SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2521        FILED ON: 4/13/2010

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2369

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Ten

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An Act to clarify recording requirements at registries of deeds.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Chapter 36 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out section 14 and inserting in place thereof the following section:

Section 14.  Each register shall keep a record, in book or electronic form, into which the register shall enter recording information for all instruments accepted for record, in the order in which they are recorded.  Upon recording of an instrument, the following information shall be entered into the record:  the day, hour and minute when the register assigns an instrument number, and/or book and page number as the case may be; the instrument number and/or book and page number so assigned; the names of the grantors and grantees in the instrument; and the city or town in which the land lies. 

No instrument received by the register shall be considered recorded, until the register assigns to the instrument an instrument number, and/or book and page number as the case may be.

Any change or correction made to the record shall be accessible to the public through the computer system in that particular registry district.  Such change or correction made to the record shall be maintained by the register and shall be available for public inspection at said registry district during registry business hours.  Any change or correction to the record shall document the nature and date of the change or correction.