Public Records
The State Recorder’s office oversees 34 recording districts that record, index, and archive all of the documents that create the Official Public Record of the state of Alaska. Approximately 1,000 new documents are recorded and added to the record each day. Millions of documents have been recorded in the official records since prior to statehood.

All official records are public information and may be viewed by, or copied for anyone. Alaska Statutes and regulations govern the prices charged for recording and making copies of these records either on paper, film, CD or electronic formats. The public can find documents by accessing the statewide recording system database at any DNR recording office throughout the state (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Palmer, Kenai, Ketchikan, Sitka, Bethel, Homer, Valdez, Seward and Kodiak), or on the Internet. (See search menu). We have a Grantor/Grantee alphabetical index, as well as a location index (by legal description) which reflect documents recorded from the early 1970's to current. Searching for information prior to the early 1970's requires a manual review of the original book records and indices at the appropriate district office. (Due to staffing limitations and liability risks, recording staff are not authorized to perform in-depth research of this type.)

Once a document is located from the index and the book and page number or serial number is identified, the public may then view the actual document, and/or make paper copies, by using microfilm viewing and printing equipment. PLEASE NOTE: Most recording offices maintain microfilm records for the districts they serve, only. (For example, Anchorage only maintains records for Anchorage, Iliamna, Kvichak, Bristol Bay, Aleutian Islands, and Cordova districts) Fairbanks maintains records for the Northern Region; Fairbanks, Rampart, Fort Gibbon, Nulato, Kotzebue, Barrow, Nenana, Manley Hot Springs, Mt. McKinley, Bethel, Kuskokwim and Nome districts AND Juneau maintains records for the Southeast Region; Juneau, Haines, Skagway, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Wrangell and Sitka. If you need assistance in finding or obtaining a copy of a recorded document, recording personnel are available to assist you at each office. You may order and pay for a document from another district and have the document mailed to your home address. Digital images of documents recorded from January 1, 1985 forward, are available statewide for research in all DNR recording offices. (See all districts).

Why Are Documents Recorded In the Official Records?
Documents are recorded in the Official Records of the State of Alaska to declare their enactment and existence. Individuals research the state records to identify property ownership, liens, and other recordings against real property. In general, from the time a document is recorded in the records of the recording district in which land affected by it is located, the recorded document serves as constructive notice of its contents to subsequent purchasers and mortgagees.

What Types of Documents Are Recorded?
The following list indicates some of the various types of documents that are recorded in the official records of the state of Alaska:

Deeds, Mortgages, Assignments, Modifications, Reconveyances, Notice of Liens, Claim of Liens, Release of Liens, Uniform Commercial Code Financing Statements, Security Agreements, Judgments and Decrees from courts, Federal and State Tax Liens, Child Support Enforcement Liens, Satisfactions and Releases of such liens.

We also receive a variety of miscellaneous documents that the Recorders Office is not the normal and customary place for recording. If they meet minimum acceptance criteria, they will be accepted and placed in the public record.

The Recording Process
There are several steps that occur once you present your document for recording.

1. Your document is reviewed to make sure it meets minimum acceptance criteria. (Click here to go to the list of recording requirements)
2. Appropriate recording fees are collected along with copy fees if copies are requested. (Click here to go to the fee schedule)
3. Identifying numbers are assigned to the document including a date, time, and serial number. Historically, documents have also been assigned unique book and page numbers for reference, but such numbers have been phased out.
4. The grantor, grantee information and legal description from the document are added to the on-line, statewide alpha database exactly as they appear on the document.
5. Your document is then imaged and microfilmed for archiving. The quality of the film image is verified for quality control.
6. The original document is then mailed back to the party designated on the document.

Archiving Your Document by Microfilming and Imaging
Two original filmed images and an electronic image of your document are captured simultaneously on a dual-headed microfilm camera/scanner. Once your document is filmed and imaged, a series of quality control and verification checks are performed on both media. The digital image is then released to the database for viewing in any DNR recording office via the Intranet. One original roll of microfilm is retained within the Archive Unit for use only in the event of catastrophic events which may have destroyed the working copies retained at each recording office, or disabled the viewable electronic images. The second roll is sent to State Archives in Juneau for permanent archival storage.

Researching Records
Once a document is recorded in the official public records it can be retrieved by anyone. This may be done by visiting the Recorder’s Office nearest you (click here to see a list of office locations and hours of operation) and using the on-line computers provided in the public library area. Any of the recording personnel at our offices will be happy to show you how to use the terminals to access names from the official records from the early 1970's to current. For documents recorded prior to this time, a name index is available either on microfilm or original book records at the recording office handling the records for a specific district. Copies of documents may be purchased from the office handling the records for the specific district.

If you are unable to come to our offices you may receive research assistance by contacting either Quinton Mitchell, Southcentral Recorder Manager at (907) 269-8877, or Kelly Farmer, Southern/Northern Recorder Manager at (907) 465-3425.

You may access the statewide index records on the Internet. (See search menu). A variety of research options are available allowing you to search approximately 30 years of index data by district or for the entire state.