Texas · DeedsTexas deed recording: acknowledgment, photo ID, original signatures and the clerk's fees

An instrument concerning real property may be recorded in Texas if it has been acknowledged, sworn to with a proper jurat or proved according to law. An instrument conveying real property may not be recorded unless it is signed and acknowledged or sworn to by the grantor before two or more credible subscribing witnesses, or acknowledged or sworn to before and certified by an authorized officer, and – under the amendment effective December 4, 2025 – anyone presenting it in person for recording shows the county clerk photo identification as Local Government Code §191.010 requires (Tex. Prop. Code §12.001). A paper document can't be recorded unless it carries original signatures that are acknowledged, sworn or proved, is attached to a paper affidavit that does, or is a notarized true copy of an electronic record; electronic documents that meet the electronic recording laws don't need original signatures (§12.0011). The county clerk's real property filing fee is $5 for the first page, $4 for each additional page with visible marks, $4 for each 8½ × 14 attachment or rider and 25¢ for each name beyond five to be indexed; the clerk may also set a records management and preservation fee of up to $10, and if the commissioners court adopts them, a records archive fee of up to $10, a records technology and infrastructure fee of $2 and a further real property records filing fee of up to $10 (Tex. Loc. Gov't Code §118.011).