North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 161 Register of Deeds

Article 1 - The Office.

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-1. Election and term of office
In each county there shall be elected biennially by the qualified voters thereof, as provided for the election of members of the General Assembly,...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-2. Four-year term for registers of deeds
A register of deeds shall be elected in each county of the State by the qualified voters of the county. The register of deeds...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-3. Oath of office
The register of deeds shall take the oath of office on the first Monday of December next after his election, before a person authorized...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-4. Bond required
(a) Every register of deeds shall give bond with sufficient surety, to be approved by the board of county commissioners, in a sum of...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-4.1. Salary in counties where fees formerly allowed
In any county where during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1980, and ending June 30, 1981, the register of deeds received fees in...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-4.2. Liability insurance for register of deeds
To the same extent that the county provides liability insurance to other county officers or employees, pursuant to G.S. 153A-97 and 160A-167, or 58-32-10,...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-5. Vacancy in office
(a) Repealed by Session Laws 1991, c. 60, s. 1. (a1) When a vacancy occurs from any cause in the office of register of...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-6. Appointment of assistant and deputy registers of deeds; authority to sign in name of register of deeds; holdover assistants and deputies
(a) The registers of deeds of the several counties are hereby authorized to appoint one or more assistant registers of deeds and one or...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-7. Office at courthouse
The register shall keep his office at the courthouse unless the board of county commissioners shall deem it impracticable. (1868, c. 35, s. 5;...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-8. Attendance at office
The board of county commissioners may fix by order, to be entered on their records, what days of each week, and at what hours...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-9. Official seal
The office of register of deeds for every county shall have and use an official seal or stamp, which shall be provided by the...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-10. Uniform fees of registers of deeds
(a) Except as otherwise provided in this Article, all fees collected under this section shall be deposited into the county general fund. While performing...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-10.1. Exemption of Armed Forces discharge documents and certain other records needed in support of claims for veterans' benefits
Any schedule of fees which is now or may be prescribed in Chapter 161 of the General Statutes or in G.S. 161-10 shall not...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-10.2. Repealed by Session Laws 1969, c. 80, s. 6
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-11. Repealed by Session Laws 1973, c. 1027
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-11.1. Fees for Children's Trust Fund
(a) Five dollars ($5.00) of each fee collected by a register of deeds on or after October 1, 1983, for issuance of a marriage...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-11.2. Fees for domestic violence centers
Thirty dollars ($30.00) of each fee collected by a register of deeds for issuance of a marriage license pursuant to G.S. 161-10(a)(2) shall be...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-11.3. Automation Enhancement and Preservation Fund
Ten percent (10%) of the fees collected pursuant to G.S. 161-10 and retained by the county, or six dollars and twenty cents ($6.20) in...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-11.4. Repealed by Session Laws 2013-225, s. 7(c), effective July 1, 2013
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-11.5. Fees to be remitted to State Treasurer
Six dollars and twenty cents ($6.20) of each fee collected by the register of deeds under G.S. 161-10(a)(1) and (a)(1a) shall be remitted by...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-11.6. Repealed by Session Laws 2013-225, s. 7(c), effective July 1, 2013

Article 2 - The Duties.

