A countywide elected office with a 4-year term, the recorder's position is held by Debby Lundstrom. Mrs. Lundstrom was elected in 1995 as Recorder of Deeds in Butler County.

Duties of the Recorder of Deeds

The Recorder of Deeds is responsible for making record of documents primarily in real estate and the issuance of Marriage Licenses. In addition to the following:

• File and maintain federal and state tax liens.
• File and maintain military discharges (Regulations and Request (forms).
• Miscellaneous documents may be recorded upon request and compliance with statutes.
• Records in this office provide data about real estate transactions in a historical perspective.
• Deeds, deeds of trust, releases, easements, surveys, plats, restrictions, cemetery deeds, wills, road right of ways, articles of incorporation, patents, affidavits and marriage license information make up an example of the documents.
• Researchers from all over the United States come into the Recorder's Office's to do genealogy on family History.

Additional information - Office Functions and Duties

General index

Abstract of deeds, deeds of trust and miscellaneous documents that are entered by all parties under both a grantor grantee system. It is maintained for reference back to 1845. Date, kind of instrument, book and page and description are listed. Access to computerized real estate records start in 1970.

Index to Release Deeds and Assignments

An index for release of a lien either in part of full by both parties. It has the same information as the general index. Access to computerized real estate records start in 1970. Uniform Commercial Code [UCC) UCC filings are centralized at the Secretary of State's office http://www.sos.mo.gov. Fixture filings remain at the County level in the real estate records.

Marriage License

Applications are indexed with both the bride and groom. Both the application and the license are recorded giving the names, residence, age, and other information of the parties. A monthly report is sent to the Bureau of Vital Records containing information from the marriage application. Access to computerized marriage records start in 1845.

State & Federal Tax Liens and Releases

Tax liens are indexed by taxpayer name. The index provides the taxpayer name, address, type of tax lien, and amount of the tax lien. Access to computerized tax lien records start in 1976.

Military Discharge Records (DD 214)

This is an index to military discharges in Butler County giving the name, address, service branch, discharge date and recorded book and page numbers. It also lists some biographical information. These records are closed and may only be obtained by authorized parties. Please call the Recorder's office for info.

Butler County Surveyor’s Records

These records provide preservation by law in the Recorder's Office. The Butler County Recorder's Office has implemented the index for his records into their computer system for easy searching. The office also has the microfilm fiche provided by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Fees

All fees are set by law and are turned over to the County Treasurer with the exception of special fees collected and forwarded directly to the state each month.

Reports

A monthly report of all fees collected is given to the Butler County Commission. A copy is also furnished to the Treasurer with the fees. A yearly report is given to County Treasurer and to the County Commission.

Retrieval

The Recorder's Office assists in the searching and instructing of the public in the handling and retrieval of records, both old and new.

Copies to Assessor

Copies of all deeds and deeds of trust are furnished to the Assessor each week as a basis of the tax assessment system.