Legal Definitions - recording officer

A recording officer is an official, often a public servant or a designated individual within an organization, whose primary duty is to maintain, register, and preserve official records, documents, and proceedings. This role ensures the accuracy, accessibility, and legal validity of important information for public access, legal purposes, or organizational governance.

• Imagine a local government where the Town Clerk attends every town board meeting. During these meetings, decisions are made about local ordinances, budgets, and community projects. The Town Clerk meticulously documents all discussions, motions, votes, and resolutions. After the meeting, the Clerk prepares official minutes, which are then approved and filed as part of the town's permanent records, accessible to the public.

  Explanation: In this example, the Town Clerk acts as the recording officer because they are responsible for creating and preserving the official written record (the minutes) of the town board's proceedings, making these governmental decisions legally verifiable and transparent.

• When a business owner takes out a mortgage to purchase commercial property, the legal documents, including the mortgage deed, must be officially filed. The County Recorder's Office is the government entity responsible for receiving, stamping, indexing, and maintaining these property-related documents. This ensures that there is a public record of who owns the property and any liens against it.

  Explanation: The County Recorder's Office, through its staff, functions as the recording officer by receiving, registering, and maintaining official documents like property deeds and mortgages. This creates a clear, public record of land ownership and financial encumbrances, which is crucial for legal certainty and preventing disputes.

• A non-profit organization holds a quarterly board of directors meeting to discuss its strategic direction and financial health. The organization's Secretary is tasked with attending the meeting, taking detailed notes of all discussions, proposals, and voting outcomes. These notes are then formally drafted into the official minutes of the meeting, which become a permanent record of the organization's governance and decisions.

  Explanation: Here, the Secretary serves as the recording officer because they are tasked with accurately documenting the official proceedings and decisions of the organization, thereby creating and preserving vital records for legal compliance and internal governance.