Ingham County Recorder Mechanics Lien Filing

You can file your mechanic liens in person at the Ingham County Register of Deeds Office located at:

341 S. Jefferson St.
2nd Floor
Mason MI 48854

Phone: (517)676-7216

Hours of Operation:
Monday – Friday
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The Ingham County Register of Deeds Office does not publicly disclose information on recording backlog.

If your construction project is located in Ingham County, then yes, you should file your lien here.

The Ingham County Register of Deeds Office’s recording requirements are as follows:

All documents must have ORIGINAL signatures. Names must be typed, stamped or legibly printed beneath the original signature or mark of each signer. Signature or mark must be in black or dark blue ink. MCL 565.201(1)(a)

No discrepancy shall exist between the name of each person as printed, typed or stamped beneath their signature and name as recited by the notary’s acknowledgment/jurat. MCL 565.201(1)(b)

Documents purporting to convey or encumber real estate executed in Michigan must be acknowledged by a notary public, judge or clerk of a court of record. Instruments conveying land or interest in land executed in Michigan and acknowledged by a notary public shall include the notary’s signature, county and state of commission, commission expiration date, name of the party(ies) being acknowledged and state and county where the document was executed. MCL 565.8, MCL 565.47; form: MCL 565.265, MCL 565.267

The commissioned name of any notary public whose signature appears on the instrument must be legibly printed or stamped on the same page and near the signature of the notary for each acknowledgement that appears on the document. MCL 565.201(1)(c)

The address of each of the grantees in a deed of conveyance or assignment of real estate, including street number address or post office address, is legibly printed, typed or stamped on the instrument. MCL 565.201(1)(d)

Name and address of the person who drafted the instrument must appear on documents executed after January 1, 1964. MCL 565.201(1)(i)

Documents must display on the first line of print on the first page, a single statement identifying the recordable event that the document evidences. MCL 565.201(1)(f)(ii)

Instruments shall not purport to evidence more than one recordable event. MCL 565.201(3); MCL 565.201(2)

Documents submitted for recording must be legibly printed in black ink, on white paper not less than 20lb weight and must have a type size no smaller than 10 point. The top margin must be a blank space of at least 2½” for the first page of the document and ½” for all other margins. MCL 565.201(1)(f)(i-iv), MCL 565.201(2)

The size of the document and any attachment must be at least 8½” by 11” and no larger than 8½” by 14”. MCL 565.201(1)(f)(v-vi)

A certified copy of the death certificate or proof of death must be recorded as a separate document and referenced by Liber & Page or Instrument Number on said document when “survivor” is indicated. MCL 565.48

A Certificate of Trust and Authority, amendments to or revocation of a trust agreement must be recorded as a separate document if it accompanies another document for recording. MCL 565.434

Court orders must be certified and sealed (raised seal) by the clerk of the court. MCL 565.401, MCL 565.411

Unless required by state or federal law, no more than 4 sequential digits of any social security number may appear on a recorded instrument. MCL 565.201(1)(g)

Documents must include the date the instrument is signed, sealed and acknowledged by the grantor. MCL 565.151, MCL 565.154, MCL 565.267

Fees are due upon recording. MCL 600.2567(1)(a), MCL 600.2567(2)

The total value of real property must be stated on the face of the document or a real estate transfer tax valuation affidavit must be attached. MCL 207.502, MCL 207.504, MCL 207.511, MCL 207.525(2), MCL 207.533

An instrument or any part of an instrument in a language other than English must have an English translation attached to the instrument when presented for recording. MCL 565.201(1)(h)

White-out and corrective tape is not permitted on any document to be submitted for recording. MCL 750.249

Documents submitted for recording must be legibly printed in black ink, on white paper not less than 20lb weight and must have a type size no smaller than 10 point. The top margin must be a blank space of at least 2½” for the first page of the document and ½” for all other margins. MCL 565.201(1)(f)(i-iv), MCL 565.201(2)

The size of the document and any attachment must be at least 8½” by 11” and no larger than 8½” by 14”. MCL 565.201(1)(f)(v-vi)

The Ingham County Register of Deeds Office’s recording fees are as follows:

Recording Fees

Construction Lien/Claim of Lien: $30.00
Discharge of Construction/Claim of Lien: $30.00
Notice of Commencement: $30.00

Federal Tax Lien/Real Estate: $30.00
Federal Tax Lien/Release/Real Estate: $30.00
Federal Tax Lien Discharge/Real Estate: $30.00

State Tax Lien/Real Property: $30.00
State Tax Lien/Certificate of Release/Real Property: $30.00
State Tax Lien/Certificate of Discharge/Real Property: $30.00

Copy Fees

Copies: $1.00 per page
Certification: $5.00 per document

You can obtain a recorded copy of your lien in person, by mail or online.

In Person

You can visit the the Ingham County Register of Deeds Office located at:

341 S. Jefferson St.
2nd Floor
Mason MI 48854

Phone: (517)676-7216

Hours of Operation:
Monday – Friday
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Copies of documents prior to 1960 are available at the Register of Deeds office in Mason, MI. Copies of documents are $1.00 per copied page.

Mail

You can mail a request for a copy, including the name and/or property description, or book/page or document number, and a check for the amount of the copies requested, to this address:

Register of Deeds Copies
P.O Box 195
Mason, MI 48854

Online

There are 3 online search options for the Register of Deeds records.

If you have any questions or concerns about these search options you can contact Register of Deeds Derrick Quinney at 517-676-7216, or Trisha Gerring at 517-676-7294.

Direct Search

Direct Search is a free index search option. The records available through this free search are from 1956 to present, except for the last 7 days. This search is now ONLY an index search for records recorded in our office. You may print the search results and go to the Tapestry search page to purchase the documents. You may also mail a request for the documents you wish to purchase, along with your payment, to the office. As always, you may come into the office for the copies of records. Direct any questions or concerns to Trisha Gerring, Chief Deputy Register. She is available by email or phone at 517-676-7294.

You can access the Index Search here:
https://mi2laredo.fidlar.com/MIIngham/DirectSearch/

Tapestry

Property records in Tapestry are available from 1956 to the current effective date and images are available from 1960 to the current effective date. The fee is $6.95 per search. Your credit card will be charged $1.00 per page if you wish to print any images.

You can access Tapestry here: https://tapestry.fidlar.com/Tapestry2/

Laredo

Laredo is a subscription based service for anyone who performs title searches on a regular basis.

Property records in Laredo are available from 1956 to the current effective date, and images are available from 1960 to the current effective date.

Laredo has set subscription plan rates, and images are $1.00 per page.

The Laredo program can be downloaded by clicking here: https://www.fidlar.com/Laredo.aspx

Select “Michigan” and “Ingham” from the pull-down menus.

You can contact the office for subscription information or to get started with a subscription at 517-676-7216.

You can get the property’s legal description from the Ingham County Register of Deeds Office in person.

You can search the Ingham County Register of Deeds Index online at:
https://mi2laredo.fidlar.com/MIIngham/DirectSearch/ or at
https://tapestry.fidlar.com/Tapestry2/

You can also search for property legal descriptions online with the Ingham County Equalization/Tax Mapping Department at: https://bsaonline.com/?uid=383