AN
ACT Relating to recording documents; and amending RCW 65.04.045, 65.04.047, and
65.04.015.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE
LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec.
1. RCW
65.04.045 and 1996 c 143 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
(1)
When any instrument is presented to a county auditor or recording officer for
recording, the first page of the instrument shall contain:
(a)
A top margin of at least three inches and a one-inch margin on the bottom and
sides, except that an instrument may be recorded if a minor portion of a
notary seal, incidental writing, or minor portion of a signature extends beyond
the margins;
(b)
The top left-hand side of the page shall contain the name and address to whom
the instrument will be returned;
(c)
The title or titles, or type or types, of the instrument to be recorded
indicating the kind or kinds of documents or transactions contained therein.
The auditor or recording officer shall only be required to index the title or
titles captioned on the document;
(d)
Reference numbers of documents assigned or released with reference to the document
page number where additional references can be found, if applicable;
(e)
The names of the grantor(s) and grantee(s), as defined under RCW 65.04.015,
with reference to the document page number where additional names are located,
if applicable;
(f)
An abbreviated legal description of the property, including lot, block, plat,
or section, township, and range, and reference to the document page number
where the full legal description is included, if applicable;
(g)
The assessor's property tax parcel or account number.
(2)
All pages of the document shall be on sheets of paper of a weight and color
capable of producing a legible image that are not larger than fourteen inches
long and eight and one-half inches wide with text printed or written in eight
point type or larger. Further, all instruments presented for recording must
have a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides for all pages except page
one, be prepared in ink color capable of being imaged, and have all seals
legible and capable of being imaged, and no attachments may be affixed to the
pages.
The
information provided on the instrument must be in substantially the following
form:
This
Space Provided for Recorder's Use
When
Recorded Return to:
.................................................................
Document
Title(s)
Grantor(s)
Grantee(s)
Legal
Description
Assessor's
Property Tax Parcel or Account Number
Reference
Numbers of Documents Assigned or Released
Sec.
2. RCW
65.04.047 and 1996 c 143 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
If
an instrument presented for recording does not contain the information required
by RCW 65.04.045(1) (((a) through (e))), the person preparing the
instrument for recording shall prepare a cover sheet that contains the required
information. The cover sheet shall be attached to the instrument and shall be
recorded as a part of the instrument. An additional page fee as determined
under RCW 36.18.010 shall be collected for recording of the cover sheet. Any
errors in the cover sheet shall not affect the transactions contained in the
instrument itself. The cover sheet need not be separately signed or
acknowledged. The cover sheet information shall be used to generate the
auditor's grantor/grantee index, however, the names and legal description in
the instrument itself will determine the legal chain of title. The cover sheet
shall be substantially the following form:
WASHINGTON
STATE COUNTY AUDITOR/RECORDER'S
INDEXING
FORM
Return
Address
Please
print or type information
Document
Title(s) (or transactions contained therein):
1.
2.
3.
4.
Grantor(s)
(Last name first, then first name and initials)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5. 9 Additional names on page of
document.
Grantee(s)
(Last name first, then first name and initials)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5. 9 Additional names on page of
document.
Legal
Description (abbreviated: i.e., lot, block, plat or
section, township, range)
9 Additional legal description is on page of
document.
Assessor's
Property Tax Parcel or Account Number:
Reference
Number(s) of Documents assigned or released:
9 Additional references on page of
document.
The
Auditor or Recording Officer will rely on the information provided on this
form. The staff will not read the document to verify the accuracy of or the
completeness of the indexing information provided herein.
Sec.
3. RCW
65.04.015 and 1996 c 229 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
The
definitions set forth in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the
context clearly requires otherwise.
(1)
"Recording officer" means the county auditor, or in charter counties
the county official charged with the responsibility for recording instruments
in the county records.
(2)
"File," "filed," or "filing" means the act of
delivering or transmitting electronically an instrument to the auditor or
recording officer for recording into the official public records.
(3)
"Record," "recorded," or "recording" means the
process, such as electronic, mechanical, optical, magnetic, or microfilm
storage used by the auditor or recording officer after filing to incorporate
the instrument into the public records.
(4)
"Record location number" means a unique number that identifies the
storage location (book or volume and page, reel and frame, instrument number,
auditor or recording officer file number, receiving number, electronic
retrieval code, or other specific place) of each instrument in the public
records accessible in the same recording office where the instrument containing
the reference to the location is found.
(5) "Grantor/grantee" for recording purposes means the
names of the parties involved in the transaction used to create the recording
index. There will always be at least one grantor and one grantee for any
document. In some cases, the grantor and the grantee will be the same
individual(s), or one of the parties may be the public.
