House Bill 709 Summary

• Requires persons soliciting fees for copies of recorded documents to disclose in conspicuous type on solicitation materials that the solicitation is not from a state or local government agency, no action is legally required, the register of deeds fee for the same document, contact information for the register of deeds, and the solicitor's name and address.

• Prohibits solicitation documents from containing deadline dates or language designed to make them appear to be issued by a government agency or to impose a legal duty on recipients.

• Caps fees charged by private solicitors at no more than four times the amount the register of deeds would charge for the same document copy.

• Classifies violations of these solicitation requirements as unfair trade practices under North Carolina law, subject to enforcement and penalty provisions.

• Eliminates fees for recording satisfaction or cancellation records of deeds of trust and mortgages, while applying standard instrument fees to all other subsequent instruments relating to previously recorded deeds of trust or mortgages, effective October 1, 2017.