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-12 through 161-13. Repealed by Session Laws 1973, c. 1027
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-14. Registration of instruments
(a) After the register of deeds has determined that all statutory and locally adopted prerequisites for recording have been met, the register of deeds...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-14.01. Registration of instruments for business and other purposes
(a) The register of deeds is hereby authorized to record and file documents relating to persons, partnerships, and corporations for business and other purposes,...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-14.1. Recording subsequent entries as separate instruments
(a) As used in this section, the following terms mean: (1) Original instrument. - The previously recorded instrument that is modified, amended, supplemented, assigned,...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-14.2. Indexing procedures for instruments and documents filed in the office of the register of deeds
The following procedure shall be used in making index entries: (1) When each word of the signature is legible and it gives the complete...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-15. Certify and register copies
When a deed, mortgage, or other conveyance conveying real estate situate in two or more counties is presented for registration duly probated and a...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-16. Liability for failure to register
In case of his failure to register any deed or other instrument within the time and in the manner required by G.S. 161-15, the...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-17. Papers filed alphabetically
The register shall keep in files alphabetically labeled all original instruments delivered to him for registration, and on application for such originals by any...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-18. Transcribe and index books
The board of county commissioners, when they deem it necessary, may direct the register of deeds to transcribe and index such of the books...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-19. Number of survey in grants registered
The register of deeds in each county in this State, when grants have been registered without the number of tract or survey, shall place...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-20. Certificate of survey registered
It shall be the duty of the register of deeds in each county, when any grant is presented for registration with a certificate of...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-21. General index kept
The board of county commissioners shall, at the expense of the county, maintain a consolidated index of all the deeds and other documents affecting...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-22. Index of registered instruments
(a) Except as otherwise provided by statute, the register of deeds shall provide and keep in the register's office full and complete alphabetical indexes...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-22.1. Index and cross-index of immediate prior owners of land
Whenever, any deed or other instrument conveying real property by a trustee, mortgagee, commissioner, or other officer appointed by the court, or by the...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-22.2. Parcel identifier number indexes
(a) In lieu of the alphabetical indexes required by G.S. 161-21, 161-22 and 161-22.1, the register of deeds of any county in which unique...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-22.3. Minimum standards for land records management
In addition to the recording and indexing procedures set forth in this Article, the register of deeds shall follow the rules specifying minimum standards...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-23. Clerk to board of commissioners
The register of deeds, or such other county officer or employee as the board of county commissioners shall designate in accordance with the provisions...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-24. Repealed by Session Laws 1973, c. 108, s. 99
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-25. Repealed by Session Laws 1973, c. 803, s. 36
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-26. Duties unperformed at expiration of term
Whenever, upon the termination for any cause of the term of office of the register of deeds, it appears that he has failed to...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-27. Register of deeds failing to discharge duties; penalty
If any register of deeds fails to perform any of the duties imposed or authorized by law, he shall be guilty of a Class...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-28. Validation of acts of assistant and deputy registers of deeds performed pending filling of vacancy in office of register of deeds
Any and all acts and duties performed by any and all assistant or deputy registers of deeds appointed and acting under the provisions of...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-29. Validating acts of assistant and deputy registers of deeds in failing to execute instruments in the name of the register of deeds
(a) Any and all acts and duties performed by any and all assistant or deputy registers of deeds in executing any instrument, while acting...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-29.1. Validating acts of assistant and deputy registers of deeds performed before they were sworn into office
All acts and duties heretofore performed by any and all assistant or deputy registers of deeds, who were appointed but who were not sworn...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-30. Modernization of land records
(a) The county commissioners of any county may require that the register of deeds shall not accept for registration any map or instrument affecting...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-31. Tax certification
(a) Tax Certification. - The board of commissioners of a county may, by resolution, require the register of deeds not to accept any deed...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-32 through 161-49. Reserved for future codification purposes

Article 3 - Register of Deeds' Supplemental Pension Fund Act of 1987.

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-50. Short title and purpose
(a) This Article shall be known and may be cited as the "Registers of Deeds' Supplemental Pension Fund Act of 1987." (b) The purpose...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-50.1. Scope
(a) This Article provides supplemental pension benefits for all county registers of deeds who are retired from the Local Governmental Employees' Retirement System or...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-50.2. Assets
(a) On and after October 1, 1987, each County Commission shall remit monthly to the Department of State Treasurer an amount equal to one...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-50.3. Disbursements
(a) Immediately following July 1, 1988, the Department of State Treasurer shall divide an amount equal to forty-five percent (45%) of the assets of...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-50.4. Eligibility
(a) Each county register of deeds who has retired with at least 12 years eligible service as register of deeds from the Local Governmental...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 161-50.5. Benefits
(a) An eligible retired register of deeds shall be entitled to receive an annual pension benefit, payable in equal monthly installments, equal to one...

Last modified: March 23, 2014