The Haywood County Register of Deeds Office took a big step toward going paperless with the debut of a new technology that electronically records land record documents submitted by attorneys, real estate agents and title companies.

The process, known as e-filing, allows documents such as deeds, deeds of trust, mortgage satisfactions and other legal documents to be accepted electronically by the register of deeds. Sherri Rogers, Haywood County register of deeds, said it will cut the time it takes to record documents from days to minutes.

“With e-filing, you’ll know exactly when a document was sent, acknowledged and recorded,” Rogers said. “If the document is rejected, you’ll receive a reason for the rejection electronically. Once a revision is made, the document can be filed immediately.”

While e-filing won’t eliminate paper transactions with the register of deeds, Rogers said she expected it to greatly reduce the amount of documents that come into the office daily.

E-filing works by allowing those sending documents to navigate through a series of web browser-based screens that gather the required index information, such as document type, grantor/grantee, taxable amounts, number of pages and other types of information. The document is uploaded over a secure connection, and is instantly sent to be recorded. After the document is recorded, it is electronically routed back to the office of the sender.

In order to use e-filing, an account must be established through the register of deeds office. Minimum requirements to use e-filing include a scanner and a web browser with internet access, but there is no software to install. Recording fees are collected through an Automated Clearing House transaction, or through a prepaid escrow account.