County Requirements of Cover Sheets and New Recording Fees

The New Jersey Legislature enacted on January 17, 2012 “[a]n Act concerning title recordation and revising various parts of the statutory law.” P.L. 2011, C. 217. Most of the changes became effective on May 1, 2012. Within the legislation was a provision that vested the chief recording officer of the County with the discretion when to implement the requirement of a cover sheet, but in no event later than five (5) years following the effective date of the Act. May 1, 2017 will be the last day for every county recording officer to effect the necessary change within the County system to comply with the cover- sheet requirement.

N.J.S.A. 46:26A-5.b. provides in pertinent part:

The cover sheet or electronic synopsis shall include:

1. the nature of the document;
2. the date of the document;
3. the names of the parties to the document and any other names by which the document is to be indexed;
4. if the document is a deed conveying title to real property:
   • the lot and block number or other real property tax designation of the real property conveyed or a statement that the information is not available;
   • the consideration for the conveyance;
   • the mailing address of the grantee; and
5. if the document is an assignment, release or satisfaction of a mortgage or an agreement respecting a mortgage, it states the book and page number or the document identifying number of the mortgage to which it relates if the mortgage has been given such a number

A related provision, N.J.S.A. 46:26A-5.c., establishes that the county recording officer must assess a charge for improperly presented documents for recording once the cover-sheet requirement is implemented: If the person submitting the document for recording does not include a cover sheet or electronic synopsis, the recording office shall charge an additional fee of $20 for the additional cost of indexing.

The cover sheet being used in each county is required by law to be posted on that county’s website. While the law specifies exactly what information must be included on the Cover Sheet, the format may vary by county. Thus, it should not be assumed that a Cover Sheet which applies in one county may be used in another.

The following page will give you the web location for the cover sheet from each county.

New Jersey Index of County Recording Cover sheet and Announcement