HP0378, LD 559, item 2, ‘An Act To Change Document Filing and Copying Fees for County Registries of Deeds’

Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:

‘An Act To Change Document Filing and Copying Fees for County Registries of Deeds’

Amend the bill by striking out all of section 3 and inserting the following:

‘Sec. 3. 33 MRSA §751, sub-§14-B, as amended by PL 2011, c. 508, §1, is further amended to read:

14-B. Paper copies. Making abstracts and paper copies of records at the office of the register of deeds as follows:

A. Five dollars per page for paper abstracts and copies of plans; and

B. One dollar per page for other paper abstracts and copies; and

C. Fifty cents per page for digital abstracts and copies, except that the fee is 5¢ per page for copies of 1,000 or more digital abstracts and copies of consecutive records; and

Sec. 4. 33 MRSA §751, sub-§14-D is enacted to read:

14-D. Downloads of 1,000 or more consecutive electronic images or electronic abstracts from a county registry of deeds. Acquiring downloads of 1,000 or more consecutive electronic images or electronic abstracts from a county registry of deeds equipped to provide downloads of images or electronic abstracts, 5¢ per image or electronic abstract;

Sec. 5. 33 MRSA §751, sub-§14-E is enacted to read:

14-E. Electronic images, printed images or electronic abstracts from a county registry of deeds website. Acquiring electronic images, printed images or electronic abstracts from a county registry of deeds website as follows:

A. No charge for the first 500 images or electronic abstracts, or a combination of the first 500 images and electronic abstracts, acquired by a person in a calendar year; and

B. Fifty cents per image or electronic abstract for each subsequent image or electronic abstract after 500 acquired in the same calendar year; and

Sec. 6. 33 MRSA §753 is enacted to read:

§ 753. Definitions

As used in this subchapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings.

1. Electronic abstract. "Electronic abstract" means the digital indexing information for a document.

2. Image. "Image" means a digital capture of an individual page of a document or plan filed in a county registry of deeds.

3. Person. "Person" means a person, corporation, partnership or other entity.’

SUMMARY

This amendment separates paper copies from electronic abstracts and images for the purpose of fees assessed by county registries of deeds and further breaks down electronic copies into those downloaded at the office of a county registry of deeds and those downloaded from a county registry of deeds website. In current law, the cost for digital abstracts and images is 50¢ per page, with a fee of 5¢ per page for copies of 1,000 or more digital abstracts and copies of consecutive records. The amendment provides for a fee of 5¢ per image or electronic abstract for acquiring downloads of 1,000 or more consecutive electronic images or electronic abstracts from a county registry of deeds equipped to provide downloads. It also provides for no charge per image from a county registry of deeds website for the first 500 images or electronic abstracts, or a combination of the first 500 images and electronic abstracts, acquired by a person in a calendar year and 50¢ per image or electronic abstract for each subsequent image or electronic abstract acquired in the same calendar year. The amendment also removes the option for county commissioners to raise filing fees as provided in the bill and adds a definitions section.

HP0378 LD 559	Session - 126th Maine Legislature C "A", Filing Number H-445, Sponsored by		LR 472 Item 2
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