PRIA Forms Uniform Document Numbering Workgroup

October 15, 2010

The Board of Directors of the Property Records Industry Association (PRIA) approved the formation of a Uniform Document Numbering Workgroup, which falls under the direction of the Business Processes and Procedures Committee, according to PRIA President Richard Bramhall. The Uniform Document Numbering Workgroup is co-chaired by Kay Wrucke, recorder, Martin Co., Minn., representing the Government Sector; and Jeff Carlson, president, US Recordings, representing the Business Sector.

Document recording takes place in approximately 3,600 jurisdictions throughout the United States. Individual recording jurisdictions (primarily, but not exclusively, counties) have vastly different numbering systems (schemas) for their recorded documents, and those numbering systems likely have transformed over the years.

With the advent of RESPA compliance, the need to accurately identify property is of primary importance. A Uniform Document Numbering System will provide a mechanism to easily recognize the specific jurisdiction in which a document is recorded, allow for an historical update to make document numbers consistent in pattern or style and offer land records software system vendors a platform to provide consistent services nationwide. This standard will be voluntary and could be implemented as software systems are updated.

Recording jurisdictions employing Uniform Document Numbering Systems will help facilitate accurate documentation of fees and document delivery. The Uniform Document Numbering System will cover all counties, cities, towns, parishes, boroughs and jurisdictions that record property transactions.

“This project benefits a broad spectrum of the industry including recorders, software vendors, lenders, servicers, geographic information systems and cadastral mapping entities, title agents and title plants,” according to Co-chair Kay Wrucke.

“While ANSI codes, formerly FIPS, do exist to identify state and county, those codes do not accurately identify all recording jurisdictions. To our knowledge, nothing currently exists which specifically addresses numbered recording jurisdiction identifier or document numbering standards,” observes Co-chair Jeff Carlson.


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