I too have been doing this. No one has ever said no when I have asked. I find it to be so much quicker and simpler. It has the added benefits for me especially when dealing with handwriting or type I can not quite read, I just open the document on my computer and enlarge it till I can read the writing. Also is great to have a digital to send to other researchers sharing the find. Susan -----Original Message----- From: David French [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2005 5:34 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [NCLENOIR] Copy Fees at Register of Deeds Office Hi All, One way to possibly get around the $1.00 fee is to take your digital camera and take a picture of the record. I know I have done this throughout the South with almost no problem. You can then do a printout of the record at home on your printer for much less than $1.00 or just store it on your computer or CD-ROM. They are public records and it is my understanding that they cannot refuse them being copied by whatever means as long as it does not harm the original record. If there is ever a question if a picture of the records can be made, I ask to speak to the Register of Deeds of the county and ask to see a copy of the law where it says a digital copy cannot be made. The records are not owned by the individual counties, they are owned by the People at large. With the advances in technology, some counties are digitizing all of their records and making them available online in some instances. In a few years, I think this will greatly assist researchers who may not be able to travel or cannot afford to hire a researcher to find information on their families. David