AROOSTOOK COUNTY, MAINE
PUBLIC WEB SEARCH HELP

These instructions describe how to create an account and search the Registry database for recorded public land documents and plans. For land records, the search will return a list of grantors and grantees, the date of the document, the instrument number and book/page numbers, and a list of related instruments. The document images can be viewed on-screen with a watermark. Similar to online shopping, the application uses a "Print Cart" to collect requests for printing. Up to 500 pages can be downloaded for printing without charge each calendar year, and a charge account can be established or payment made online for additional printing. These search procedures can be used on all devices with Internet access and most web browser software. Please contact the Registry to request a complete User Guide for the search application. If you require technical assistance, please call (203) 652-1376 during regular business hours. For search questions, please contact the Registry directly at (207) 834-3925 for the North office or (207) 532-1500 for the South office.

New Account

An account must be created online before the search application can be used by clicking on the Create a new account link on the Login screen. Enter the requested information; your email address will be your user identification. Your password must contain at least 6 characters. After you click the Register button, you will receive an email message asking you to click on a link to confirm your information. If you don't immediately see the email in your Inbox, check your Spam or Junk mail folder. You may need to move the message to your Inbox before you can click on the confirmation link. After you confirm, you will then need to login with your email address and password to begin searching.

Using BrowserView Search

The BrowserView search application uses a tab structure to switch between views. The top three tabs are used to switch between the Search options (making the four lower tabs visible), the list of the Results for the most recent search, and the Document currently selected for viewing (if any). Use these tabs, not your browser's Back button, to return to the Search or Results screens.

Click on the Search tab to show the Party, Document Type, File Number and Book/Page tabs. Click the Search button after entering all required and optional criteria on the selected tab. Click Clear to clear the existing criteria.

• Party Search Tab:  Enter one party name as specified. You can enter a partial company or last name to find all parties starting with the characters entered. For example, enter BANK to find bank names starting with BANK as well as persons with names such as BANKS or BANKHEAD. For a person, you must enter a complete last name before a first name or initials. You can optionally select one or more county document types to search for the given party as described in Selecting Document Types below. A Date Range is also optional for a Party Name search.
• Document Type Search Tab:  One or more county document type codes can be selected using the instructions below. A Date Range is optional for a Document Type search.
• Selecting Document Types:  When using the Party tab and the Document Type tab, if you know the document type codes, key them separated by commas in the Document Type box. Another way is to use the Select Document Types list and check the document types to be searched. You can narrow the selection list by typing some text included in document type codes or descriptions in the Search Document Types box. For example enter MORT to list mortgage related document types.
• Instrument Number/Plan Number Search Tab:  Enter a specific county instrument number or plan number to be found.
• Book/Page Search Tab:  Select a Book Type (Documents or Plans) in the selection list and enter the Book Number and Page Number for the document or plan to be found.
• Date Range:  For a Party and Document Type search, provide an optional Date Range by typing From and To dates, or click the calendar icons to select the dates from a calendar, or click 7 Days, 30 Days or 90 Days (including the current day) as the range to use.

Returned Search Results

The resulting hit list will be presented on the Results tab, showing documents matching the criteria entered. Use the horizontal scroll bar if necessary to see all columns. The county will limit the number of records that can be retrieved in one search so you may need to change your search criteria. Here are the ways to use the hit list:

• Print Results:  Click to print a copy of the hit list. There is no charge for this.
• Add to Cart:  Click to add the entire document to the Print Cart for later downloading and printing.
• View:  Click to show the document details and image on the Document tab.
• Sorting:  Click on the words in a column heading to sort the list on the contents, alternating between ascending and descending sequence on the column and the default sequence on the first column displayed in the list.
• Filtering:  Move the mouse to the right side of a heading and click on the icon with three lines for a selection box to filter the hit list. Uncheck the default Select All and check the desired items. Type some characters to limit the selection list to values containing those characters. Click on the hit list again to see the filter results.

Document Details

When View is clicked in the hit list, details and the document image with a watermark are shown on the Document tab. Use the plus and minus buttons or your mouse scroll wheel to enlarge or reduce the image in the window. Use the buttons above the image to go to the previous or next page or a specific page number, to Rotate the view by 90 degrees left or right, or to Reset the view to normal.

Print Cart

On the document details view, click Add to Cart (Page) to add the page being viewed to the Print Cart, or Add to Cart (All Pages) to add the full document to the cart (this can also be done from the list). You can have only one request per document in the Print Cart, but you can adjust the page range before downloading. A single document in the Print Cart is downloaded as a PDF (Portable Document Format) file. Multiple documents are compressed and downloaded as a zip file that must be unzipped into individual PDF documents.

Click the Print Cart link in the shaded area at the top of your screen to view the current contents of the Print Cart. You may already have a previously used browser tab for the Print Cart; if so you can click on that tab and use the Refresh button to update the contents. From the Print Cart, you can return to the browser tab for the Search window.

On the Print Cart display page, click Remove to remove one document or Clear Cart to remove all documents. To adjust the page range, click Edit Range. Enter, separated by commas, single page numbers or contiguous ranges with a hyphen. For example enter 1,3,5,8-10,20-21 to select 8 specific pages. Click the Refresh button to update the cart display.

No Charge Printing

If your request will not exceed the 500 free pages allowed per calendar year, click the Print button in the Order Summary. If the cart contains one document, the selected pages will be downloaded immediately as a PDF. Multiple documents are compressed and downloaded as a zip file.

Charges for Printing (First and Future Requests)

When your request will exceed 500 free pages, you will see a message in the Order Summary stating that you must create a payment account. You can create an account online by clicking the Create Payment Account button and entering the requested details. You then have two options:

• You can have the payment account changed to charge account or associated with an existing agent charge account by a phone call or visit to the Registry office. After doing this, the Order Summary will show a Print After Payment button the next time you access or refresh the Print Cart. Click that button to charge the account and download your documents.
• You can keep the payment account as set up for payment through Point and Pay, a third party service contracted by the Registry. The Order Summary will show a Redirect to Payment button the next time you access or refresh the Print Cart. Click that button, enter your card information for Point and Pay, and click the Continue button. Point and Pay will ask to confirm your payment details including a convenience fee and to accept terms and conditions. After you click the Finished button the Order Summary will then show your payment as a Credit Balance; click Print(Credit) to download your documents. Future printing during the same calendar year will automatically require that you click Redirect to Payment for the Point and Pay interface, or you can establish a charge account with the Registry at any time. If you do establish a charge account, you must restart your web browser and log in again to the Search application.

Using the Zip Files

For Windows and Mac devices, you can open the zip file in your downloaded files folder to unzip it into individual PDF documents to be viewed and printed with Adobe Acrobat Reader or your browser's built-in PDF viewer. For tablets and smart phones, you will need to obtain a "Files" application from the applicable App store. You may want to search online for additional help in working with zip and PDF files.