The office of the Bucks County Recorder of Deeds, in conjunction with the Bucks County Planning Commission, has implemented a new system of recording subdivision plans electronically.
Electronic plan recording began February 1, 2015, with the intent of simplifying the process of having plans recorded. Once a plan is approved, signed by the owner(s) and the municipality and ready to be recorded, a scanned digital version should be submitted to the recorder of deeds office. The recorder of deeds will then send the digital file to the Bucks County Planning Commission for electronic signature. Scanned digital plans can be submitted by the municipality or by a third party, so long as that is done through one of the three e-file companies utilized by Bucks County: Simplefile, Land Data or CSC. If a record plan is submitted to the Recorder of Deeds on paper rather than electronically, the recorder's office will scan and send it electronically to the planning commission. Because the Bucks County Planning Commission will digitally sign the record plans, paper copies will no longer be required for the planning commission, or for the Recorder of Deeds office. Plans will simply be recorded as electronic files.
Note that the process of review and approval of plans at the municipal level does not change as a result of this new electronic filing procedure, and local municipalities may still require paper and mylar copies of the plans for themselves or their consultants. As anyone who has recorded plans in Bucks County is aware, many municipalities require that record plans contain a Bucks County Planning Commission signature before the municipality will sign record plans. All Bucks County municipalities have been advised by the planning commission that the municipalities should not impose such a requirement, given the new recording procedures.
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