1. (A) The county recorder shall record all instruments in one general record series to be known as the "official records." The county recorder shall record in the official records all of the following instruments that are presented for recording, upon payment of the fees prescribed by law:

   1. (1) Deeds and other instruments of writing for the absolute and unconditional sale or conveyance of lands, tenements, and hereditaments;
   2. (2) Notices as provided in sections 5301.47 to 5301.56 of the Revised Code;
   3. (3) Judgments or decrees in actions brought under section 5303.01 of the Revised Code;
   4. (4) Declarations and bylaws, and all amendments to declarations and bylaws, as provided in Chapter 5311. of the Revised Code;
   5. (5) Affidavits as provided in sections 5301.252 and 5301.56 of the Revised Code;
   6. (6) Certificates as provided in section 5311.17 of the Revised Code;
   7. (7) Articles dedicating archaeological preserves accepted by the director of the Ohio history connection under section 149.52 of the Revised Code;
   8. (8) Articles dedicating nature preserves accepted by the director of natural resources under section 1517.05 of the Revised Code;
   9. (9) Conveyances of conservation easements and agricultural easements under section 5301.68 of the Revised Code;
   10. (10) Instruments extinguishing agricultural easements under section 901.21 or 5301.691 of the Revised Code or pursuant to the terms of such an easement granted to a charitable organization under section 5301.68 of the Revised Code;
   11. (11) Instruments or orders described in division (B)(2)(b) of section 5301.56 of the Revised Code;
   12. (12) No further action letters issued under section 3746.11 of the Revised Code;
   13. (13) Covenants not to sue issued under section 3746.12 of the Revised Code;
   14. (14) Restrictions on the use of property contained in a deed or other instrument as provided in division (E) or (F) of section 3737.882 of the Revised Code;
   15. (15) Any easement executed or granted under section 3734.22, 3734.24, 3734.25, or 3734.26 of the Revised Code;
   16. (16) Any environmental covenant entered into in accordance with sections 5301.80 to 5301.92 of the Revised Code;
   17. (17) Memoranda of trust, as described in division (A) of section 5301.255 of the Revised Code, that describe specific real property;
   18. (18) Agreements entered into under section 1506.44 of the Revised Code;
   19. (19) Mortgages, including amendments, supplements, modifications, and extensions of mortgages, or other instruments of writing by which lands, tenements, or hereditaments are or may be mortgaged or otherwise conditionally sold, conveyed, affected, or encumbered;
   20. (20) Executory installment contracts for the sale of land executed after September 29, 1961, that by their terms are not required to be fully performed by one or more of the parties to them within one year of the date of the contracts;
   21. (21) Options to purchase real estate, including supplements, modifications, and amendments of the options, but no option of that nature shall be recorded if it does not state a specific day and year of expiration of its validity;
   22. (22) Any tax certificate sold under section 5721.33 of the Revised Code, or memorandum of it, that is presented for filing of record;
   23. (23) Powers of attorney, including all memoranda of trust, as described in division (A) of section 5301.255 of the Revised Code, that do not describe specific real property;
   24. (24) Plats and maps of town lots, of the subdivision of town lots, and of other divisions or surveys of lands, any center line survey of a highway located within the county, the plat of which shall be furnished by the director of transportation or county engineer, and all drawings and amendments to drawings, as provided in Chapter 5311. of the Revised Code;
   25. (25) Leases, memoranda of leases, and supplements, modifications, and amendments of leases and memoranda of leases, including a lease described in section 5301.09 of the Revised Code;
   26. (26) Declarations executed pursuant to section 2133.02 of the Revised Code and durable powers of attorney for health care executed pursuant to section 1337.12 of the Revised Code;
   27. (27) Unemployment compensation liens, internal revenue tax liens, and other liens in favor of the United States as described in division (A) of section 317.09 of the Revised Code, personal tax liens, mechanic's liens, agricultural product liens, notices of liens, certificates of satisfaction or partial release of estate tax liens, discharges of recognizances, excise and franchise tax liens on corporations, broker's liens, and liens provided for in section 1513.33, 1513.37, 3752.13, 4141.23, 5164.56, or 5311.18 of the Revised Code;
   28. (28) Corrupt activity lien notices filed pursuant to section 2923.36 of the Revised Code and medicaid fraud lien notices filed pursuant to section 2933.75 of the Revised Code;
   29. (29) Deeds for the purchase of burial lots or other interment rights under section 517.07 of the Revised Code.
2. (B) All instruments or memoranda of instruments entitled to record shall be recorded in the order in which they are presented for recording. The recording of an option to purchase real estate, including any supplement, modification, and amendment of the option, under this section shall serve as notice to any purchaser of an interest in the real estate covered by the option only during the period of the validity of the option as stated in the option.
3. (C) In addition to the official records, a county recorder may elect to keep a separate set of records that contain the instruments listed in division (A)(24) of this section.
4. (D) As part of the official records, the county recorder shall keep a separate set of records containing all transfers, conveyances, or assignments of any type of tangible or intangible personal property or any rights or interests in that property if and to the extent that any person wishes to record that personal property transaction and if the applicable instrument is acknowledged before a notary public. If the transferor is a natural person, the notice of personal property transfer shall be recorded in the county in this state in which the transferor maintains the transferor's principal residence. If the transferor is not a natural person, the notice of personal property transfer shall be recorded in the county in this state in which the transferor maintains its principal place of business. If the transferor does not maintain a principal residence or a principal place of business in this state and the transfer is to a trustee of a legacy trust formed pursuant to Chapter 5816. of the Revised Code, the notice of personal property transfer shall be recorded in the county in this state where that trustee maintains a principal residence or principal place of business. In all other instances, the notice of personal property transfer shall be recorded in the county in this state where the property described in the notice is located.

Last updated September 11, 2023 at 10:42 AM