Register of Deeds | Codington County South Dakota

Records Transfer Service Scam Alert

“Records Transfer Service” located at 1000 N West Street Suite 1200, Wilmington, Delaware 19801 has been sending letters to new homeowners offering to send them a copy of their deed for $83.00. This is a very official-looking “notice” which looks very much like a bill with due date, etc. offering to obtain a copy of your Deed and complete Property Profile. You can easily obtain a copy of your deed from the Register of Deeds office for a fee of $1.00 per page. Certified copies are $5.00 for the first page & $1.00 per additional page.

View an example of the Records Transfer Services letter here.

Please call our office at 882-6278 with any questions.

Register of Deeds
Ann Rasmussen

14 1st Ave. SE
Watertown, SD 57201

Email Register of Deeds

(605) 882-6278

8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. – Monday through Friday

Local Archives

Your county register of deed office can most appropriately be thought of as a library of local records. This office is a storage facility for a host of local documents. From land title transfers to birth, marriage, and death records, this office has a wealth of information about the local population. Although these are only a few of the documents recorded in this office, they remain some of the most widely requested by the general public. One reason the public may visit this office is to access documents for research known as genealogy. Genealogy is the study of one’s ancestry, or more simply, tracing one’s family heritage. The register of deeds office is a vital resource for people trying to discover their family tree.

Recording Documents

Documents brought to the register of deeds office are recorded, which is an official method for documenting the time and date a legal instrument is placed in the public record. This is necessary because not only does this office record all instruments brought to them including property deeds, but everything else that affects that property. Instruments affecting property deeds such as a lien on a house or a mortgage, must be recorded with date, hour, and minute of the recording so as to give notice to the public that another party has an interest in that property. This vital function helps maintain an orderly transfer of title to property. In addition to recording deeds, the register of deeds also records each mortgage, plat, and lease which provides a record when doing a thorough title search. Without this local central office to record and maintain these records, society as well as real estate professionals would face an unreliable system for buying and selling property. In this function, the register of deeds office is essential to bankers, abstract companies, real estate agents, land developers, and the public in providing an orderly method for documenting changes in property.

Fee Schedule

Click here for a list of fees.

All documents must comply with the document standards law (SDLC 43-28-23) See Document Standards for more Specific detail. For exemptions to Transfer fees see Exemptions to Transfer Fees.

NOTICE! – Personally Identifiable Information