Massachusetts · Document Recording
Recording a Deed or Document in Berkshire County, MA
Berkshire County (population 129,026) records real-property documents through the Berkshire Middle District Registry of Deeds (Pittsfield) — note: Berkshire County has three recording districts (North/Adams, Middle/Pittsfield, South/Great Barrington); jurisdiction depends on the specific town. 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.
Berkshire County recorder — contact
- Recording office
- Berkshire Middle District Registry of Deeds (Pittsfield) — note: Berkshire County has three recording districts (North/Adams, Middle/Pittsfield, South/Great Barrington); jurisdiction depends on the specific town
- Mailing address
- 44 Bank Row, Pittsfield, MA 01201
- Phone
- (413) 443-7438
- Website
- massrods.com/berkshiremiddle
- Checks payable to
- Berkshire Middle District Registry of Deeds
- Electronic recording
- Paper / mail
Berkshire County recording fees
- First page / base fee
- $155 flat fee per deed (statewide MA fee schedule, updated 12/31/2019)
- Additional pages
- Not page-based — flat fee; Mortgage $205; Mortgage Discharge $105; Declaration of Homestead $35; Declaration of Trust $255
- Other fees
- Excise tax on deeds (statewide formula) not a recording fee; no separate records-mgmt/archive rider identified
Counties change fees without notice. Check with the Berkshire Middle District Registry of Deeds (Pittsfield) — note: Berkshire County has three recording districts (North/Adams, Middle/Pittsfield, South/Great Barrington); jurisdiction depends on the specific town before you mail a check.
What Berkshire County requires
- Page formatting
- White paper, one-sided, max 8.5"x14", 3"x3" blank recording area upper right of page 1, property address in left margin for deeds/mortgages/discharges (statewide MA standard)
- Submission & return
- Statewide practice is SASE or mail return
Can you e-record in Berkshire County?
Berkshire 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 Berkshire County, Massachusetts
- Prepare the document so it meets Berkshire 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 Berkshire Middle District Registry of Deeds (Pittsfield) — note: Berkshire County has three recording districts (North/Adams, Middle/Pittsfield, South/Great Barrington); jurisdiction depends on the specific town.
- Pay the recording fee, payable to Berkshire Middle District Registry of Deeds.
- Receive the recorded instrument back with its book/page or instrument number as proof of record.
Looking up a Berkshire County property
Owner names, parcel numbers and legal descriptions for Berkshire 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.