When your mortgage is paid off, a mortgage discharge should be recorded with the Registry of Deeds to clear your property’s title.
A discharge is a document (usually one page) issued by the lender, usually with a title such as “Discharge of Mortgage” or “Satisfaction of Mortgage.”
Discharges are often filed directly by banks or settlement attorneys, for example, as part of a sale or refinancing transaction.
In some instances, such as making your final mortgage payment, congratulations, the discharge may be sent directly to you and needs to be recorded.
Your best option for recording your discharge is to bring the original discharge and either cash or check (no credit cards) for $106.00, ($105.00 for Registered Land/Land Court) payable to the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds to the Registry at 649 High Street, Dedham from 9:00am to 4:00pm, closed holidays. Your mortgage discharge will go on record that day. The original document, if it is Recorded (Registry) land will be mailed back to you within 4 to 6 weeks. Registered (Land Court) land originals are not returned, but remain in the Land Court records. Click here for the distinction between Recorded (Registry) and Registered (Land Court) land.
If you choose to mail in your discharge, please send the original discharge to the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds, 649 High Street, Dedham, MA 02026 with a check for $106.00, ($105.00 for Registered Land/Land Court) payable to the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds. We process all mailed documents the day it arrives at the Registry.
Discharges cannot be faxed, the recorded document must be the original.
My bank went out of business, how do I find out who has my mortgage so that I may record my discharge? The Registry has provided an informational sheet, Where Has My Bank Gone?
If you have an old mortgage that has not been discharged, and/or you’re having difficulty obtaining a mortgage discharge for an old mortgage, the Obsolete Mortgage statute (MGL Chapter 260, section 33) may be of assistance to you. We urge you to consult with an attorney regarding any questions you may have pertaining to the Obsolete Mortgage statute.
The Registry of Deeds will be closed in observance of Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 27th. The Registry will be open on Friday, November 28th.
The Registry of Deeds is closed today, Thursday, November 27th in observance of Thanksgiving. The Registry will be open on Friday, November 28th.
Click here to read an article about the closing of the Registry of Deeds Disaster Recovery Office in Dedham, published in December 2024 by The Quincy Sun. Click here to read an article about the lack of an occupancy permit to use the relocated Disaster Recovery Office published in October 2025 by The Dedham Times.
Click here to see: An IT Rebuttal that Aired on Quincy Access Television. Click this link to view: An Extended Registry IT Technology Rebuttal to County Commissioners-December 8, 2021
Click here to watch a five-minute video of the Plymouth County and Norfolk County Registers of Deeds testifying on HB3971. Or click here for Written Testimony and Reasons to Support HB3971 (An Act directing a study on the feasibility of placing registries of deeds for county government that have not been abolished under the oversight of the secretary of the commonwealth).