Grant County County Clerk
The Grant County Clerk page names Laurie Cates as County Clerk and Joleen Moulton as Chief Deputy Clerk. The Clerk's Office is the official keeper of county public records and handles Board of Property Tax Appeal petitions, Commissioner's Journal documents, orders for Grant County, plats, and real property transactions. The office also manages a microfilm collection that preserves records and makes information available to the public.
The Clerk page describes practical public service work as well as record custody. The office deciphers complex legal documents, addresses technical problems presented by the public and government entities, and manages records as prescribed by Oregon law. In Grant County's split structure, this elected county office is separate from the Trial Court Administrator / Circuit Court Records Office. Use the Clerk for county recordings, marriage licensing, probate filing intake, forms, and microfilm. Use Circuit Court for court case copies.
Grant County Clerk
Clerk: Laurie Cates
201 S Humbolt, Suite 290
Canyon City, OR 97820
541-575-1675
Fax: 541-575-2248
Monday through Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday 8 a.m. to noon
The county source shows the Clerk's duties, office hours, and contact point.
This local source is the anchor for Grant County Clerk records because it identifies the elected office and its county-record responsibilities.
Grant County Clerk Recordings
Recording work is a major County Clerk function. The research identifies plats, real property transactions, Commissioner's Journal documents, county orders, and other county public records as Clerk responsibilities. Recording questions go to the Clerk at 541-575-1675. Grant County also offers e-recording through Simplifile and CSC, which lets approved submitters record documents through vendor systems instead of ordinary counter delivery.
The Grant County recordings page names the two e-recording vendors and gives setup phone numbers.
Recording users can contact Simplifile at 800-460-5657 or CSC at 866-652-0111 for setup, while local recording questions stay with the Clerk.
| Recording channel | Use | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Clerk counter or office contact | Recording questions, county public records, microfilm | 541-575-1675 |
| Simplifile | Electronic recording setup | 800-460-5657 |
| CSC | Electronic recording setup | 866-652-0111 |
Grant County Marriage Clerk Records
The County Clerk issues Grant County marriage licenses. Each applicant must be at least 18, each must appear in person, and each must bring a valid driver's license unless the Clerk approves another identification route after a call. The county marriage page says there are no blood tests. Oregon has a three-day waiting period, the license is valid for 60 days after its effective date, and the license is valid only in Oregon. A waiting-period waiver is limited to military and terminally ill reasons.
- Both applicants appear at the Grant County Clerk's Office.
- Applicants bring valid driver's licenses or call ahead about alternate ID.
- The marriage license fee is paid to the Clerk.
- The applicants wait three days unless the limited waiver applies.
- The license is used in Oregon within 60 days and returned for recording after the ceremony.
Grant County Probate Filing Intake
Grant County probate is unusual because the County Court has probate jurisdiction under ORS 111.075, while the County Clerk receives filings. Probate filings are delivered to Laurie Cates, Grant County Clerk, at the Suite 290 office. The Clerk also sells named probate forms, including Simple Estate Affidavit, Petition for Appointment of Guardian/Conservator for an Adult, and Petition for Appointment of Guardian for a Minor.
Use the probate page for estates, conservatorships, guardianships, trusts, wills without petition, inventories, accountings, letters, and related orders. Use the Circuit Court records office only for probate-adjacent matters that Oregon sources route to court records outside the County Court probate channel.
Grant County Clerk Fees
The available official county research captures specific Clerk fees for marriage, domestic partnership, ceremonies, and forms. It also captures probate filing fees that are paid through the local probate process. Recording fees by document type were not included in the county source excerpt, so those amounts should be confirmed directly with the Clerk.
| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Marriage license | $50 |
| Waiting period waiver | $10, military and terminally ill reasons only |
| Declaration of Domestic Partnership | $50 |
| Clerk or deputy clerk ceremony | $117 during regular business hours |
| Deed, mining claim, and listed Clerk forms | $12.50 each |
| Probate forms sold at Clerk office | $12.50 each |
| Simple Estate filing | $124 |
| Guardianship filing | $124 |
| Trust filing | $281 |
| Letters of Administration, Conservatorship, Guardianship, or Testamentary | $5 |
| Wills without petition for probate | $11 |
Grant County Clerk Forms
The Grant County forms page lists several forms available for purchase at the Clerk's Office. It also says change of legal name is now done through Circuit Court, with 541-575-1438 given for that court path. That note helps prevent a common wrong-office problem: a name-change court case is not the same thing as a recorded deed or county clerk filing.
| Form group | Named forms | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Deed forms | Warranty Deed, Warranty Deed with Survivorship, Special Warranty Deed, Quitclaim Deed, Bargain & Sale Deed, Personal Representative's Deed, Transfer on Death Deed | $12.50 each |
| Mining claim forms | Mining Claim Affidavit, also called Proof of Labor, and Notice of Location of Placer Claim | $12.50 each |
| Probate forms | Simple Estate Affidavit, adult guardian/conservator petition, minor guardian petition | $12.50 each |
| Name change | Handled through Circuit Court, not the County Clerk forms process | Call Circuit Court |
Request Grant County Clerk Records
Grant County Clerk record requests are best framed by record type. For a recorded real property document or plat, contact the Clerk and ask about recording access or microfilm. For a marriage license or local marriage record, use the marriage page rules and Clerk counter. For probate filings, deliver the filing to the Clerk and use County Court for probate judicial questions. For Circuit Court case files, use the Trial Court Administrator / Circuit Court Records Office instead.
Some records connected to people or vehicles live outside the Clerk's Office. The Oregon DMV records pages are included in the county-clerk manifest, but they are not Grant County Clerk records. DMV records are separate state driver and vehicle products.
The Oregon DMV records page explains state driver-record ordering and privacy rules.
The DMV source is included to mark a boundary: driver records are state DMV files, not county recording or Clerk records.
The Oregon DMV available records page lists available state record products and fees.
That state fee page helps distinguish Clerk fees from DMV product fees when a requester is comparing record channels.
Note: Court case files, certified judgments, divorce decrees, and criminal records belong with the Circuit Court records office, not the County Clerk.