Document Recording by County
Each county Recorder or Clerk sets its own recording fee and format rules. This directory states the fee and format rules for the three counties with guides, using only figures verified in those guides. Recording a document is not the same as requesting a copy of an already-recorded document, and copy requests are not this directory's topic.
Document recording by county
This directory covers presenting a document for recording with the county Recorder or Clerk. It does not cover requesting copies of documents that are already recorded. Copy requests are a separate matter, with separate copy charges, and no copy-request content is included here.
| County | Recording fee | Format rules | Affidavit or exhibit requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maricopa County, Arizona | $30 per instrument* | Caption; originals; 8.5 by 14 in. max; 10-point min.; one-half in. margins; 2-in. first-page top margin* | Affidavit of Legal Value* |
| Harris County, Texas | $25 first page; $4 per added page; $0.25 per name over five* | Originals; notarization where required; legal description; grantee and return addresses; 1 to 2 in. top and left margin | None stated on the Clerk page opened |
| Cook County, Illinois | $107, Class 1* | 8.5 by 11 in.; black ink; one-half in. margins; 3 by 5 in. blank upper right, first page; no staples* | Tax declarations or exemptions; affidavit; preparer and address details* |
Table notes: Maricopa County charges $15 where the United States, the state, or a political subdivision is a party and requests recording (A.R.S. 11-475); documents must be original and legible, with original signatures, and format rules are A.R.S. 11-480; the Affidavit of Legal Value is appended under A.R.S. 11-1133 unless the instrument bears an exemption notation under A.R.S. 11-1134. Harris County's fee statute is Tex. Local Government Code 118.011, and the legal description applies where applicable. Cook County's $107 is the Class 1 document fee for deeds, per the fee schedule effective April 1, 2024, with a $5 mail-return charge except Transfer on Death Instruments, and a non-conforming document charged an additional fee equal to the recording fee; format rules are 55 ILCS 5/4-12002, with black ink on white 20-pound paper; the affidavit cell covers transfer tax declarations and stamps or exemptions, a grantor/grantee affidavit statement for exempt and MyDec transfers, and preparer name and address, Mail To address, legal description, PIN, and common address.
Tools
Use the Document Recording Requirements Checker to see a county's fee, format rules, and affidavit or exhibit requirements, and to compute the Harris County fee from pages and indexed names.
Source
Fee and format figures from the county guides linked above, each grounded on the county and statute pages opened 2026-11-03 and listed in those guides' Source sections. No figure in this table comes from a county without a guide. Facts verified 2026-11-03.
This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice. For a dispute about your specific situation, talk to the county Recorder or Clerk named in the guide.
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