Morrisville, N.C. – Alaska has become the third multi-jurisdictional state in which 100 percent of its recording jurisdictions are eRecording enabled.
Colorado was the first multi-jurisdictional state to earn the 100 percent designation, with Arizona reaching that landmark in 2012. Hawaii also claims 100 percent with its state-based recording system.
According to State Recorder, Vicky Backus, “Alaska is divided into 34 recording districts which are under the jurisdiction of the State of Alaska so recording is handled at the state level not in the borough or municipality. We initially looked into building our own internal eRecording system but we also shopped around to see what was available. Alaska began eRecording in 2012 at our Anchorage office and expanded out from there. Effective January 2014, Alaska can boast having all 34 recording districts set up for eRecording.
With the number of counties that are eRecording across the nation surpassing the 1,060 mark, more states are expected to join Alaska, Arizona, Colorado and Hawaii with 100 percent involvement.
Electronic recording (eRecording) is the process of submitting electronic documents to a land records office which receives and examines those documents, calculates fees and receives electronic payment for those documents, as well as the subsequent electronic return of the recorded documents to the submitter. When compared to a paper-based process, eRecording improves the quality of data, reduces turn-around times and provides significant cost savings.
"eRecording hit another milestone with one more state falling into the 100 percent column,” declares David Ewan, PRIA president and underwriting counsel for Westcor Land Title Insurance Company. “We hope to increase the pace of full-participation states by developing seamless implementation strategies through the use of the PRIA eRecording eXcellence Work Group."
“It’s exciting to see so many counties embracing this technology and, along with the technology, the PRIA standards,” said Larry Burtness, recorder, Washoe County, Nev., PRIA vice president and co-chair of the Technology Committee
PRIA, the national standard-setting body for the land records industry, maintains a list of counties that have implemented eRecording technology and posts the list on the association’s Website (www.pria.us). The list includes counties whose implementations have been confirmed by PRIA and is available to the public.
About PRIA
The Property Records Industry Association (PRIA) develops and promotes national standards and best practices for the land records industry. PRIA is a coalition of government and business partners collaborating 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.