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Washington · RecordingWashington recording fees: the base fee and every per-document surcharge

The county auditor's base fee for recording an instrument is $5 for the first page of 8½ by 14 inches or less and $1 for each additional page; when one instrument contains several transactions that each need separate indexing, each title or transaction is charged the first-page fee, while additional pages are charged only once (RCW 36.18.010(1)). Several per-instrument charges are added by statute. A $5 surcharge for document preservation and modernization (RCW 36.22.170(1)(a); RCW 36.18.010(9)). A $3 surcharge for Washington State Library operations and a $2 surcharge for the library-archives building account, the latter until the building's financing contract is paid in full (RCW 36.18.010(11)–(12)). A $183 document recording surcharge (RCW 36.22.250(1)). And, since January 1, 2024, a $100 covenant homeownership program assessment (RCW 36.22.185(1)). The $183 surcharge and the $100 assessment don't apply to documents recording a birth, marriage, divorce or death, documents exempted from recording fees by other law, marriage licenses, or government and wage liens and their satisfactions; the assessment also exempts name change orders (RCW 36.22.250(1), 36.22.185(2)). An emergency nonstandard document costs $50 more (RCW 36.18.010(10)).

What the statutes set

  1. Base fee (RCW 36.18.010(1))

    $5 for the first page, $1 for each additional page.

  2. Preservation and library (RCW 36.22.170; 36.18.010(11)–(12))

    $5, $3 and $2 per instrument; the $2 lasts until the library-archives building is paid off.

  3. Recording surcharge (RCW 36.22.250)

    $183 per instrument, with listed exemptions.

  4. Covenant homeownership (RCW 36.22.185)

    $100 per instrument since January 1, 2024, with listed exemptions.

What the TC checks on Washington recording costs

  • Count the pages of the deed and of the deed of trust – each is a separate instrument with its own surcharges.
  • Ask the escrow officer for the recording charges on the settlement statement.
  • Check that the documents meet the first-page format, so none is recorded as an emergency nonstandard document.

Questions about Washington recording fees

How much does it cost to record a one-page deed in Washington?

$5 plus the $5, $3, $183 and $100 per-instrument charges, plus the $2 library-archives surcharge while it applies (RCW 36.18.010, 36.22.170, 36.22.250, 36.22.185).

What is the $100 recording fee in Washington?

The covenant homeownership program assessment, collected on each recorded document since January 1, 2024, unless an exemption applies (RCW 36.22.185).

Related guides

Add the recording charges to the closing checklist in ClosingCode, with the escrow officer as owner.

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Sources: RCW 36.18.010, 36.22.170, 36.22.185, 36.22.250 (app.leg.wa.gov), read October 30, 2026.

General information, not legal advice. ClosingCode is software; it is not a law firm or brokerage. This guide is not a substitute for the advice or services of an attorney.