Clerk And Recorder Fee Update
Author: Angie Paulsen, BROADWATER COUNTY CLERK & RECORDER, ELECTIONS ADMINISTRATOR AND COUNTY SURVEYOR
Clerk and Recorder Fee Update
Angie Paulsen
Broadwater County Clerk and Recorder, County Surveyor, Elections Administrator
As of October 1, 2025, the state of Montana will implement a fee increase for recording Clerk and Recorder documents, as mandated by House Bill 192, signed into law on May 8, 2025. The new fee schedule will be $20.00 for the first page and $10.00 for each subsequent page. Broadwater County Clerk and Recorder Angie Paulsen stated, “The fee increase of $20 for the first page and $10 for the second page will barely cover inflation rates, increased postage, and overhead costs, which equate to $18.89 per page before the amendment. In 2024, the national average recording fee for the first page was $39.78, whereas Montana charges $8.00 per page. Notably, Iowa has the lowest first-page fee at $7.00, while Washington State imposes a significantly higher fee of $303.50 for the first page.” The reason so many states front load the fee is due to a majority of the work in any document is indexing it. This can be the same for a 1-page document as a 100-page document. However, the more pages, the more online storage.
Paulsen continued to explain, “The taxation on land ownership allocation process starts in my office, and it is vital that the information is correct from the original deed or document that is recorded in my office.” Broadwater County incorporates an additional step beyond online indexing, manually recording landowners' names in land books stored in the Broadwater County Clerk and Recorder’s vault, enabling citizens, title companies, and surveyors to trace parcel ownership back to the late 1800s. Paulsen noted, "It's unfair to expect taxpayers to subsidize user fees."
Below is an overview of the fee schedule increase:
Effective Date: October 1, 2025.
New Fees:
o First Page: $20.00
o Each Subsequent Page: $10.00
Non-Standard Documents: A fee of $30.00 for the first page and $10.00 for each subsequent page will be charged for documents that do not meet standard requirements.
Inflation Adjustments: Fees will be adjusted biennially based on the consumer price index, beginning July 1, 2027.
Why the Increase?
Outdated Fees: The last fee increase was 40 years ago in 1985, meaning the current fees are unable to keep up with inflation.
Rising Costs: Increased costs for inflation, postage, and general overhead have made it difficult for counties to cover the expenses of recording documents.
User Fee: The fee increase acts as a "user fee" to ensure that those who benefit from the service are paying for it, rather than having county taxpayers subsidize it.
Complex Process: Recording documents is a labor-intensive process that involves tracking, inputting data (grantor, grantee, legal descriptions, verifying notarizations, correct county, deed chains, mortgage info., etc.), scanning, and mailing.
Tax Process Integrity: Accurate information is crucial for the recording process to function correctly, as it initiates the process for the Department of Revenue to assign ownership and for the county treasurer to send tax bills.
Should you have any questions, please contact me. I am happy to discuss these fee changes with you.
ANGIE PAULSEN
Broadwater County Clerk and Recorder, County Surveyor, Elections Administrator
515 Broadway, Townsend, MT 59644 | PHONE 406.266.9219
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Image 1 Caption: Angie Paulsen, Broadwater County Clerk and Recorder, County Surveyor, Elections Administrator
