Recording

Douglas County Courthouse buildingDocuments recorded by the auditor include, but are not limited to, deeds, real estate contracts, liens and other written instruments which are required by law to be filed in the county. The records become public upon filing and are indexed accordingly. The exact time of filing is recorded with a time stamp so that if several instruments are filed on the same day, it is easy to determine priority of a document when referring back to it.

Over the years, the method used for recording documents has evolved from a system of manual transcription in ledger books, to digitally scanning and indexing documents. 

  1. Document Recording
  2. Records Search
  3. Marriage Licenses

Requirements for Recorded Documents

Documents not meeting the requirements may be returned for compliance. 

Washington State Document Requirements INFO

Cover Sheets

A standard cover sheet may be used for the first page of the document, to  fulfill the three inch top margin and indexing requirements. One dollar will be added to the recording fee when a standard cover sheet is used. 

Recording Fees

The Recording costs are set by state law and vary based on the document type and number of pages. 

NEW Recording Fee Schedule Effective July 23, 2023

Documents Requiring an Excise Form

Instruments that convey property are required to be submitted with a completed Real Estate Excise Tax Affidavit. The Douglas County Treasurer processes this form and collects associated fees. Questions regarding the requirement or completion of the Real Estate Excise Affidavit should be directed to the Douglas County Treasurer.

Documents Requiring a Notice of Continuance 

Some properties classified as open space or agriculture land may require a Notice of Continuance to complete the transaction. This is a Douglas County Assessor office form. Any questions regarding the Notice of Continuance should be directed to the Douglas County Assessor

Submit your Document for Recording

By MailPeople working at a desk Opens in new window

Submit documents with exact fee to

Douglas County Auditor
PO Box 456
Waterville, WA 98858

In Person

213 S. Rainier Street
Waterville, WA 98858

eRecording

Douglas County has contracted with the following eRecording vendors to enable electronic submission of documents and fees for recording. eRecord submissions received by 3:30p.m. will be recorded same workday. Documents received after that time may record the following day. 

CSC eRecording

Contact CSC eRecording
Phone: 866-652-0111

Simplifile

Contact Simplifile
Simplifile Website
Phone: 800-460-5657