North Carolina · Document Recording
Recording a Deed or Document in Johnston County, NC
Johnston County (population 215,999) records real-property documents through the Johnston County Register 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.
Johnston County recorder — contact
- Recording office
- Johnston County Register of Deeds
- Mailing address
- Johnston County Register of Deeds, 207 E. Johnston Street, Suite 209, Smithfield, NC 27577
- Phone
- (919) 989-5160 (main); (919) 989-5161 (vitals)
- Checks payable to
- Johnston County Register of Deeds
- Electronic recording
- Available via Simplifile, CSC
Johnston County recording fees
- First page / base fee
- $26.00 first 15 pages (most instruments); $64.00 first 35 pages (deeds of trust/mortgage); Plats $21/page
- Additional pages
- $4.00 each additional page
- Other fees
- Certified copy $5 first page/$2 addl; uncertified copy $1/page; Satisfactions of security instruments no charge
Counties change fees without notice. Check with the Johnston County Register of Deeds before you mail a check.
What Johnston County requires
- Cover sheet
- No separate cover sheet mandated; NC statute requires 3"x3" blank space top right corner of first page
- Submission & return
- Original recorded document returned by mail to submitter or via e-recording vendor
- Hours & turnaround
- Same day to next business day for e-recording; 1-2 weeks for mailed submissions
Can you e-record in Johnston County?
Yes. Johnston County accepts electronic recording through Simplifile, CSC, so a properly formatted document can be recorded the same or next business day without mailing paper.
How to record a document in Johnston County, North Carolina
- Prepare the document so it meets Johnston 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 electronically through Simplifile, CSC, or by mail to Johnston County Register of Deeds.
- Pay the recording fee, payable to Johnston County Register of Deeds.
- Receive the recorded instrument back with its book/page or instrument number as proof of record.
Looking up a Johnston County property
Owner names, parcel numbers and legal descriptions for Johnston County property are searchable at Johnston County Tax Administration. A deed or memorandum needs the exact legal description, so pull it from there or from the last recorded deed.
Filing with Jurably in North Carolina
North Carolina requires notarized signatures from both the record owner and the purchaser, plus an expiration date (N.C. Gen. Stat. §47-119.1). See the states we file in.