There be and hereby is established a real estate
registry for the Borough of Morrisville, County of Bucks and State
of Pennsylvania, and the Secretary of the said Borough shall, under
the direction of the Council, cause to be made all necessary books,
maps and plans as will show the situation and dimensions of each property
thereon; which books, maps or plans shall be so prepared as to show
the location and the name of the owner or owners thereof with blank
spaces for the name of the owner of each lot, and with provision for
the names of future owners and the dates of future transfers of title.
For the purpose of establishing such registry,
the Secretary shall have access without charge to any public records
wherein the necessary information may be obtainable, and may also
cause a search to be made in other places for any muniments or evidences
of title, not reported to him as herein provided and requisite for
the completion of such books, maps or plans.
Said books, maps or plans shall be carefully
preserved, and shall be so kept by additions from time to time as
to show the ownership of every lot, or piece of real estate, or subdivision
thereof, within the limits of the said Borough, with the succeeding
transmissions of title from the time of the commencement of such plans;
but nothing contained therein shall, at any time, invalidate any municipal
or tax claim by reason of the fact that the same is not assessed or
liened against the registered owner.
[Amended 9-15-1943; 2-13-1946; 11-12-1948; 11-3-1960 by Ord. No. 481; 12-19-1974 by Ord. No. 682; 5-14-1985 by Ord. No.
800; 12-30-1985 by Ord. No. 811; 12-15-2008 by Ord. No. 975]
It shall be the duty of all owners or an agent
on behalf of an owner to register the deed or conveyance within the
limits of said Borough within two business days after recording the
deed or conveyance by any one of the following methods:
A. By delivering
or sending a copy of the deed or conveyances submitted for recording
by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested to the municipality.
B. If agreeable
to both the owner and the municipality, by electronically sending
an image of the deed as submitted for recording to the municipality.
The Recorder of Deeds may, but is not required to, electronically
transmit the deed as a service to the owner, and may charge such fees
as are provided in the Act of July 18, 1941 (P.L. 421, No. 169) entitled
"an Act requiring Recorder of Deeds to accept and record the deeds
prior to registry, where registry is required and to have the same
registered, and fixing fees therefor, in addition to the recording
fee."
C. Pursuant
to state law, for the purpose of maintaining its registry, the Borough
of Morrisville has set as a reasonable fee of $10/per deed. This fee
imposed shall be paid as follows:
(1) The
fee shall accompany any copy of a deed that is registered in accordance
with methods set forth, above; and
(2) The
fee shall be delivered or mailed, first class, prepaid, to the municipality
within seven days after recordation.
The Sheriff of Bucks County shall present for
registry the deeds of all properties within said Borough sold by him
at judicial sales; and the Prothonotary and Recorder of Deeds of Bucks
County shall not admit for record any deed of any property in said
Borough, bearing dates subsequent to the approval of any ordinance
providing for the establishment of such registry, unless the same
shall first have been duly stamped as herein provided.
[Amended 5-14-1985 by Ord. No. 800]
Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate
any provision of this Part 8 shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced
to pay a fine of not more than $300, together with costs of prosecution,
or to imprisonment for a term not to exceed 30 days.
[Adopted 4-20-1998 by Ord. No. 893]
Effective with the date of this Part, the Borough
Council of the Borough of Morrisville, appoints the locally elected
tax collector, his/her predecessor or successor as the agent authorized
to provide and issue real estate tax certifications upon request by
the real estate property owner or their authorized agent, and hereby
authorizes said tax collector to assess, collect and retain, as compensation
for providing said tax certification service a fee of $30 for each
single or multiple taxing year request certified on one occasion;
further, a fee is hereby established, to be collected and retained
by the above designated persons, for the issuance of a duplicate tax
bill or facsimile thereof, said fee shall be $5 for each document
issued.