Morrisville, N.C. – The Board of Directors of the Property Records Industry Association (PRIA) has approved for publication the group’s most recent briefing paper, “Recording Jurisdiction Identifiers.” This briefing paper was written and submitted by PRIA’s Uniform Numbering System Work Group under the guidance of the Business Processes and Procedures Committee.
Recording Jurisdiction Identifiers (RJID) provide an exact identity for a recording jurisdiction, thus ensuring that a document is sent to the correct recording jurisdiction. It helps eliminate confusion with jurisdictions with similar names in different states such as Orange County, Calif., Orange County, Fla., Orange County, Ind. and Orange County, N.J. The RJID will also aid submitters by allowing accurate fees and taxes to be paid to the correct recording jurisdiction.
The members of the Uniform Numbering System Work Group began by establishing a standard format for identifying all recording jurisdictions within a state, listing the jurisdictions in alpha order and then assigning a number, beginning with the postal code for the state followed by 001, and numbering sequentially all recording jurisdictions in that state. Once done, each state was contacted to determine if there was an already existing statewide numbering system. When a pre-existing numbering system existed, the RJID directory was changed to reflect that existing system. The process of identifying, numbering and confirming all recording jurisdictions took six months to complete.
Adoption of RJID numbering is voluntary but many recording jurisdictions already have implemented the new format which will be a significant benefit to document submitters.
The Uniform Numbering System Work Group plans to initiate phase two of this project as a go-forward uniform document numbering system.
According to the Uniform Numbering System Work Group Co-chair, Jeff Carlson, Indecomm Global Services, “There was no single source of identifying recording jurisdictions nationally. FIPS codes only identify counties while many recording jurisdictions are based on cities, districts and boroughs. PRIA seemed to be the logical repository to hold and maintain this information. It is our hope this information will be useful for both the private and public sectors. PRIA has already embarked on a project to incorporate this identifier into a GIS map.”
Kay Wrucke, PRIA president and recorder in Martin Co., Minn., observed, “Development of the RJID number is another prime example of how representatives from multiple segments of the recording industry can work together to the benefit of all stakeholders. PRIA was founded for just such purposes and everyone involved in the project can be justifiably proud of this accomplishment for the betterment of document recording in the United States.
The briefing paper is accessible on the PRIA website for both members and non-members.
About PRIA
The Property Records Industry Association develops and promotes national standards and best practices for the land records industry. PRIA is a coalition of government and business partners cooperating to formulate positions on issues of common interest. PRIA strives to identify areas of consensus within the industry, leading to recommendations for national standards pertaining to recordable documents. For more information on PRIA, visit www.pria.us.