Deeds; execution; witnesses; acknowledgment; endorsement; validity and legality of certain acknowledgments and recordations of deeds; recorded deed lacking 1 or more witnesses.

Sec. 8.

Deeds executed within this state of lands, or any interest in lands, shall be acknowledged before any judge, clerk of a court of record, or notary public within this state. The officer taking the acknowledgment shall endorse on the deed a certificate of the acknowledgment, and the true date of taking the acknowledgment, under his or her hand. Any deed that was acknowledged before any county clerk or clerk of any circuit court, before September 18, 1903, and the acknowledgment of the deed, and, if recorded, the record of the deed, shall be as valid for all purposes so far as the acknowledgment and record are concerned, as if the deed had been acknowledged before any other officer named in this section, and the legality of the acknowledgment and record shall not be questioned in any court or place. If a deed has been recorded that lacks 1 or more witnesses and the deed has been of record for a period of 10 years or more, and is otherwise eligible to record, the record of the deed shall be effectual for all purposes of a legal record and the record of the deed or a transcript of the record may be given in evidence in all cases and the deed shall be as valid and effectual as if it had been duly executed in compliance with this section.

History: R.S. 1846, Ch. 65; CL 1857, 2727; CL 1871, 4210; How. 5658; CL 1897, 8962; Am. 1903, Act 117, Eff. Sept. 15, 1903; Am. 1905, Act 103, Imd. Eff. May 10, 1905; CL 1915, 11694; CL 1929, 13284; Am. 1937, Act 162, Imd. Eff. July 9, 1937; CL 1948, 565.8; Am. 1980, Act 488, Imd. Eff. Jan. 21, 1981; Am. 2002, Act 23, Imd. Eff. Mar. 4, 2002