Fees - Real Estate Records

The Register of Deeds office records, files, maintains, and retrieves all documents relating to real property in Van Buren County.

Checks should be made payable to Register of Deeds Send to: 219 E Paw Paw St, Suite 102 Paw Paw, MI 49079. Please include a self addressed stamped envelope for anything we will be mailing back to you.

Copies are $1.00 per page.

($5.00 certification fee per document)

Recording fees

for entering and recording any Deed, Mortgage, Lis Pendens or Other Instrument are as follows:

$30 per document regardless of the number of pages starting Oct 1st 2016

*$4.00 of this fee is deposited to the Michigan State Survey & Remonumentation (MSSR) Fund. This fee is not required for fixture filings, state liens, federal liens, MESC liens, State Deeds, or Plats.

For any document that assigns or discharges more than one instrument, $3.00 shall be added to the fee for each instrument so assigned or discharged.

Warranty deeds, land contracts or assignments of land contracts, or deeds that contain a covenant of warranty, must obtain a tax certificate from the County Treasurer's office prior to recording. A $5.00 fee is charged for the certificate. The $5.00 fee may be included in register of deeds payment.

Michigan Real Estate Transfer Taxes

A written instrument subject to the tax imposed by MCL 207.505 Sec. 5 and MCL 207.526 Sec. 6 shall state on its face the Total Consideration of the real property, the appropriate State and/or County exemption, or a Real Estate Transfer Valuation Affidavit shall be filed. (See forms for details). Transfer tax imposed by each act shall be collected unless the transfer is exempt from either or both acts and such exemptions are stated on the face of the instrument. The tax shall be upon the person who is the seller or the grantor. If the value of the real estate transferred is $100.00 or more, payment of State and County transfer tax is required. • Rate of County tax - $ .55 per $500 & under or fraction thereof • Rate of State tax - $3.75 per $500 & under or fraction thereof (See table) In the case of an exchange of two properties the deeds transferring title to each are subject to tax, and in each case shall be computed on the basis of the actual value of the property conveyed.

Conveyances affecting property situated in more than one county must state the portion of the sales price attributable to each parcel lying in the separate counties and transfer tax must be paid to each county for that portion of the sale price. No fee is charged for filing the

"Real Estate Transfer Valuation Affidavit,"

but the instrument should state that a real estate transfer valuation affidavit is being filed.

Application for State Real Estate Transfer Tax (SRETT) Refund

When a seller pays the SRETT to the Register of Deeds, and later determines that the sale (transfer) of the real property was exempt from the SRETT, the Michigan Department of Treasury will process an application for a refund of the SRETT. Once the application information is verified, Treasury will issue a check payable to the seller for the amount of the SRETT. This form must be filed within four years from the date the tax was paid.