Washington County, NC - Register of Deeds

Location/Operations
120 Adams Street
PO Box 1007
Plymouth NC 27962

Office (252) 793-2325
FAX (252) 793-6982

Office Hours...M–F, 8:30–5 p.m.

See FAQs
Order Birth, Death and
Marriage Licenses Online
Find Deeds Online


Timothy J. Esolen Register of Deeds Phone: 252-793-2325 Email: tesolen@washconc.org		Brianne Sawyer Email: bvoliva@washconc.org Phone: (252) 793-2325 Fax: (252) 793-6982

What We Do

The Register of Deeds is an elected office serving a term of four years. The office exists primarily to enable the owner of an interest in property to give public notice of that ownership. The record notice in turn affords other persons interested in the property some protection against unknown transactions and secret liens. All transactions in Washington County go back to 1799 when the county was formed from Tyrrell County. Various types of documents filed in the office are old land grants, deeds, deeds of trust, maps, leases, agreements and powers of attorney.

The Register of Deeds also issues birth, death and marriage certificates as well as marriage licenses.

Fees & Requirements

North Carolina General Statutes (NCGS) 161-10(a) sets a uniform fee schedule as follows:

Deeds & Instruments in General	$26.00 for the first 15 pages; then, $4.00 for each additional page. Also, there is a $2 fee for each name to be indexed over 20. Requirements: Prior to recording, *all deeds* must be presented to the GIS (mapping) department to be assigned a parcel identifier number. All deeds must be submitted to the Washington County Tax Collector for certification that no delinquent taxes are due OR the deed must contain a statement by the closing attorney that delinquent taxes, if any, are to be paid by the closing attorney to the county tax collector upon disbursement of closing proceeds.
Deeds of Trust	$64.00 for the first 35 pages; then, $4.00 for each additional page.
Subsequent Instrument Fee	When an assignment refers to more than one original instrument for which recording data is required to be indexed, the fee is $10.00 for each additional reference

Instrument Recording Standards

Effective July 1, 2002, all instruments presented for registration, for which a fee is collected under North Carolina General Statutes (NCGS) 161–10(a), shall meet all of the following requirements:

Be on paper 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches or 8 1/2 inches by 14 inches.
Have a blank margin of three inches at the top of the first page and blank margins of 1/4 inches on the remaining sides of the first page and on all sides of subsequent pages. All exhibits and attachments to documents must also comply.
Be typed or printed in black and white paper in a legible font. A font size no smaller than 9 points shall be considered legible. Blanks in an instrument may be completed in pen (printed) and corrections to an instrument may be made in pen.
Have text typed or printed on one side of a page only.
State the type of instrument at the top of the first page.
If an instrument does not meet these requirements, the register of deeds shall register the instrument after collecting the fee of $25.00 for nonstandard documents as required by GS 161-101(a) (19) in addition to all other applicable recording fees.

Maps	$21.00
Map Requirements	All maps must be 18x24 and must be presented to the GIS (mapping) department to be assigned a parcel identifier number. All maps must be approved by the county review officer (located in GIS department). The only exception to this is that the map contain one of the following statements: That the survey is of an existing parcel or parcels of land and does not create a new street or change in an existing street; That the survey is of an existing building or other structure, or natural feature, such as a watercourse; or That the survey is a control survey.
Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) Financing Statements	Effective July 1, 2001, all original UCC's and amended UCC's will be filed at the Secretary of State's office in Raleigh, unless the UCC or amendment form indicates that the document is to be filed in the real estate records of the local filing office and meets all requirements to Revised Article 9. Only financing statements or amendments whose collateral includes fixtures, timber to be cut, or as-extracted minerals should be filed in the local filing office. Local filing offices will no longer perform searches on UCC's filed after June 30, 2001. Fee Schedule $38.00 up to 2 pages $45.00 3-10 pages Add $2 for each additional page. The non-standard document fee does not apply to the UCC National Standard Form. The fee will be charged to any other UCC form that does not comply with the formatting standards. $30 Per name for lien searches filed before July 1, 2001 No searches available for liens filed after June 30, 2001. Real estate related filings only. For information about non real property filings including additional information and National Standard Forms, see NC Secretary of State web site.
Cancellations or Certificates of Satisfaction	No Charge. Non-standard document fee does not apply to any form of cancellation.
Excise Tax	$1.00 on each $500.00 or part of for the consideration or value (i.e. sales price)
Marriage License	$60.00
Marriage License Requirements	A marriage license may be obtained from any Register of Deed's office in the state of North Carolina. The ceremony may take place in any county in the state; however, the marriage license must be returned to the county where the license was purchased to be filed. A driver's license and Social Security card are required for each applicant. If you do not have a Social Security card, you must provide proof of the number with a W–2 form, payroll stub, insurance card or printout from Social Security. If the applicant is between the ages of 16–18, a certified copy of his/her birth certificate is required. The consent of parent or guardian is required for applicants under the age of 18. Applicants under the age of 16 must call the Register's office for further information. Blood tests and physicals are no longer required. The license is valid for 60 days. Please arrive at our office prior to 4:30 pm as the process takes 15 to 20 minutes to perform.
Birth, Death & Marriage Certificate copies	$10.00 – Certified Copy $.25 – Uncertified copies
Birth, Death & Marriage Certificate Requirements	Certified copies of vital records are issued only to the applicant or immediate family members. You may apply in person or by writing to our office. Proof of identity is required when applying in person. Fax requests are not accepted.

FAQs

Q	What do I need to obtain a marriage license?
A	A marriage license may be obtained from any Register of Deed's office in the state of North Carolina. The ceremony may take place in any county in the state; however, the marriage license must be returned to the county where the license was purchased to be filed. A driver's license and Social Security card are required for each applicant. If you do not have a Social Security card, you must provide proof of the number with a W–2 form, payroll stub, insurance card or printout from Social Security. If the applicant is between the ages of 16–18, a certified copy of his/her birth certificate is required. The consent of parent or guardian is required for applicants under the age of 18. Applicants under the age of 16 must call the Register's office for further information. Blood tests and physicals are no longer required. The license is valid for 60 days and costs $60.00.

Q	How do I obtain a copy of a birth, death or marriage certificate?
A	Certified copies of vital records are issued only to the applicant or immediate family members. You may apply in person or by writing to our office. Proof of identity is required when applying in person. Fax requests are not accepted. The cost is $10.00 per certified copy.

Q	How far back do your records go?
A	Land records go back to 1799 when Washington County was formed from Tyrrell County. Marriage records go back to 1851. The actual licenses are on file beginning 1881. Death and birth records were started in N.C. in 1913; however, we have some births in the late 1800s and early 1900s. These births are delayed births and were obtained by the child after 1913. Requests for these records should be made in writing. Names and dates must be given in order for us to look up the information for genealogists. Uncertified copies are 25 cents each.\