Primary ContactElaine Martig - County Recorder20 Second St SE Suite 106 Ortonville, MN 56278 Phone: (320) 839-6390 Fax: (320) 839-6394 Elaine.Martig@co.big-stone.mn.us |
Other StaffLaura BergerLaura.Berger@co.big-stone.mn.us Heather Henrich Heather.Henrich@co.big-stone.mn.us |
The Big Stone County Recorder's office is located on the Main (or Second) floor of the Courthouse, and our office is open from 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday (including the lunch hour). Many reasons may prompt your visit to our office, as we have many departments and perform many functions that touch just about everyone’s life at some point in time.
We record real estate transactions, both for abstract and registered (or Torrens) property. Our land records go back to the late 1870’s, so the Recorder’s office has the history of all Big Stone County land transactions recorded since that time. If you are recording a real estate transaction—such as a deed, mortgage, satisfaction or plat—a link to our fee schedule is shown on the upper right corner of this page.
Military discharges, starting with World War I veterans, are recorded in our office. If you need a copy of the DD214 that was filed in our office, we can be of service to you.
We file Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) documents that affect personal property. We have been a satellite office for the Secretary of State since July 1, 2001.
We have the vital records (birth, death, marriage) for Big Stone County dating back to about 1880, so we see many people checking on genealogy. Since we are on-line with the Minnesota Department of Health, we are able to issue a certified copy of any birth record that occurred within the State of Minnesota. We can also issue certified copies of death records for any death that occurred within the State of Minnesota after 1996. Certified copies of death records that occurred in Big Stone County prior to 1997 can be obtained in our office also. In order to obtain certified copies of birth or death records, you must fill out a birth record application or death record application and show tangible interest. Provided the application is in order and the proper payment is submitted, we are usually able to mail the certificate(s) the day we receive the application.
We take marriage license applications for marriages to be performed in Minnesota and issue certified copies of any marriage recorded in Big Stone County since about 1880. The Minnesota County Recorder’s Association has developed a statewide search engine for marriages that have taken place in Minnesota, and the website that was created (www.mncounty.com) is available to the public. This website is a useful tool for genealogists or if you’re not sure where your marriage certificate was recorded. Although the website shows marriages that have taken place throughout Minnesota, the marriage certificates still do need to be obtained from the county where the license was purchased.
As you can see, there are many reasons to visit our office! Many things have changed in the past 100 plus years of Big Stone County record keeping (from recording in books with quill pens, to typewriters, to photocopying, and now to scanning and computers). However, we hope to always remain your local, friendly office.
Thank you for allowing us to be of service to you!