In order for a document to be recorded, it must be one that is authorized by law to be recorded in the Deed Book and it must meet certain statutory provisions. Documents that do not meet the following requirements will not be recorded and will be returned:  

• Cover sheets are not required.
• Must meet all of the Recordation Standards regarding font size (9pt or larger), margins (1.5" top margin, 0.75" left, right & bottom margins), paper type, etc. Plats and other drawings have their own set of standards. 
• Writings presented for recordation shall be original documents, signed and properly acknowledged. Only black or dark blue ink for signatures is acceptable.
• Any individual that will be indexed as a grantor or grantee must have their last name only either underscored or the last name must be the only part of the name written entirely in CAPITAL LETTERS. This includes trustees on certificates of satisfaction and trustees on deeds of trust as they are indexed parties.  
  • Correct examples: John DOE / JOHN DOE / John Doe / John DOE SMITH / JOHN DOE SMITH
  • Incorrect examples: JOHN DOE / John Doe / JOHN Doe / JOHN DOE / John Doe / JOHN Doe / John DOE SMITH / John DOE SMITH / JOHN DOE SMITH / John DOE Smith / JOHN DOE Smith
• All party names must be typed. Handwritten names are not acceptable. If names cannot be typed on document, a typed cover sheet can be added. 
• Parcel ID numbers/tax map numbers are required on the first page of deeds and deeds of trust and must be in proper format for indexing. This requirement does not apply for timeshare documents. See Parcel ID Info section below for more information. 
• Deeds must have consideration and actual value shown on the first page, unless exemption codes are provided on first page. 
  • If  a document with taxes being collected involves multiple jurisdictions, percentages must be noted on the document, preferably on the first page. 
• If exempt, the code section(s) under which any exemption from recordation taxes and/or clerk’s fee is claimed must be stated on first page of document. If cover sheet is provided, exemptions codes can be located on cover sheet or actual first page of document. 
  • Two conflicting exemptions codes should not be on the same document, i.e. do not have 58.1-803(D) (increase in amount borrowed) and 58.1-809 (no change/decrease in amount borrowed) on the same document as only one can apply to the document.  
• The attorney or party who prepares the writing for recordation shall ensure that….(i) the social security number is removed from the writing prior to the instrument being submitted for recordation, (ii) a deed conveying residential property containing not more than four residential dwelling units states on the first page of the document the name of the title insurance underwriter insuring such instrument or a statement that the existence of title insurance is unknown to the preparer, and (iii) a deed conveying residential property containing not more than four residential dwelling units states on the first page of the document that it was prepared by the owner of the real property or by an attorney licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth where such statement by an attorney shall include the name and Virginia State Bar number of the attorney who prepared the deed, provided, however, that clause (iii) shall not apply to deeds of trust or to deeds in which a public service company, railroad, or cable system operator is either a grantor or grantee, and it shall be sufficient for the purposes of clause (iii) that deeds prepared under the supervision of the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia so state without the name of an attorney or bar number.

• Recordation fees and taxes will vary, use the Virginia Judicial System's Circuit Court Deed Calculation to help determine fees.
  • If document has an oversized plat attached (larger than legal size 8.5" x 14"), please do not use the Deed Calculation site to calculate for the oversized pages as it is incorrect for our office. Add $22 for each oversized page to be recorded. 
  • Deeds and deeds of trust only for property located entirely within the City of Harrisonburg will be $3 less than the fee calculator shows.  
  • Multiple fees will be assessed on documents that are multi-titles, i.e. Deed of Trust and Assignment of Rents & Leases, Deed of Subordination and Substitution of Trustee, etc. and the document will be indexed as each document type.  
• There is a $2.50 fee per paper document filed in the office. This fee does not apply to e-recordings. 
• Checks can be made payable to Clerk of Court. We accept cash, checks, money orders and credit cards in office. Credit cards are subject to a 4% surcharge. 
• Recordings can be mailed in with payment to the address shown in the Contact Us section on the top right. Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for return of documents. Documents are mailed back within 24 hours of recordation or rejection. Our office will not call to notify of rejections for documents received by mail. 
• If a check or money order is $0.01-$25.00 over, the overage is automatically put into excess and will not be refunded. If check or money order is over $25.00, document(s) will be returned for a new check/money order. If the check is from an individual or company that has a house account, overages will automatically be credited as an account payment. 

