Massachusetts · Document Recording
Recording a Deed or Document in Middlesex County, MA
Middlesex County (population 1,632,002) records real-property documents through the Middlesex South Registry of Deeds (covers most of the county incl. Cambridge, Newton, Framingham, Waltham, etc.); NOTE: the northern part of Middlesex County (Lowell, Chelmsford, Billerica, etc.) is a separate district — Middlesex North Registry of Deeds, 370 Jackson St., Lowell, MA 01852, (978) 322-9000, https://massrods.com/middlesexnorth/. 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.
Middlesex County recorder — contact
- Recording office
- Middlesex South Registry of Deeds (covers most of the county incl. Cambridge, Newton, Framingham, Waltham, etc.); NOTE: the northern part of Middlesex County (Lowell, Chelmsford, Billerica, etc.) is a separate district — Middlesex North Registry of Deeds, 370 Jackson St., Lowell, MA 01852, (978) 322-9000, https://massrods.com/middlesexnorth/
- Mailing address
- 208 Cambridge Street, PO Box 68, Cambridge, MA 02141 (Middlesex South)
- Phone
- 617-679-6300 (Middlesex South)
- Website
- massrods.com/middlesexsouth
- Checks payable to
- Middlesex South Registry of Deeds OR Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- Electronic recording
- Paper / mail
Middlesex County recording fees
- First page / base fee
- Flat per-document fee: Deed $155; Mortgage $205; Declaration of Homestead $35; Declaration of Trust $255; Mortgage Discharge/Release $105; Municipal Lien Certificate $80; UCC $75; Federal Tax Lien $5; Plans (per sheet) $105; All other documents $105
- Additional pages
- None for standard instruments (statewide flat fee, M.G.L. c.262 §34). Plans $105/sheet.
- Other fees
- No separately itemized rider; fees include statutory surcharges.
Counties change fees without notice. Check with the Middlesex South Registry of Deeds (covers most of the county incl. Cambridge, Newton, Framingham, Waltham, etc.); NOTE: the northern part of Middlesex County (Lowell, Chelmsford, Billerica, etc.) is a separate district — Middlesex North Registry of Deeds, 370 Jackson St., Lowell, MA 01852, (978) 322-9000, https://massrods.com/middlesexnorth/ before you mail a check.
What Middlesex County requires
- Page formatting
- 8.5x11 white paper; 3-inch top-right blank margin page 1; other margins ~1 inch; legible font — statewide standard.
- Cover sheet
- Required only if document lacks the blank 3"x3" upper-right recording-info block on page 1.
- Submission & return
- Recorded original returned by mail; e-recorded documents returned electronically.
- Hours & turnaround
- Office hours 8am-4pm, recording 8am-3:45pm; e-recording generally same-day; mail turnaround not separately quantified.
Can you e-record in Middlesex County?
Middlesex 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 Middlesex County, Massachusetts
- Prepare the document so it meets Middlesex 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 Middlesex South Registry of Deeds (covers most of the county incl. Cambridge, Newton, Framingham, Waltham, etc.); NOTE: the northern part of Middlesex County (Lowell, Chelmsford, Billerica, etc.) is a separate district — Middlesex North Registry of Deeds, 370 Jackson St., Lowell, MA 01852, (978) 322-9000, https://massrods.com/middlesexnorth/.
- Pay the recording fee, payable to Middlesex South Registry of Deeds OR Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
- Receive the recorded instrument back with its book/page or instrument number as proof of record.
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.