Filing a document with the deed records department of the county is something you most likely will never have to do in your lifetime, but in case you do we would like to give you a little heads up on the matter.
First things first, the only thing that can be filed of record are documents that contain the original signature of the parties. Meaning if you have the original at home and take a copy to the courthouse the clerk will not file it because it is not the original. This even goes for color copies that look like they contain the original signature. They will politely tell you they can’t record the item and ask that you bring the original in for recording.
All signatures will also have to have been notarized in front of a notary. For example, if there are three signatures on the document, each one will have to be notarized. If one of the signatures wasn’t notarized they will not record the document and you will have to go back to the notary.
When you record a document, you will not receive your original back the same day, it will take on average 3-5 business days for the county to mail the recorded document back to you. Once you have received it back, we recommend you place it with your other important documents.
If you are having to file something that contains several tracts of land other than Grayson County or is something like an affidavit of heirship and the deceased owned land in Grayson County and in Cooke County, you will have to file that document in both counties. This may sound difficult, but it is not as bad as it seems. You can file it in either county first, then once it’s been returned to you, the original can be filed in the additional county. If for some reason you lose the original once it’s been returned to you and you are still needing to file it in the additional county, what you would need to do is get a certified copy from the county it has been recorded in and take that certified copy and file it in the additional county. Certified copies of a recorded document are just as good as the original.
If you have any questions or concerns about recording a document, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We would love to answer any questions you may have.
