Fees for recording and filing instruments with the registers of deeds; the portion of such fees used for the land information program; and the minimum state grant amounts under the program. (FE)

Under current law, counties collect fees for recording or filing instruments that are recorded or filed with a register of deeds. Currently, the general fee for recording or filing an instrument is $30. Currently, a county must submit $15 of each $30 recording fee to DOA for the land information program, but the county may retain $8 of the amount it would have been required to submit to DOA if the county meets certain requirements, including establishing a land information office and council and using the retained fees to develop, implement, and maintain a DOA-approved countywide plan for land records modernization on the Internet.

The bill increases the general recording and filing fee from $30 to $45. The bill also increases the amount of each fee that a county must submit to DOA from $15 to $30 and increases the amount the county may retain from $8 to $15 if the current law requirements are met.

Under current law, DOA awards land information system base budget grants to counties to enable county land information offices to develop, maintain, and operate basic land information systems. Currently, the minimum amount of a grant is $100,000 less the amount of certain fees retained by the county in the preceding fiscal year. The bill increases that base amount to $175,000 less the retained fees.

Under current law, DOA may award a grant under the land information program to any county in an amount not less than $1,000 per year to be used for the training and education of county employees for the design, development, and implementation of a land information system. The bill increases the minimum training and education grant amount from $1,000 to $5,000.