Registration transfers the land from the recording act system (abstract title) to the registration system (torrens title.) Torrens title provides certainty of ownership and protection against loss of property by adverse possession. With registered land, a certificate of title is maintained by the county, showing the current owners and interests in the land.
Land in Hennepin County can become registered by court order (initial registration) or by examiner’s directive (certificate of possessory title “CPT”). In either process the owner submits an application setting out all interests in the land, and provides evidence of the chain of title (usually an abstract). The examiner of titles investigates and issues a report.
Defendants are served and a court hearing is held in an initial registration. The registration resolves title defects and bars all interests not shown on the resulting certificate of title, with limited exceptions.
In the CPT process, there is no service or hearing. The examiner must find that the applicant is the record fee owner and in possession of the land, and that based on the record, the title is uncontested. The examiner directs issuance of a certificate of possessory title. To protect due process rights, the certificate of possessory title can be challenged in court for a five year period. After five years, the CPT is cancelled and a certificate of title is issued.
Initial registration forms and instructions
Initial registration under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 508 is suitable for any property and includes the option of having judicial landmarks placed to determine the location of boundary lines. To register a boundary, a survey is required.
Hearings for initial registrations are held Thursdays at 10 a.m. in the hearing room of the examiner’s office, A-702 Government Center. If you would like to observe a hearing, contact the examiner’s office for dates hearings will occur.
Once land is registered, it is important to record documents on the certificate of title, not in the abstract records.
Instructions for initial registration proceedings (PDF)
- A detailed start-to-finish guide
Survey requirements for boundary registration (PDF)
Instructions: next steps after an interlocutory order is signed (PDF)
Instructions for contested registrations (PDF)
- If someone files an answer claiming an adverse interest, the case is "contested."
Court rules for torrens proceedings (PDF)
Standing order referring registration hearings to examiner (PDF)
Forms for initial registration
Certificate of Possessory Title (CPT)
A CPT registration under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 508A is appropriate for uncontested titles where the applicant is the record owner. Boundary registration is not an option. After a CPT is issued, boundaries may be registered in a proceeding subsequent.
Registering possessory title (PDF)
- A detailed start-to-finish guide
Forms for Certificate of Possessory Title