Some counties in Iowa (I don't research enough to know if it's standard across the state) forbid cameras in the offices. They'll make you a copy for a fee, usually not exorbitant.
I'm not sure if it's revenue enhancement or a precaution against massive copying of documents that for some years had SSNs on them.
> I do have to ask, did she leave the courthouse, or just the room?
She left the room and was gone at least several minutes, that's all I can say.
Well, some counties down here don't have the copier in the book room, so that would not be an uncommon sight.
Frankly, I can't say that I've heard of anyone actually stealing the pages from a book around here.
A county clerk in the Eagle Ford got $280k to scan index the records.
Title companies would walk across glass to scan the records for free. The
clerk should ask for an electronic copy for giving permission.
Another clerk in south Texas got the commissioners to give him a millions bucks
for rehabilitation and scanning. The contractor takes every page and soaks it in
a chemical solution to take out yellowing and wrinkles. All records and plats are
on-line free. If you ask for the original plat to get a better read on lot dimensions,
they act real irritated.
There are so many high-tech devices that are very discrete in scanning the deed books:
1. I-phone
2. Fujitsu has an overhead scanner that looks like a viewer.
3. LG mouse that can scan just by rubbing over the deed book, edge-matching is real time.
Most clerks except for the high-population counties don't have a clue what you are doing.
If county clerks or employees are snooping around, the screen scan view can be saved and
the screen changes very quickly.
To get the clerk or recorder to get on your side, page through the deed books until you find
page(s) out of order. Take the book over to the clerk and ask for permission to put the page
in the correct place. This will make you friends very quick.
I take books apart all the time in the local courthouses. I wouldn't have a bunch of coffee crap laying around though. They don't usually like you trying to lay books like that on the copy machine glass, it can scratch it up.
Navarro County is a bit strange to work in to say the least. I had to go to the District Clerk to get a partition after about 5 hours in the county clerks office and I found the case and asked for a copy of it and how much. They said it was $1 for the first page and $0.10/page after that. I asked why it wasn't $1/page for any page. She said that wouldn't be right and that no one did that. I informed her that beneath her feet in the county clerk's office they were doing just that and every district clerks office I'd been in was $1/page. I paid her fee but it went up VERY shortly thereafter. 🙂
My experience has been half and half. Some courthouses this used to be the only way to get copies, if you made them yourself. Others threaten to tar and feather you when you ask if you can take the book apart or if you need to wait on them.
Lately I have been using the crap out of CamScanner on my phone. You can quickly make a multi-page PDF and name it DB100PG101 or whatever.
Some courthouses prohibit use of cell phones, but I ask if they mind if I keep track and pay for copies, but use my phone instead. I point out that it is less wear and tear or on their books and copier. So really, they make even more money if they let me use my phone.
I like to use it because it has really sped me up, not having to take books apart - fighting to get them back together - waiting for a copier to be free - someone has it set to legal/tabloid and I need the other - on and on...
What a dumbass
I thought that it was expected with books like those. Barnstable County, Nantucket County and Duke's County (Martha's vineyard) are like that...
Jersey City,Hudson County, New Jersey courthouse deed vault some years ago. I get a grantee index and find my deed. Great I navigate to my page, or so I thought. 22 pages missing for 2 deeds cut out with a straight razor or knife I believe.
Clerk (not the County Clerk) says, "What do you want me to do about it?"
A great way to get banished from the office.
In my Vermont town, opening the binding to make a good copy is just fine. The food, drink, and sloppy placement of the loose pages, not so much.
> Well, some counties down here don't have the copier in the book room, so that would not be an uncommon sight.
>
> Frankly, I can't say that I've heard of anyone actually stealing the pages from a book around here.
I'm not concerned about intentional theft but rather about the general mayhem that must be inflicted on the public record by this practice.
> A county clerk in the Eagle Ford got $280k to scan index the records.... Another clerk in south Texas got the commissioners to give him a millions bucks for rehabilitation and scanning.
A motivated summer intern with a halfway modern multifunction office machine could scan 75% of this county's records in one summer.
How about contacting the local Title Company for a copy. They usually are better organized than the county and sometimes have more records.
In GA, we have 159 Counties and you can get a variation of 159 answers. Some counties would think taking the books apart is a lot better than what Sherman did to the records.
I have been banned in three county clerk's offices in Texas. I think there are 254 clerks
in Texas. The county clerks at those locations still do not get $1 a copy for what I order.
Of course, I have sent a couple of attorneys from Greg Abbott's office to open the books.
The public information law allows you access to public deed records.
These are public records not county clerk's records.
I am blessed. I have courthouse keys and record room access for two county courthouses for after-hours research. I am known by many chancery clerks, and was trained by my father-in-law, a chancery clerk for 36 years. I have and demonstrate a great respect for those priceless public records. The da##ed union army burned my home county records prior to 1864, but I very seldom need to go back that far. Some of the original plats have been lost, but faded blue line copies are still in the plat books. Only within the past several years have tax maps gone "on line" and I can pull the deed book and page numbers from my office before going to the record room. Only two nearby counties are still paper record counties, and they are very friendly and helpful.
If it'll make you feel better, you can blame a couple of my ancestors. One represented Ohio and the other represented Illinois despite being a native New Yorker.
On the other hand, I think some of my other ancestors may have been shooting back at them in the Virginia/West Virginia neighborhood.
