing & Formatting Standards
- Submission & return
- Self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) required for mail/express submissions
Can you e-record in Barnstable County?
Barnstable County records documents submitted by mail or in person. Jurably notarizes your document, mails it by certified mail, and tracks it to a recorded instrument number.
How to record a document in Barnstable County, Massachusetts
- Prepare the document so it meets Barnstable County's formatting rules (above): legal description, grantee address, signature block, and the blank space the recorder reserves for its stamp.
- Notarize it if the instrument requires acknowledgment. Most deeds and affidavits do.
- Submit by mail to Barnstable County Registry of Deeds.
- Pay the recording fee, payable to Barnstable Registry of Deeds.
- Receive the recorded instrument back with its book/page or instrument number as proof of record.
Looking up a Barnstable County property
Owner names, parcel numbers and legal descriptions for Barnstable County property are searchable at Massachusetts assesses real property at the municipal (town/city) level; no county-wide assessor exists. Best statewide situs-lookup tool: Massachusetts Interactive Property Map (MassGIS). A deed or memorandum needs the exact legal description, so pull it from there or from the last recorded deed.
Filing with Jurably in Massachusetts
Massachusetts requires the seller's notarized acknowledgment before a purchase agreement or notice of one can be recorded (MGL c.184 §17A). See the states we file in.