St. Charles County Recorder of Deeds: Search & Office

What records does this office maintain?

The Recorder maintains public land records, including deeds, deeds of trust, releases, liens, plats, surveys and instruments affecting real property.

The office also handles marriage licenses, military discharge records and several other documents authorized by Missouri law.

Its job is to record and preserve qualifying documents. The Recorder does not guarantee that a recorded document establishes clear title or is legally valid.

The Recorder offers two main online research systems: Tapestry and Laredo.

They serve different needs. Tapestry is generally better for occasional deed searches, while Laredo is intended for regular professional research.

How to use Tapestry

1. Open the official Tapestry portal.

   Select the option to begin a new search.

2. Review the payment instructions.

   Tapestry requires payment information. Check the current search and printing charges before proceeding.

3. Choose Missouri.

   Select St. Charles County from the available county list.

4. Choose your search method.

   Use the document number or book/page reference if you already know it. Other search options may be available in the interface.

5. Review the search details.

   Confirm the information before accepting the payment acknowledgment.

6. Open the correct result.

   Use the View Image function to inspect the recorded document.

7. Save the document and receipt.

   The county tutorial describes using Print PDF to save an available document and View Receipt for the transaction record.

What does Tapestry cost?

The county’s published Tapestry tutorial lists a $30 card preauthorization, an $8.75 search charge and $1 per page for PDF printing.

These amounts come from the published tutorial and should not be treated as guaranteed current vendor pricing. Review the charges shown in Tapestry before confirming payment.

Many property owners know their street address but not their deed number or recording reference.

In St. Charles County, start with the Assessor’s Property Database to identify the parcel and owner information.

Why use the Assessor first?

The Assessor organizes information by property and parcel. The Recorder organizes documents by recorded instruments and their parties.

Those are different databases. A parcel record can help identify the owner, but it should not be treated as proof of clear legal title.

What if the deed is missing?

Important arrival instructions

The Recorder’s Office is on the third floor of the St. Charles County Administration Building.

Before visiting the office, use the check-in kiosk in the first-floor lobby to enter the service queue.

To access the third floor, visitors must check in at the Security Desk, receive a visitor badge and be accompanied by a staff member.

The county also offers online queue check-in during business hours. You can review wait times before arriving.

St. Charles County accepts walk-in, mailed and eligible electronically submitted documents for recording.

The Recorder does not provide deed forms, notary services or legal advice. Documents must be properly prepared before submission.

1. Prepare the correct instrument.

   Choose the legally appropriate deed and complete the property information. Obtain legal assistance when the transaction involves ownership or title questions.

2. Check the legal description.

   A street address alone is not an acceptable legal description under the county’s recording requirements.

3. Verify signatures and acknowledgment.

   Complete the required signatures and notarization. Check that signature names are legible and match the document.

4. Prepare the Certificate of Value.

   Deeds or instruments transferring title must generally be accompanied by St. Charles County’s Real Property Certificate of Value.

5. Review the recording fees.

   Use the county’s fee schedule effective August 28, 2026, rather than relying on an older fee sheet.

6. Submit your document.

   Present it in person, send it by mail or use an authorized eRecording provider when the instrument qualifies.

7. Keep the recorded reference.

   Save the recording date and reference information so you can locate the document again.

Missouri document formatting requirements

Missouri changed recording fees effective August 28, 2026. This matters because older county fee documents and third-party guides may still display pre-increase charges.

The updated first-page charge for a standard deed in St. Charles County is reported as $23, with $3 for each additional page.

Confirm the complete charge against the current county fee schedule before paying. The Recorder’s Land Records page identifies a filing-fee document effective August 28, 2026.

Example recording costs

These examples cover standard page-based recording charges only. Special instruments, plats, surveys and other additional fees may be handled differently.

Payment methods

The Recorder’s previously published fee sheet lists major credit cards subject to a convenience charge and states that personal checks are not accepted.

Because payment procedures can change, contact Land Records at 636-949-7507 before mailing a payment or bringing an unusual recording.

Missouri recording law

Missouri Revised Statute 59.310 addresses recording requirements, document format, statutory fees and nonstandard documents.

St. Charles County requires a Real Property Certificate of Value with deeds and instruments transferring real estate title.

The Recorder forwards the form to the Assessor. It provides transaction information used for property valuation research.

This is a particularly important St. Charles County recording requirement because it is easy to miss when using a generic Missouri deed checklist.

What information does the form request?

For help completing the Certificate of Value, the county form lists the Assessor at 636-949-7444.

You do not necessarily need to pay for an online search if you already know which deed you need.

The Recorder’s Copy Center can help with recorded-document copy requests. The county also says citizens can request an emailed deed copy.

Before contacting the Copy Center

Have as much identifying information as possible, including the recorded party names, property description or document number.

If you have a book/page reference or instrument number, provide it. This can help staff identify the correct document.

Regular copy vs. certified copy

The earlier county fee schedule listed $2 for the first standard copy page, $1 for each additional page and $1 for certification.

Confirm current copy pricing with the Copy Center because the county has published a newer filing-fee schedule for 2026.

St. Charles County accepts electronic document recording through approved eRecording providers.

The service is intended mainly for title companies, law firms, banks and businesses that regularly record documents.

What can eRecording help with?

Which documents are excluded?

The county expressly identifies plats and surveys as documents not eligible for eRecording.

These instruments must follow the applicable physical submission process.

Listed eRecording providers

The county lists CSC eRecording Solutions, eRecording Partners Network (ePN), Hopdox, iCounty and Simplifile.

The Recorder offers a free Property Fraud Alert service for names appearing on newly recorded documents.

Alerts can help homeowners notice potentially suspicious filings involving their personal name, business name or trust.

How does the alert work?

The county says subscribers receive notifications when documents matching a monitored name are recorded, generally within the previous 48 hours.

The alert includes an instrument number. Use it to verify the recording with the Recorder’s Office.

What if your home is in a trust?

The Recorder provides separate naming guidance for trusts.

Depending on the trust’s legal name, you may need to register a personal name or use the Business/Trust category.

Marriage licenses

The Recorder issues marriage licenses and maintains the county’s marriage records.

The county offers an online application process. It also provides information about certified marriage-license copies.

Military discharge records

The Recorder also maintains military discharge records submitted to its office.

Because these records can contain sensitive personal information, access and copying requirements differ from ordinary public deeds.

Judicial privacy protections

Missouri’s Judicial Privacy Act provides special protections for certain qualifying judicial officers.

The Recorder publishes information about shielding eligible electronically accessible documents.

RECA documentation requests

St. Charles County also offers document-request assistance for certain Radiation Exposure Compensation Act claims.

Its published guidance explains that deeds alone generally do not establish residency for this purpose without supporting documentation.

Possible supporting records include correspondence, directories, census records or other evidence of residence.

The Recorder advises allowing up to 10 business days for these requests.

Useful county services

This guide is independently published for informational purposes. It is not the official website of St. Charles County, Missouri, the Recorder of Deeds or another government agency.

Recording fees, government office hours, search-provider charges and submission procedures may change. Verify current information directly with the responsible office.

This article does not provide legal advice, a title examination, property ownership certification or a determination that a recorded document is legally valid.

Public land records should not be used for employment screening, tenant screening, credit eligibility, insurance underwriting or other purposes regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

This website is not a consumer reporting agency.

These government sources provide the underlying office information, record-search systems, forms and recording requirements discussed above.