wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > HB 2067 > Original Bill
The legislature finds that the document recording fee was initially established to cover the administrative costs associated with recording documents. Over time, this fee has been substantially increased to fund programs well beyond document recording services. This expansion has transformed most of the recording fee into a tax.
The legislature intends to restore the document recording tax to a fee. It costs county auditor offices in Washington state approximately $21 per document recorded. This act instructs county auditor offices to charge the public no more than their actual costs of document recording or $30, whichever is less.
Except as otherwise ordered by the court pursuant to RCW 4.24.130, county auditors or recording officers shall collect the following fees for their official services:
Any residual balance of funds remaining in the centennial document preservation and modernization account created in RCW 36.22.170 on the effective date of this section must be transferred by the state treasurer to the state general fund.
This act takes effect June 30, 2026.