(a) All title documents for Indian land must be recorded in the record of title, regardless of whether the document reflects a transaction that required Secretarial approval. For example, the following do not require Secretarial approval, but are title documents required to be recorded:

(1) Service line agreements must be recorded under 25 CFR 169.56;

(2) Individual leases under approved Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership (HEARTH) Tribal regulations must be recorded under the Indian Affairs Manual (IAM) at 52 IAM 13;

(3) Individual leases, business agreements, and rights-of-way under Tribal Energy Resource Agreements under 25 CFR 224 must be recorded;

(4) Leases between a Tribe and a Tribal energy development organization under 25 CFR 224 must be recorded;

(5) Leases of Tribal land by a 25 U.S.C. 477 corporate entity under its charter to a third party for a period not to exceed 25 years must be recorded under 25 CFR 162.006(b)(3)(i);

(6) Tribal authorization for Tribal utility lines crossing Tribal lands must be recorded under § 169.4(b)(3)(iii); and

(7) Subleasehold mortgages under 25 CFR 162.009 must be recorded.

(b) The requirement in paragraph (a) of this section does not eliminate or supersede any Federal statute or regulation requiring the recording of title documents for Indian land in other records of title, including title documents for Indian land within the jurisdiction of the Five Civilized Tribes or the Osage Nation.

(c) LTRO may also record:

(1) Documents that demonstrate the rights of use, occupancy, and/or benefit of a Tribe to U.S. Government land or other non-Indian lands; and

(2) Certain documents regarding Indian lands that are not title documents.

LTRO maintains current and historical title documents to Indian land but in certain circumstances, due diligence may require examination of other Federal, State, and local records of title.

Only an Agency, Region, or OHA may submit title documents to the LTRO for recording. All other government offices and individuals must submit title documents to the Agency, Region, or OHA, as appropriate, for that Agency, Region, or OHA to submit to the LTRO.

The LTRO is the designated office to record title documents. The BIA Director may delegate the authority to record title documents to another BIA office by documenting the delegation and the types of transactions to which it applies in the Indian Affairs Manual.

(a) A title document must include the following information to be recorded in the record of title, except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section:

(1) A legal description of the Indian land encumbered by the title document and, if available, the tract number;

(2) The signatures of the parties to the document;

(3) Proper traditional in-person notarization or other in-person acknowledgment of the signatures of the parties, if applicable;

(4) Signature and citation to the authority of the approving official, if applicable; and

(5) Approval date.

(b) If the title document reflects a transaction that was deemed approved under a statute or regulation providing that a transaction is deemed approved after a certain period of time without Secretarial action to approve or deny, then, at a minimum, the title document must include the following items:

(1) A legal description of the Indian land encumbered by the title document and, if required, the tract number;

(2) The signatures of the parties to the document;

(3) Proper acknowledgement or authentication of the signatures of the parties, if applicable; and

(4) A citation to the statutory or regulatory authority for the transaction to be deemed approved.

(a) If prior to recording a title document, the LTRO discovers that the title document omits one or more of the items required for recording by § 150.205(a) or (b), then the LTRO will notify the originating office to request correction. Once the omission is corrected, the LTRO will record the title document.

(b) If prior to recording a title document, the LTRO discovers there is an error in one or more of the items required for recording by § 150.205(a) or (b), then the LTRO will record the title document, unless the defect is fatal, with a notation on title and notify the originating office to request correction. Once the error is corrected, the LTRO will record the corrected title document and remove the notation.

(c) If the LTRO discovers a title defect during a title examination, the LTRO will notify the originating office of the defect, request correction, and make a notation in the record of title. Once the defect is corrected, the LTRO will record the corrected title document or other legal instruments to correct the title document and remove the notation.

(d) If the defect is contained in a probate record, the LTRO will notify the Agency or Region to initiate corrective action with the OHA.