The General Assembly of Connecticut is considering changes to its recording statutes. The bill, HB 5539, is being sponsored by Reps. Richard Smith, R-New Fairfield, and Minnie Gonzalez, D-Hartford.
Under current law, town clerks receive for recording $10 for the first page and $5 for each subsequent page of fractional part thereof. They are to receive for recording any deed, except a mortgage deed, conveying title to real estate, which deed does not contain the current mailing address of the grantee, $5 in addition to the regular recording fee.
When a town clerk has recorded any instrument that he or she knows to be a release, partial release or assignment of a mortgage or lien, the clerk must make a notation on the first page, stating the book and page where such release is recorded. A manual notation of such release, partial release or assignment would not be required if the town clerk provides public access to an electronic indexing system that combines the grantor index and the grantee index of the town’s land records.
The bill would add the following language to the statute, “On or after Oct. 1, 2012, a separate document will be required for each property for which a release, partial release or assignment of mortgage or lien is recorded, except that if the instrument being released, partially released or assigned encumbers more than one property, a single document may be recorded.”