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Someone can record a forged deed or lien against your home, and in most cases nobody tells you. The county records what is submitted; it does not check whether the signature is real. The first sign is often a tax bill or a loan notice months later.
Tonight I signed up for the free alert each of my counties offers. It took about ten minutes per county, and now I get an email any time a document is recorded in my name or my company's name. If you own a home in King, Pierce or Mason County, here is exactly how to do it.
What these alerts do (and don't do)
Each service watches the county's recording index for the names or parcel numbers you register. When something new is recorded, you get an email with the document type and a recording number so you can pull up the document and check it.
They alert you; they do not block a forged document from being recorded.
They only cover documents recorded in that one county. Own in two counties, sign up in both.
A normal refinance or sale will trigger them too. That is expected.
Register every version of your name that appears on title, plus any LLC or trust that owns property.
King County: Recording Activity Notification System (RANS)
King County launched RANS in March 2026. No account or password is needed.
King County's RANS registration form. No account needed, just your name and email.
Go to the RANS registration page from the King County Recorder's Office site.
Choose Personal (or Business for an LLC or trust), then enter your name and email twice. You can add a parcel number too: the first ten digits from the Assessor's Parcel Viewer, no dashes.
Click Send Confirmation Email.
Within about ten minutes you'll get "Recording Activity Notification Verification Creation from King County." Click the link inside to activate it.
A second email confirms the alert is live. Repeat for each name.
Worth knowing: King County notes your registration may be disclosable under Washington's public records law.
Pierce County: Owner Alert
Pierce County's Owner Alert page, with the sign-up button and an FAQ.
The Pierce County Auditor's Owner Alert started in December 2025. One email address can watch up to 10 names, parcels, subdivisions or condos.
Go to piercecountywa.gov/owneralert and click Sign up.
Enter your email and click Verify Email. A code arrives by email; type it in.
Choose Name and type it last name first (Huie Brian, not Brian Huie). Business names go in as written.
Click the + to add another row, then Update Subscription. You'll see "Subscribe Successful."
Pierce County's Owner Alert sign-up starts with your email address and a verification code.
Pierce County's own advice goes beyond the alert: keep your mailing address current with the county, let neighbors or tenants know how to reach you, and check listing sites now and then for your own property.
Mason County: Fraud Notify
Mason County's version takes one extra step because it sits behind an account.
Mason County's Fraud Notify sign-up starts on the Auditor's Recording page.
From the Mason County Auditor's Recording page, open the records portal and accept the disclaimer.
Click Log In, then Sign Up, and create an account. Save the login in your password manager.
Log in, click Fraud Notify, then Continue.
Pick Individual, Business or Parcel, type the name (last name first), and click Add Alert. Repeat for each name.
Click Save. The page shows "Last Saved" with the time, and a confirmation email arrives.
If an alert shows up
Open the document using the recording number in the email. If it's a refinance, sale or lien you expected, you're done. If you don't recognize it, call the county recording office with the recording number, then contact law enforcement and an attorney. The county can't reverse a recording for you, so speed matters.
Other Washington counties
Snohomish, Chelan and Yakima counties offer similar free alerts, and more counties add them every year. Search your county auditor or recorder's site for "fraud alert" or "recording notification."
Ten minutes a county, no cost. If you own property in Washington, I'd do it this week.