Recording Standards

The 1996 legislative process passed Minnesota Statute 507.093 to establish document standards for recording real estate documents in Minnesota. Following the legislative process, the Minnesota County Recorder's Association formed a committee to produce a guideline on the interpretation of the new law. The Minnesota County Recorder's Association voted to accept the guideline. The standards and guidelines can be viewed on the Minnesota County Recorder's Association web site. The law includes all documents dated August 1, 1997 or after.

Helpful Hints

• be no larger than 8 1/2 inches by 14 inches
• be on white paper of at least 20 pound weight (copy machine weight) with no background color or highlighter and at least a 1/2 inch border on all sides of each page.
• contain a 3-inch blank space at the top on the first page for county use.
• prominently display the title of the document on the first page below the 3-inch blank space.
• not contain attachments which cover up any information on any page of the document.
• be legible enough to reproduce a readable copy using Recorder / Registrar's current method of reproduction.

When creating forms, always leave 3 inches of blank space at the top of the first page.

Brief Recap of Minnesota Statute 507.093 Documents shall: be printed, typewritten or computer generated in black ink with type no smaller than 8 point.