Multnomah County announced today it will be issuing $4 refunds to people and organizations that paid survey fund fees between July 28, 2016 and Oct. 17, 2016.
On Aug. 4, 2016 the Board of County Commissioners approved Resolution 2016-074, which reduced the recording fee on certain real estate documents from $10 to $6. The fee funds the Public Land Corner Program, which maintains the markers used to identify survey points on the earth’s surface for land surveying.
The recording fee had been $10 since 2012. After a recent increase in housing activity generated more revenue than the Public Land Corner Program required, the County Surveyor requested the recording fee be lowered.
The change was retroactive to July 28, but was not reflected in the Recording Office software until Oct. 17. The Recording Office collects the fee on behalf of the Land Corner Program.
Multnomah County is researching, identifying and contacting those parties who may be eligible for a refund. Individuals do not need to contact the county to receive a refund.
People with questions can contact our customer support team by phone (503-988-9998) or email (SurveyFeeRefund@multco.us). Once you submit a request for more information, someone from our customer support team will contact you with more information about your specific case.
“We are committed to researching and refunding this overcharge -- even if it is only $4,’’ said Chief Operating Officer Marissa Madrigal. “We’ve also examined and tightened our procedures, to assure fee changes are implemented in a timely manner.’’
You can find answers to Frequently Asked Questions and follow updates on the refund process at multco.us/survey-fee. Please note that the refund does not apply to property taxes.