Document Recording Standards

Documents recorded must meet GS 161-14 (b) as follows:

• Be 8 1/2 X 11 or 8 1/2 X 14
• Have a 3 inch blank margin at top of first page and 1/2 inch blank margin on remaining sides of first page and on all sides of subsequent pages
• Black type on white paper.
• Font size no smaller than 9 points (Blanks in an instrument may be completed in pen and corrections to an instrument may be made in pen.)
• Only one-sided typed or printed text
• Type of instrument at top of first page below blank margin

If instrument does not meet requirement outlined above, Register of Deeds shall register the instrument after collecting a $25.00 fee for non- standard documents as required by GS 16 1 -1 0(a)(I 9). If an instrument fails to meet the requirement of font size (less than 9 points), but is determined by the Registrar that the instrument is legible, the Register of Deeds may record without collecting the non-standard fee charge.

New North Carolina Indexing Standards

• Indexing Rule Changes [PDF]
• Minimum Standards for Indexing [PDF]
• Sort Order (ASCII) [PDF]