North Carolina Document Recording Standards
(Effective October 1, 2002)
Documents recorded on or after July 1, 2002, must meet GS 161-14(b) as follows:
- Be 8 1/2 X 11 or 8 1/2 X 14
- Have a 3 inch blank margin at top of first page and 1/2 inch blank margin on remaining sides of first page and on all sides of subsequent pages.
- Black type on white paper.
- Font size no smaller than 9 points (Blanks in an instrument may be completed in pen and corrections to an instrument may be made in pen)
- Only one-sided typed or printed text.
- Type of instrument at top of first page below blank margin.
If instrument does not meet requirement outlined above, Register of Deeds shall register the instrument after collecting a $25.00 fee for non-standard documents as required by GS 161- 10(a}(19). If an instrument fails to meet the requirement of font size (less than 9 points), but is determined by the Register than the instrument is legible, the Register of Deeds may record without collecting the non-standard fee charge.