Survey Seeks Viewpoints on Public Records White Paper

December 13, 2011

In April 2011, the Property Records Industry Association (PRIA) published a white paper on "Access to and Sale in Bulk of Land Records." Since publication, there have been additional comments and questions about the paper from members and other interested constituents.

If you have not reviewed that white paper, it is available on the PRIA website.

PRIA would like you to take a survey to tell them what you think about paper and whether it raises additional questions about the practice of allowing access to and sale in bulk of land records.

ALTA’s Board of Governors approved an enhanced position statement regarding the cost of public records during its Annual Convention held Oct. 12- 15 in Charleston, S.C.

The enhanced statement reads:

“It is the position of the American Land Title Association that the cost to obtain a reproduction of a public record or document, regardless of format, should be the custodian’s actual out-of-pocket cost to produce the reproduction, regardless of whether the custodian is a public official or a third-party vendor engaged to act as custodian on behalf of the public official.

“Further, it is the position of the American Land Title Association that such reproductions should be provided by the public official (or a third-party vendor engaged to act as custodian on behalf of the public official) to a member of the public to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, and without the imposition of any restrictions regardless of use.”


Contact ALTA at 202-296-3671 or communications@alta.org.