Massachusetts · Document Recording
Recording a Deed or Document in Essex County, MA
Essex County (population 809,829) records real-property documents through the Southern Essex District Registry of Deeds (Salem/Beverly) — note: Essex County has two recording districts (Southern/Salem-Beverly, Northern/Lawrence); 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.
Essex County recorder — contact
- Recording office
- Southern Essex District Registry of Deeds (Salem/Beverly) — note: Essex County has two recording districts (Southern/Salem-Beverly, Northern/Lawrence); jurisdiction depends on the specific town
- Mailing address
- Main office: 100 Cummings Center, Suite 206-C, Beverly, MA 01915; Salem office: 35 Congress Street, Suite 2100A, Salem, MA 01970
- Phone
- (978) 741-0201
- Website
- salemdeeds.com
- Electronic recording
- Paper / mail
Essex County recording fees
- First page / base fee
- $155 flat fee per deed (statewide MA fee schedule)
- Additional pages
- Not page-based — flat fee; Mortgage $205; Mortgage Discharge $105; Declaration of Homestead $35; Declaration of Trust $255; Municipal Lien Certificate $80; UCC (up to 2 debtors) $75; Federal Tax Lien $5; Plans (per sheet) $105
- Other fees
- Excise tax on deeds (statewide formula) not a recording fee
Counties change fees without notice. Check with the Southern Essex District Registry of Deeds (Salem/Beverly) — note: Essex County has two recording districts (Southern/Salem-Beverly, Northern/Lawrence); jurisdiction depends on the specific town before you mail a check.
What Essex County requires
- Page formatting
- Statewide MA Indexing & Formatting Standards (white paper, one-sided, max 8.5"x14", 3"x3" recording block upper right of page 1)
- Cover sheet
- Statewide MA standard: no separate cover sheet required if page 1 has the 3"x3" recording info block
Can you e-record in Essex County?
Essex 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 Essex County, Massachusetts
- Prepare the document so it meets Essex 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 Southern Essex District Registry of Deeds (Salem/Beverly) — note: Essex County has two recording districts (Southern/Salem-Beverly, Northern/Lawrence); jurisdiction depends on the specific town.
- Pay the recording fee.
- Receive the recorded instrument back with its book/page or instrument number as proof of record.
Looking up a Essex County property
Owner names, parcel numbers and legal descriptions for Essex 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.