About The ROD's Office

The Register of Deeds Office records land titles, liens and other documents related to property transactions in Charleston County. The ROD, an elected official, must assure that all recorded documents comply with the requirements of federal and state recording statutes and are available for public review.

Functions: Document Archival, Plat Maintenance, Public Records Maintenance, Real Property Transaction Recording

Responsibilities

• File, index and record deeds, mortgages and miscellaneous property-related records and plats in a variety of formats (including microfilm, digital imaging, hard copy and computer data storage)
• Record and index financing statements, state and federal tax liens
• Provide copies of deeds and plats for a fee
• Collect a recording fee based on all documents recorded
• Offer on-site information and instructions on how to use record books and microfilm
• Provide certified true copies of any documents on record in the ROD Office (such as mortgages, powers of attorney or plats)

History

Interesting Facts

• In Fiscal Year 1996, the Register of Deeds office recorded over 81,000 documents.
• The Register of Deeds has record books dating back to 1719.
• If going back to 1719 isn’t sufficient, the earliest conveyances can be obtained from the archives in Columbia Conveyance Books series, 1673-1719.
• The original documents and microfilm copies can be viewed in the Register of Deeds History Room, which is located on the second floor of the County Office Building (located at 101 Meeting St, Suite 200).
• Local attorneys use the Register of Deeds Office for student instruction on conducting title searches.
• The longest serving register is Julius Elisha Cogswell who served from 1893 through 1956 (63 years).

Common Terms

Abstract - See Title Search below.
Conveyance - The transfer of title to real property from one person to another.
Deed - A legal instrument or document used to transfer property to a new owner. A deed names ownership and details a description of the property, previous owners and type of deed, whether it is a tax deed, quitclaim, warrantee deed or other.
Mechanic's Lien - The record of a contractor's claim against property to secure payment of debt for materials or labor.
Mesne - Middle or intervening.
PID Number (Parcel Identification Number) - Also known as a TMS, it is a reference number containing information necessary to identify and locate a particular property parcel.
Plat - A scale-sized drawing of parcels or lots of land. Created by a surveyor, a plat defines a property's size and boundaries.
Restrictive Covenants - Specific rules that pertain to a particular property.
Title Search - Also known as an abstract, it is a comprehensive research process which analyzes property status information, including ownership, liens, deeds, mortgages and history.
TMS Number (Tax Map Sequence Number) - Also know as a PID, it is a reference number containing information necessary to identify and locate a particular property parcel.

Municipalities

City of Charleston
City of Folly Beach
City of North Charleston
City of Isle of Palms
Town of Awendaw
Town of Hollywood
Town of James Island
Town of Kiawah Island
Town of Lincolnville
Town of McClellanville
Town of Meggett
Town of Mount Pleasant
Town of Ravenel
Town of Rockville
Town of Seabrook Island
Town of Sullivan's Island

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