Lowell Deeds

Someone asked the source of authority for the Registers of Deeds Association promulgating Indexing Standards. While there’s no express statutory grant of such authority, 950 CMR 120 clearly grants the Association the implied power to do so. It says:

The Massachusetts Registers and Assistant Registers of Deeds Association has published Deed Indexing Standards for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts which govern the creation of indexes required by MGL c.36. Unless otherwise noted, all Indexes created by Massachusetts Registries of Deeds shall conform with these Deed Indexing Standards. These standards are subject to revision. Where a standard has been revised, the most current revision shall apply

And since the original Deed Indexing Standards were in existence at the time this regulation became effective, this regulation ratifies and confirms the existing standards.