Dakota County, Minnesota Recording Fees
Recording a deed in Dakota County costs about $51 and a mortgage about $51 (a flat $46.00 base recording fee (Abstract/Torrens) plus Dakota County's own $5.00 Conservation Fee per instrument, regardless of page count), per the Dakota County Property Taxation & Records (Recorder/Registrar of Titles)'s fee schedule. Minnesota sets the base county recording fee by STATE statute (Minn. Stat. Sec. 357.18): $46.00 'for indexing and recording any deed or other instrument', flat per document, not per page. On top of that, Dakota County's own published Filing Fees page adds a county-specific $5.00 Conservation Fee per instrument whenever the state Deed Tax or Mortgage Registration Tax applies, distinct from the $0.01%/$0.01 Environmental Response Fund surcharge Hennepin and Ramsey Counties add on top of the ad valorem deed/mortgage tax rates (see data/transfer/minnesota.json); Dakota's fee is a flat per-instrument recording charge, not an ad valorem rate change, so it is modeled here under recording fees rather than local_transfer.
Fee schedule
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Deed, first page | $46 |
| Deed, each additional page | $0 |
| Mortgage, first page | $46 |
| Mortgage, each additional page | $0 |
| Dakota County Conservation Fee per instrument, charged when the state Deed Tax or Mortgage Registration Tax is paid on the document being recorded; applies separately to a deed and to a mortgage on the same sale | $5 |
County transfer tax
Minnesota's Deed Tax (0.33%) and Mortgage Registry Tax (0.23%) are state taxes collected by the county but set at a uniform statewide rate (Minn. Stat. Sec. 287.21/287.05); Dakota County does not add the ad valorem Environmental Response Fund surcharge that Hennepin and Ramsey Counties apply (that surcharge is confirmed as Hennepin/Ramsey-only per MN Dept. of Revenue's own rate pages). Dakota's own $5 flat Conservation Fee (above) is the county's only add-on, and it is modeled as a recording fee, not an ad valorem transfer tax. Minnesota transfer tax →
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to record a deed in Dakota County?
$46 for the first page, about $51 for a typical deed, per the Dakota County Property Taxation & Records (Recorder/Registrar of Titles)'s fee schedule.
And the mortgage?
$46 for the first page, about $51 for a typical mortgage or deed of trust. The buyer pays this at closing.
Sources
Figures are computed from the documents above and rounded to the dollar. All sources.
Dakota County closing costs → Dakota County home buyer guide →
Fees as published by the recorder; e-recording and courier charges may apply. General information, not legal advice.
Dakota County overview