Recording

The Recording Division of the County Clerk's office

The purpose of the Recording Division is to make and preserve public records dealing with real property transactions. Ownership of property can be traced back to the early 1850s in the records maintained by the Recording Division. The Recording Division also issues marriage licenses and the County Clerk performs weddings. The Recording Division has marriage records dating back to the 1840s.

The County Clerk and Recording Division does not support the courts. In 1983, The State of Oregon took over the District, Circuit, and Probate Courts from the county clerks. The court clerk can be reached at 503-655-8447 or Clackamas County Circuit Court. 

The Clackamas County Clerk will record all documents authorized by Oregon State or Federal law, rule or regulation affecting title to, or an interest in, real property. Documents must be properly executed and acknowledged, correctly identify the property, and meet all other form, titling and fee requirements to be recorded. All our records are preserved either on microfilm or computer image. We maintain a public viewing area for research and copying of records.

Recording Hours:

In accordance with state laws, the Recording Division must record and store public recorded instruments in a fair and open manner. Recordation of a document makes it a public record, putting the public on notice. Since the public and courts may use recorded instruments to establish validity of certain claims, all pages must be readable. Oregon statutes, the County Clerk and Clackamas County Counsel support the need for legible text within recorded documents.

If the legibility of an instrument or notary seal is questionable and a deadline may be compromised should the Recording Division reject the document; you may want to prepare a new, legible original instrument prior to submission. Client demands may not always make this possible, but the client should be made aware if legibility problems exist, and informed that there may be delays if documents are rejected.

Important Notice: HB2029 - Minimum font size changes to 10-point 

Effective Monday, January 1, 2024 HB2029 amends Oregon Revised Statute 205.232, changing minimum font size from 8-point to 10-point type for recorded documents.  Customers are urged to make the font size change now to avoid delay or additional charges after the bill takes affect.

Manager’s Index Notice

All documents recorded on May 1, 2023 and forward are currently indexed within two business days. These priority documents listed below are all currently indexed:

• All Liens
• All Clerk-Liens
• Death Certificates
• Deeds
• Tax Deferred Property Types
• UCC Mortgage Fixture Types
• Deed-Development Agreements
• Deed-Municipal Documents

For all other documents the current month the Recording Division is indexing is November 2021. The Recording Division is working hard to achieve completing the indexing process of the back-log. The current figure is approximately 53,400 as of September 1, 2023. That number will be updated monthly to keep the public informed.