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RECORDING REQUIREMENTS

Effective January 1, 1997, all documents submitted for recording, in the State of Washington, must conform to the standards set forth by RCWs 36.18 and 65.04. A cover sheet is required for documents where the first page does not contain the necessary index fields or the three-inch top margin. A cover sheet will not relieve you of the responsibility of meeting formatting requirements. All pages must conform to formatting requirements for margins, page size, font size, color, legibility, seals and attachments. Documents that do not meet these requirements will be returned. Once reformatted, they can be resubmitted for recording.

The Auditor’s office records documents as required by RCW 36.18. This notice is a reminder of the items that must be in compliance for a document to be recorded. The most common formatting error is the lack of one-inch margins. Statute requires at least a one-inch margin on all pages.

The following standards are required:

1. The first page of the document, or the cover sheet, must include the following information:
    __Title(s)__Reference Number __Grantor __Grantee __Legal Description __Assessor’s Parcel Number
2. Return name & address must be on the first page in the top left corner.
3. If a cover sheet is not used, the first page must include a three-inch top margin and one-inch bottom and side margins. Subsequent pages must have one-inch margins on all sides.
4. If a cover sheet is used, it must have a three-inch top margin and one-inch bottom and side margins. Subsequent pages must have one-inch margins on all sides.
5. All field information must be completed. (See attached is not acceptable.)
6. All field information must be legible and capable of being imaged.
7. Seals must be legible and capable of being imaged.
8. Attachments, such as stapled, taped or glued notary blocks, are not acceptable.
9. Margins must be clear of all writing and free of hole punches.
10. Page size must be 8 1/2" x 14" or less.
11. Font size must be at least 8 point.

Documents that were signed prior to January 1, 1997, may be recorded without re-formatting. However, a cover sheet will be required.