March 28, 2024

What to do if the Original Document is Lost

If you have lost or misplaced your original deed (or other legal document which has been recorded), you can obtain a certified copy from the Register of Deeds where the original document was recorded.  A certified copy has the legal validity of the original document.

The Fall River County Register of Deeds can provide certified copies of documents recorded in the County since the late 1800’s.  Copies of documents pertaining to the ownership of real estate located in Oglala Lakota (AKA: Shannon) County and Fall River County are available from this office.  Copies of mortgages, assignment of mortgages, contract for deeds, easements etc.

Certified copies can be obtained in person, by mail or over the phone with a credit card (for an additional fee).  Uncertified copied may also be obtained in person, by mail, or over the phone with a credit card but can also be emailed or faxed for an additional fee on top of the credit card transaction fee). The customer needs to provide specific information to be able to find the document such as book and page.  If you do not have the book and page, we need to know the legal description, the grantor’s names and the grantees name and the approximate date of the document.

The cost, by law, for an uncertified document is $1.00 per pages.  The cost by law for certified copies of a document is $5.00 for the first page and $1.00 each additional page.

Once we have received the fee and the request for the documents, if you want us to fax or email the documents to you so it is quicker we would be more then happy to.  Some documents do not fax very well or at all, however, because of the condition of the documents when they were copied.

Return to Register of Deeds page
Return to Recording of Real Estate Documents page

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