What is a satisfaction of mortgage?

It's the recorded document proving you've paid your mortgage in full. Signed by the lender or servicer and filed with the county, it cancels the lender's lien on your property and restores clear title. Legal Information Institute defines it as a document that "proves the borrower has paid off the mortgage in full, freeing the loan's lien on the property."

Is a satisfaction of mortgage the same as a release of mortgage?

Yes — they're the same instrument under different names. "Satisfaction of mortgage" and "release of mortgage" are used interchangeably in mortgage states. In deed-of-trust states the equivalent is a "deed of reconveyance" or "full reconveyance," and some states call it a "mortgage discharge." All of them legally cancel the lender's lien once the loan is paid off.

How long should you keep a satisfaction of a mortgage?

Keep it permanently. It's your proof the lien is gone and part of your property's chain of title — you may need it to prove the loan was satisfied during a future sale, refinance, or estate settlement. Even after you sell the home, hold it with your closing records through the IRS capital-gains window (generally at least three to seven years).

What happens if a satisfaction of mortgage is never recorded?

Your property's public title still shows the paid-off lien, which can block or delay a sale or refinance until it's cleared. Most states require the lender to record the release within 30 to 90 days of payoff, and some impose penalties for missing the deadline. The CFPB recommends checking your county's property records to confirm the lien was actually released.

How do I get a copy of my satisfaction of mortgage?

Your servicer should mail you the recorded release after the loan reaches zero, and the CFPB notes your lender should also return your original note. If you never received it, request it from your servicer or pull the recorded copy from your county recorder, register of deeds, or clerk's office, where it's a public record indexed under your name and property.

Is a satisfaction of mortgage the same as my deed?

No. Your deed transfers ownership of the property; a satisfaction of mortgage only releases the lender's lien once the loan is paid. You hold both: the deed proves you own the home, and the satisfaction proves no mortgage lien remains against it. Keep them together with your property records.

Property

Satisfaction of Mortgage

A satisfaction of mortgage — also called a release of mortgage, mortgage discharge, or deed of reconveyance — is the recorded document proving you've paid your mortgage in full. Signed by the lender or servicer and filed with the county, it removes the lender's lien from your property's title and restores clear, unencumbered ownership.

California law requires a lender to record a full reconveyance — the deed-of-trust equivalent of a satisfaction of mortgage — within 30 days of the loan being paid off (Civil Code § 2941). