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What
is the register of deeds office?
The Register of Deeds
office is where all
transactions pertaining to
real estate (land) including
certain types of liens and
mortgages are recorded and
maintained so that the
public is made aware of
their existence. This office
also records financing
statements and security
agreements under the Uniform
Commercial Code (UCC).
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What
is a deed?
A deed is an instrument
by which a buyer obtains
title to the piece of
property being sold. A deed
comes in many forms.
The most common source of
passing title is called a
warranty deed. The seller
warrants that he has a good
and clear title and
guarantees that his
predecessors have no
interest in the title. There
is also a quit claim deed.
This is used to obtain are
lease from a person who is
believed to have some
interest or claim to the
property. By this form of
deed the grantor "quits" any
claim he might have to the
property.
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What
if I lose my deed?
The primary evidence
of ownership of land is
not so much the deed
itself as the recording
of the deed. Once
recorded the original
deed is returned to the
new owner who usually
places the deed in a
safe place along with
other important papers.
If your deed is lost or
misplaced, a copy may be
obtained from the
Register of Deeds office
and certified with an
official stamp. The copy
may then be kept among
the buyer's personal
records. There is a fee
for the copy and the
certification.
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Does
a deed have to be recorded?
Although there is no
time limit on recording
deeds, a deed should be
recorded as promptly
after the transaction as
possible. Failure to
record a deed could
render the transfer or
mortgaging of the
property impossible and
create numerous legal
difficulties.
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What
is a lien?
Many times the
owner of property
may owe money to
various creditors.
The lien allows
creditors a means of
preventing the
property from either
being sold or
mortgaged until the
debt is paid. Some
of the types of
liens recorded in
the Register of
Deeds are: Tax Liens
(for non-payment of
taxes), and Mechanic
Liens (such as
repair or work done
on a vehicle) are
filed in the UCC
area of the Register
of Deeds office.
Mechanic Liens for
labor and materials
furnished in
construction on land
are filed in the
Clerk of the
District Court's
office. State sales
and state income tax
liens are also filed
in the Clerk of the
District Court's
office.
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What
happens to a document when it is brought to the register of deeds office?
There are a
number of steps that
are taken when a
document is brought
or mailed in to be
recorded before the
original document is
mailed back to the
concerned party. The
document is first
evaluated for
obvious errors and
record ability and
the correct fee is
ascertained. We do
require a 3" margin
at the top of the
first page and 1" at
the bottom of each
page. Beginning
indexing information
is entered to create
a receipt, fees are
collected and a
barcode is generated
that provides a
document/film-page
number, this unique
number is applied to
all pages of the
document. Then the
document is scanned
and the remaining
indexing information
is entered into the
computer. Upon
completion of the
indexing information
the document is
verified to ensure
that the information
entered matches the
information on the
image. The
imaged documents are
then placed on our
web site along with
the indexing
information. State
law sets the
recording fees,
which is $8.00 for
the 1st page plus
$4.00 for each
additional page.
Before a mortgage is
recorded a mortgage
registration fee of
.26% of the
principle
indebtedness is
required to be paid.
A Release or
Assignment of
Mortgage is $7.00
for the 1st page and
$2.00 for each
additional page.
Please be advised
that State Statutes
prevent us from
accepting any
document before 8:00
a.m. and after 5:00
p.m.
Click here For a
complete schedule of
fees.
Click here to obtain
index information or
view a document.
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What
do you mean by "indexes"?
An index is
the system by
which a document
can be located
after recording.
The Register of
Deeds office has
different
mechanisms to
retrieve indexed
information.
Document number,
Grantor,
Grantee, Legal
Description,
Film/Page
number. All of
these indexes
can be accessed
on any
computer.
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How long will it
take for a deed or other document to be returned?
Upon
completion of
the scanning,
indexing, and
verification of
the document the
documents are
sorted and
returned to the
respective
party. This
process normally
takes 5-7
business days.
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How
do I find the deed to my house?
The
Register of
Deeds office
has a
section
referred to
as the
Grantor and
Grantee
Index.
Grantor
means the
seller and
Grantee
means the
buyer. Any
property
obtained
prior to
April 1,
1988, will
not be on
the computer
system. Once
you
ascertain
the date
your
property was
purchased
your name
can be
located in
the Grantee
book. Once
you locate
your name in
the Grantee
book it will
reference a
Book or Film
and Page
number. The
names are
arranged
alphabetically
under the
date the
property was
purchased.
Each book
covers
approximately
a six-month
period. If
the date is
after April
1,1988, the
film or
book/page
and document
number can
be located
in the
computer
indexes by
the legal
description
and/or your
name. The
image is
viewable for
these
documents
along with
the indexed
information.
The
following
documents
are not
viewable;
death
certificates,
UCC’s and
documents
with social
security
numbers.
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What
if I don't recall when the house was
purchased? How
do I
find the deed?
If you
cannot
remember the
date when
the house
was
purchased
you can call
the Real
Estate
Records
located in
the County
Clerk's
office
(660-9200),
and ask for
the last
transfer
date, and
they can
tell you the
last
transfer
date from
the address
or legal
description
of the
property.
Then you can
proceed to
locate the
name
contained in
the Grantee
book that
has the
proper date
or locate
the name
contained in
the computer
Grantee
Indexes.
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Can
I locate the mortgage on my house in the Register of Deeds office?
Yes.
The
mortgage
is
usually
filed
after
the
deed.
Hence,
the book
or film
and page
reference
on the
mortgage
follows
the book
or film
and page
reference
of the
deed. If
it is
not
there,
you will
have to
determine
the
approximate
date
that the
mortgage
was
given.
Once you
have
determined
this, if
the date
is
before
April 1,
1988,
you can
locate
the book
containing
that
date in
the
Grantor
Index
section.
The
Grantor
Index
book
will
give you
the book
or film
and page
numbers
where
you can
locate
your
mortgage.
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Who
do I talk to in the Register of Deeds office about matters of this sort?
The
office
staff
will be
more
than
happy to
answer
any
questions
you may
have. It
is
better
if you
can
personally
visit
the
office
but we
also
answer
questions
by
e-mail,
fax,
mail, or
phone.
Since
there
are
certain
kinds of
questions
that can
be
answered
only by
an
attorney
or an
Abstract
and
Title
Company,
it would
not be
feasible
to have
this
information
given to
you by
one who
is not
an
attorney
or an
Abstract
and
Title
Company
employee.
Basically,
the
Register
of Deeds
office
is a
recording
agency
only,
and
therefore,
the
information
it gives
out is
limited
to that
which is
contained
in the
records.
The
office
is open
to the
general
public
during
the
hours of
8:00
a.m. to
5:00
p.m.
Monday
through
Friday,
excluding
State
and
National
holidays.
The
Register
of Deeds
office
phone
number
is
316-660-9400.
Our fax
number
is
316-383-8066.
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May
I make out my own deed?
Yes,
you
can,
but
the
Register
of
Deeds
and
staff
always
recommends
the
retention
of
an
attorney
or
title
company.
The
Register
of
Deeds
office
is a
recording
agency
and
therefore
cannot
make
out
deeds
or
answer
those
questions
which
pertain
to
legal
matters.
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Can
you record property in the Sedgwick County Register of Deeds office if the
property is not located in this county?
No.
The
property
or
part
of
the
property
has
to
be
located
in
Sedgwick
County.
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Can
the register of deeds office tell you if you have a good and clear title?
No.
Professional
title
examiners
or
abstractors
use
the
records
in
our
office
as
well
as
searching
records
in
other
offices
to
determine
if
the
title
is
good
and
clear.
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What
other kinds of records would I find in the register of deeds office?
Besides deeds, mortgages and liens, there are oil and gas leases, plats of additions to the cities in Sedgwick County, county school records up to about 1958, honorable discharges from the armed services, powers of attorney, and corporate records.
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How
far back do the records go?
The earliest records in the Register of Deeds office, written in elaborate manuscript, date back to the 1870's. Among the early records are the Patent Deeds recorded when land was bought from the United States government that are signed by President Ulysses S. Grant.
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What
is Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)?
Uniform Commercial Code, more commonly known as UCC, became effective in Kansas in 1966. As the name implies, it was a code that was developed for uniform filings on personal and real estate property throughout the USA. Like all "uniform" attempts, fees and other things are different, but the basic concepts of security regulations are more uniform. The filing of a UCC Financing statement is what perfects or secures the loan on consumer goods, personal and real estate property. UCC filings are indexed by debtors and secured parties.
July 1, 2001, the Kansas law concerning UCC filings changed. Financing statements covering consumer goods, and personal property are filed in the office of the Secretary of State in Topeka, KS. Financing statements covering fixtures, timber to be cut, and as-extracted oil, gas and other minerals that contain real estate are filed with the Register of Deeds in the county where the land is located.
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Who
is the Register of Deeds?
The Register of Deeds is an elected official for a four-year term who makes certain that the documents are recorded properly according to the laws of the state and maintains and preserves those records. The current Register of Deeds is BILL MEEK.
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Where
is the Register of Deeds office located?
The office is located in the Sedgwick County Courthouse at525 North Main in Wichita, Kansas, on the 4th floor, Room415. Send all mail to: Bill Meek, Register of Deeds, P.O. Box3326, Wichita, KS 67201-3326.
It is my sincerest wish that this information has been helpful and creates a better understanding of the Register of Deeds office. Please feel free to contact our office for answers to any questions which may arise.
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