 E-Recording Partners

In order to e-record in our office, you will need to register as a trusted submitter with any company that we are partnered with. Click on either logo to visit their site.

Parcel ID numbers can be obtained by searching the City of Harrisonburg Real Estate Property Information or Rockingham County GIS. 

City of Harrisonburg Info

• For the City of Harrisonburg, it is referred to as Acct #, e.g. 34 W 6, we will not accept the PID or Bill Account number. 

Rockingham County Info

• For Rockingham County, it is referred to as the Parcel or Map Number, e.g. 107-A- 196A1, we will not accept the account number. Needs to be in proper format as shown, 107A196A1 would not be acceptable.  

Please note on the document what has been changed to help our staff quickly determine if a new signature is required to be attached and to help searchers in the future be able to tell what was changed between the original and the re-recording without having to compare the documents page by page.  

If the original of the recorded document cannot be located, a deed of correction can be prepared for deeds and a new document can be created for other document types. New documents will need to reference the recording information for the previously recorded document on the first page since it will not have a recording label/stamp so staff and auditors will know taxes were paid previously, if applicable. and to allow for cross-referencing in the index.

Signatures and acknowledgements

• If the document that was recorded previously has not been altered since it was signed and recorded, there is no need for re-acknowledgment of the document. Examples of this include an exhibit, rider or plat clearly identified but omitted from the original recording, or pages or documents previously recorded out of sequence. Corrections to the notary acknowledgement would also be included since the notary section was not completed when the parties signed the document. 
• If the document has been altered in any way from when it was signed and recorded, it will need to be signed again by the same parties in front of a notary and the new signature page(s) will be added to the end of the document for re-recording.

Correction of Obvious Description Errors by Affidavit - § 55.1-609

There is an option in the Code of Virginia to correct "obvious description errors" by affidavit for certain documents. See § 55.1-609 for more information. This may be an option if the original parties cannot sign a new document for any reason but please note the requirements under subsections C & D. Optional format for form is provided in subsection H. 

Requesting a Copy

There are several ways to request copies of our records from our office:

• In person at the Clerk’s Office during normal office hours, Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm, excluding holidays. The Deed Room is located in the Circuit Court (old courthouse in the middle of Court Square) on the first floor to the right of the elevator. Eight public access stations are available for the public to use. Copies are 50¢ per page; we accept cash, checks, money orders and credit cards. All credit card transactions will include a 4% surcharge. Certification fee is $2.00 plus the cost of copies for the entire document being certified. 
• Online 
  • Indexes are free. A subscription is required to view, download or print most images. See a list of images that are free to view here       .  There is a 15-minute subscription option for $5.20 along with a $26 monthly and $312 yearly subscription options. Available 24/7/365. Please see the Secure Remote Access Info section below for more information  
• By phone as long as:
  • the caller has all the information needed to locate the document quickly. All of our records are indexed by name and book/page only. Property address cannot be used to locate records in our database. Callers should know the owner’s name or book/page for the document prior to calling. Approximate date of purchase is also helpful if there are numerous transactions under the owner’s name. You use the free indexes available on our Secure Remote Access to search for recording information, if needed. 
  • Payment must be made over the phone by credit card only. Copies are 52¢ per page and copies can be emailed or mailed. Certified copies must be mailed. Certification is an additional $2 fee. 
  • Copies can be requested at 540-564-3126 or 540-564-3124.
• By mail
  • Please provide owner’s name or book/page for the document requested. Approximate date of purchase is also helpful if there are numerous transactions under the owner’s name. You may need to contact our office at 540-564-3126 or 540-564-3124 prior to mailing the request to determine the amount needed for payment. Checks should be made payable to Clerk of Court.
  • You can mail a copy request along with payment for copies and a self-addressed stamped envelope to our office at:  

                            Rockingham County Circuit Court 
                             Attn: Copy Request 
                             80 Court Square 
                             Harrisonburg, VA 22802