Wayne County deeds office limits in-person access
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Notices informing Wayne County Register of Deeds visitors that appointments are required. Photo: Joe Guillen/Axios
Wayne County's "library of land records," where residents record deeds, mortgages and other documents, has required appointments for in-person service since October.
Why it matters: The county's Register of Deeds provides essential property services, yet the new policy can leave residents waiting days for access and walk-in visitors turned away.
What they're saying: Bernard Youngblood, the elected official in charge of the office, told Axios it's the first time in his 25 years that service has been appointment-only.
- "I'm hoping that we will return and eliminate the need for appointments after the training of the new staff we have hired and the enhanced software implementation is fully engaged," Youngblood wrote in a March 5 email.
- Youngblood said about half of scheduled appointments result in no-shows. In some cases, reception staff may allow walk-ins to enter if space is available. Residents facing time-sensitive filing deadlines can request a supervisor, he said.
Behind the scenes: Axios Detroit regularly visits Youngblood's Greektown office for access to property records, and has witnessed visitors without appointments turned away on multiple occasions. They are given a business card with a QR code to book online.
- As of March 5, the earliest available appointment through the county's booking system was March 13 — eight days later.
State of play: The office does not track how many walk-in residents are turned away, Youngblood told us.
- He also said the office does not maintain statistics showing whether the total number of in-person customers served has increased or decreased since the appointment-only system began.
- He described the shift as a business decision rooted in declining revenues. His office is not funded by the county's general budget and it raised fees in January for the first time in 30 years, he said.
Zoom out: Neighboring Oakland County does not require appointments for Register of Deeds services.
- "We are here to serve the public," Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds Lisa Brown told Axios, adding that walk-in visitors are typically helped within minutes.
- Brown, in her fourth term, said she is not aware of other Michigan Register of Deeds offices requiring appointments.
What's next: "Hopefully, in about three months we should be back to normal," Youngblood said.