Title Plants in Missouri

Overview

The use of title plants in Missouri is required by state law in connection with the issuance of title insurance policies. Title Plants are privately owned and maintained and do not exist in every county, so their use cannot be mandated in counties where no title plant exists. There are also some exceptions to this requirement that allow title agents and others to rely solely on courthouse abstractors to procure title searches. Despite these exceptions, title plants are still commonly used in counties where they exist.

45 years. Mo. Ann. Stat. 381.031(22)

TIRS: Any entities that can be defined as a title plant must annually file with the Director a registration statement in a Title Plant Registration form (FormsT-12) or any form that substantially comports with the specified form. Mo. Code Regs. Ann. tit. 20, § 500-7.200(3)(C).

Attorneys are exempt from the use of both Title Plants and minimum search requirements. Mo. Ann. Stat. § 381.071.1(1).

A title plant has three key characteristics:

• (1) An index of those records of a county imparting constructive notice to purchasers of real property;
• (2) The index covers no less that the most recent 45 years; and
• (3) The index is geographic as to all documents containing a legal description of affected land by name as to other documents.

Bulletin 08-06

Filing Requirements

Any entities that can be defined as a title plant must annually file with the Director a registration statement in a Title Plant Registration form (Form T-12) or any form that substantially comports with the specified form. Mo. Code Regs. Ann. tit. 20, § 500-7.200(3)(C).

Cross-References

• Missouri