Q: What is Land Court?
A: The Land Court hears a wide range of cases involving real estate and land use and oversees the Commonwealth’s system for the registration of title to real property.
FAQ’s – Land Court Frequently Asked Questions
Land Court
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the difference between the Land Court (Registered Land) and the Registry of Deeds (Recorded Land) in Massachusetts?
A: Registered Land is land that is part of a system for registering title to land. Generally, this type of land is governed by state law, and title is guaranteed by the Commonwealth. Unregistered Land or Recorded Land is by far the most common title system, comprising around ninety percent (90%) of the properties in the Commonwealth. This is the system whereby documents are sequentially recorded in books that are printed by the registrars of deeds in each county. Each system has its requirements and guidelines. You must be aware of those before attempting to record documents in either department.
Q: What is a Certificate of Title in Real Estate?
A: A Certificate of Title (CTF) is a decree which is issued by the Land Court declaring that a particular person is the owner of a particular parcel of property that is designated Registered Land in the Land Court Department. Any document that affects the ownership of that parcel is annotated on the encumbrance of the Certificate of Title, until the property is sold to a new owner.
Q: How do I know if my property is Registered Land or Recorded Land?
A: Registered Land has a Certificate of Title Number and Recorded Land has a Book and Page as a reference. If you are still unsure, do not hesitate to contact our office and we will verify that for you.
Q: If I have Registered Land documents, can I send them to your office to preview them before formally registering them?
A: Of course! We highly recommend you email us copies of your Registered Land
documents for review prior to registration either by email [email protected]
or fax 413-278-5891 or 413-278-5894. You will be notified if the documents are
acceptable or of any issues that might affect the registration of your documents.
Q: Land Court Registration Requirements that may be helpful to you