The Alexander County Register of Deeds (RoD), Scott H. Hines, and his office were very busy during 2023, although a cooling housing market calmed the frantic recording activity over the past few years. The RoD operations tempo was strong enough to bring in nearly $450,000 in revenue and recording fees during 2023. These funds allow for county and state government services.
On the vital records side, the Register of Deeds office recorded 256 death certificates in 2023 — down from Alexander’s all-time high of 311 deaths recorded at the height of the pandemic in 2021.
Since Alexander County does not have a hospital or delivery facility, the Register of Deeds office does not record many birth certificates. Most Alexander County residents use neighboring county hospitals for their birthing needs. Still, the Alexander registry saw four (4) births recorded in 2023. Births plunged after the county hospital stopped the delivery of babies in 1986, but births had steadily been falling since the baby boom of the 1950s and 1960s. Alexander County routinely had over 400 births per year a century ago.
In the field of matrimony, the Register of Deeds issued 147 marriage licenses to couples during 2023, which is down by 11 licenses when 158 were issued in 2022. Over the previous 10 years, the average marriage license count was nearly 183, so there has been nearly a 20-percent drop in annual marriage licenses issued at Alexander’s Register of Deeds.
The RoD staff made 1,956 certified copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates in 2023. Furthermore, the staff made over 5,206 uncertified copies of records during the year.
In addition to these numbers, the RoD office had more recordings of various records, including 128 notary public oaths administered. In total, there were 12,012 total transactions in the RoD office and the office collected a value of $448,372 for state and county government services. There was over $140 million in land transfers in Alexander County during 2023; however, this does not include land values where no money was exchanged, such as gifts to family members.
In notable activity in the Register of Deeds office, Ms. April Rosenbaum of Bunton Surveying and Mapping electronically submitted two plats that the office recorded on November 8, 2023. This was the first electronic recording (eRecording) of plats in the Alexander County Register of Deeds.
According to the North Carolina Secretary of State’s Land Records Manager, Mr. Rich Elkins, Alexander became the 40th NC county to successfully eRecord plats/maps. New Hanover County Register’s office eRecorded their first plat just hours before Alexander as the 39th county. Guilford and Forsyth were expected to be the next counties to enable eRecording plats, according to Mr. Elkins.
In 2023, veterans of Alexander County were provided a better place to store their important military discharge paperwork, better known as DD-214s. The old record books were falling apart, so Register Hines updated and corrected the electronic database and refurbished the antique military books.
In February, Mr. Hines warned Alexander citizens in The Taylorsville Times about businesses conducting deceptive business practices through unfair agreements. By August, the NC General Assembly had passed Session Law 2023-117 (An Act to Prohibit Unfair Real Estate Service Agreements for Residential Real Estate), which addressed this issue of harming NC citizens.
In a related matter, Register Hines informed property owners of the RoD’s free service offered through property protection software — PropertyCheck. RoD Hines published articles in The Taylorsville Times and promoted this property protection service on WACB 860 AM radio with Lisa McLain. PropertyCheck users increased by 54 percent in 2023. Still, only 839 people have signed up for this free service, so only about 6.2 percent of Alexander’s 13,496 households are covered by this property fraud protection. To use PropertyCheck, users can use the QR code provided or users can navigate to the Register of Deeds website at https://alexandercountync.gov/rod, and then click on PropertyCheck at the top of the page.
In September, both Register Hines and Ms. Dawn Rudisill were certified by the North Carolina Association of Register of Deeds (NCARD) by completing the NCARD Certification Program. Ms. Rudisill is now a Certified Deputy and Mr. Hines is a Certified Register of Deeds. The certification program is a multi-year planned learning program designed to enhance effective performance in Register of Deeds offices across the state. The professional development program helps to ensure that deputies, assistants, and Registers maintain the high standards of the Office of Register of Deeds.
In conclusion, the Register of Deeds office is a repository to preserve important records for the citizens of Alexander County. Preservation and restoration ensure the integrity of our physical records and safeguard our documents for the future. In the past, acidic materials such as paper deteriorated over time, making vital content illegible and paper brittle, possibly crumbling into obscurity. Preservation halts deterioration, stabilizes materials, and allows for the retention of important legal documents indefinitely.
The current Register is Scott H. Hines and his staff includes Assistant Joshua Bowman, and Deputies Dawn Rudisill, Lisa Moberly, and Jean Hillegass. The RoD is located in the Alexander County Services Center (151 West Main Avenue, Taylorsville), beside Courthouse Park.
The year 2023 presented challenges for the young and energetic staff, but Mr. Hines and the staff are ready and eager to provide the real estate and vital record needs for Alexander County. Feel free to stop by and see the improvements at the Register of Deeds office.
For more information, please call 828-632-3152.