e-RECORDING

The purpose of this document is to define the requirements, processes and guidelines for a commercial or governmental entity to become an authorized submitter of electronically filed real property documents and court documents.

Electronic Filing of Court Cases

For more information on eFiling court cases, please visit the State of Texas web site at: www.eFileTexas.gov

Electronic Recording of Official Public Records

Tarrant County began eRecording in February 2004.  Currently, we are recording more than 86 percent of the county's official public records electronically.

Why eRecord?

The answer is simple - Efficiency.  eRecording ensures recording without waiting in lines, ensures your record is made available online quicker, and alleviates those last-minute rushes to the County Clerk's office. It is more efficient for the submitters and for the county.  Once a document is in electronic form and recorded with the Clerk's office, its electronic return allows the submitter to immediately forward the recorded document to their client.

Filing electronically and using electronic documents provide the following advantages as well as many others:

1.     Reduces costs of paper and postage.

2.     Safer transmittal of documents to the Clerk's office.

3.     With the use of an escrow account, there is no need to write checks.

4.     The Clerk's office becomes transparent, the submitter knows exactly when the document is submitted and filed.

5.     If there is any problem with a document that prevents it from being filed, the Clerk's office will return the document to the submitter electronically with a specific reason given as to why the document could not be filed.

6.     The document is accessible instantly online.

To view a list of documents available for eRecording please click on the Active Document type list.

Processing Schedules

Documents received prior to 3 p.m. CST will be processed the same business day.  All other documents will be processed the following business day in the order they were received.

Who is a Good Candidate to eRecord?

Texas Local Government Code Chapter 195.003 prohibits us from offering eRecording services to the general public. Generally, entities include but are not limited to:

•State Licensed Attorneys

•Mortgage Lenders

•State Licensed Title Insurance Companies and Agents

•State Agencies

There are two options to consider:

Option one :  Become an authorized submitter enabling direct interface and filing with Tarrant County.  This will allow you to avoid additional fees but does require communication standards be met.

1.     Are you filing at least 200 – 300 documents a month?

2.     Are you willing to place a minimum deposit of $500 within an escrow account setup by the Tarrant County Clerk's Office?

3.     Do you have IT support to assist with setting up and managing data transfer?

If option one fits your needs, please call our office at 817-884-1061 or email CountyClerk--ERecording@tarrantcounty.com for more information.

Option Two :  Contract with an outside company currently authorized to eRecord with Tarrant County. These are companies who have developed their own submission software and have entered into contract with Tarrant County. There are fees associated with these services which can be discussed with each company directly. Please see the list of companies providing this service.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) must be signed and submitted. The MOU defines the technical, procedural and financial requirements of eRecording.  The MOU references certain Property Records Industry Association (PRIA) standards which may be reviewed at www.pria.us.

Upon receipt, the prospective submitter will be contacted by IT to review qualifications.  If qualified, the potential submitter will be contacted by Kofile Countyfusion, the county's vendor for eRecording services, to schedule testing of the interface.

Once the MOU has been fully executed, an escrow account is established with the County Clerk Accounting department.  Fees are deducted from the account upon acceptance of each document.

Lastly, the submitter is assigned a user ID and password.     Click here for Memorandum of Understanding