Virginia · Document Recording
Recording a Deed or Document in Portsmouth City, VA
Portsmouth City (population 96,777) records real-property documents through the Clerk of the Circuit Court of the City of Portsmouth. 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.
Portsmouth City recorder — contact
- Recording office
- Clerk of the Circuit Court of the City of Portsmouth
- Mailing address
- 1345 Court Street, Suite 101, Portsmouth, VA 23704
- Phone
- 757-393-8671 (land records); 757-393-8631 (assessor)
- Checks payable to
- Clerk of Court, City of Portsmouth Circuit Court
- Electronic recording
- Available via Simplifile, CSC
Portsmouth City recording fees
- First page / base fee
- $18 recording/indexing fee for instruments of 10 or fewer pages (includes $5 Technology Trust Fund Fee / additional $5 fee for paper real estate recordings), per Va. Code §17.1-275
- Additional pages
- $32 total for 11-30 pages; $52 total for 31+ pages (statewide VA tiered fee)
- Other fees
- Additional $5.00 fee for paper real estate recordings
Counties change fees without notice. Check with the Clerk of the Circuit Court of the City of Portsmouth before you mail a check.
What Portsmouth City requires
- Page formatting
- Standard VA land-record formatting: 8.5x11 or 8.5x14 paper, adequate top margin for clerk stamp
- Submission & return
- Original returned by mail after recording, or via erecording vendor return workflow
- Hours & turnaround
- Contact clerk directly
Can you e-record in Portsmouth City?
Yes. Portsmouth City 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 Portsmouth City, Virginia
- Prepare the document so it meets Portsmouth City'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 Clerk of the Circuit Court of the City of Portsmouth.
- Pay the recording fee, payable to Clerk of Court, City of Portsmouth Circuit Court.
- Receive the recorded instrument back with its book/page or instrument number as proof of record.
Looking up a Portsmouth City property
Owner names, parcel numbers and legal descriptions for Portsmouth City property are searchable at City of Portsmouth Office of the Real Estate Assessor. A deed or memorandum needs the exact legal description, so pull it from there or from the last recorded deed.
Filing with Jurably in Virginia
Virginia isn't available quite yet — it's coming soon. See the states we file in.