Bellamy: You don’t have to pay $80-plus for a copy

Osage County Clerk Shelia Bellamy wants property owners to know she can provide them with copies of property deeds for far less money than some private companies are apparently asking.

Bellamy explained that some companies are apparently sending mailings to property owners, asking for more than $80 to provide them with deed copies.

Bellamy said she provides copies for $1 a page. Most deeds are a single page, so most property owners shouldn’t have to pay more than $1 for a regular copy, or $1 for a certified copy, she said. There’s no need to be spending in excess of $80 unless the document involved is more than 80 pages long, she said.

She clarified that the companies sending the mailouts aren’t actually doing anything illegal, but she said that she wants people to understand that there’s no need to spend a lot of money for copies of documents.

“If they have received those letters, that’s not true,” Bellamy said. “It’s not going to cost them $87.”

If you live in Osage County or live elsewhere but have land here, and if you need a copy of a land deed, you can call the County Clerk’s Land Records Department at 918-287-3136 and receive assistance.

Bellamy said Tulsa County has provided clarification to residents about similar correspondence.