The Summit County Clerk & Recorder is the custodian of recorded documents, especially but not exclusively public land records reflecting transfers and lien status.  The Summit County Clerk & Recorder staff are committed to the accurate and quality imaging and indexing of recorded documents.  County staff are prohibited by law from conducting property searches.  Check out the menu to the left for specific information about finding previously recorded documents, how to look up the current owner of a property, or how to record a document.

Common Recorded Documents

The following is not an all-encompassing list of commonly recorded documents, and should not be considered legal advice or guidance.  We encourage all submitters of recorded documents to seek legal counsel prior to drafting and recording documents.  Vlerk & Recorder staff cannot provide forms or guidance in compiling legal documents.

Deed
A legal document transferring ownership of a piece of property from one owner to another. It contains a description of the property, and is signed, witnessed, and delivered to the buyer at closing.

Assignment of Deed of Trust
A document that transfers a loan or debt (Deed of Trust and Note) to another, which gives the assignee the right to the money collected in payment of the debt.

Release of Deed of Trust
A written request by the mortgage company or lender, their agent or attorney or a title insurance company to the Public Trustee. The purpose of the release is to remove all or a portion of the property from the lien created by a Deed of Trust.

DD-214
Documents which state an individual’s military record.  Only a placeholder sheet is made public, the actual DD-214 is kept private.

Deed of Trust
Legal documents, similar to mortgages, in which property is used as security for an obligation owed by a borrower. In the State of Colorado, a third party, usually but not exclusively the Summit County Public Trustee, is appointed as the regulatory official.

Quit Claim Deed
A deed that conveys only that right, title, or interest that the grantor has, or may have, and that does not warrant that the grantor actually has any particular title or interest in the property. The grantor under a quit claim deed represents merely that whatever interest he may have he conveys to the grantee.

Warranty Deed
A deed that warrants that the grantor has the title he or she claims to have.  It purports to convey property free and clear of all encumbrances. As a guarantee of title the warranty deed creates liability in the grantor if the title transferred is defective.

Power of Attorney
An instrument authorizing another to act as one’s agent or on one’s behalf.

Subdivision & Condominium Plats
Instruments which show the legal boundaries of lots, blocks, and easements, at the time of recording, within a subdivision.