Dukes County Registry of Deeds

The Dukes County Registry of Deeds is a recording office and research library for land transactions in Dukes County. Documents recorded are related to the ownership of real estate within County. Examples of such documents include, but are not limited to, deeds, mortgages, easements, liens, and subdivision plans.

It is our primary mission at the Registry of Deeds to record, preserve and provide access to these records in the most efficient manner possible. Our staff is fully committed to providing courteous, helpful, and professional service to our customers.

The Registry of Deeds has records dating back to 1641 which are all accessible to the public. To assist customers in finding relevant documents, the Registry has a searchable index that contains the names of all parties related to a document. Recorded documents are assigned a sequential identifying number depending on the type of real estate (such as a book/page reference or a document/certificate number) and are then scanned into the Registry’s computer system. After scanning, the images are available to view and/or print from the public access terminals at the Registry and at your home or office using the website masslandrecords.com.

The Registry of Deeds is a county office operated under the supervision of the Register of Deeds who is an elected county official. By virtue of this office, the Register of Deeds is also an Assistant Recorder of the Massachusetts Land Court. All transactions recorded in the Land Court section of the Registry deal with registered land, the title to which is insured by the Commonwealth.
The Registry of Deeds is located in the County Courthouse in Edgartown. At the Registry one may trace the ownership of property located in the towns of Aquinnah (formerly Gay Head), Chilmark, Edgartown, Gosnold, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury, and West Tisbury.

The Registry is also a revenue producing agency. Statutory fees are collected for recordings, excise tax stamps, copies, and other Registry services. All receipts are paid periodically into the County and State treasuries thereby helping to reduce the cost of government at all levels.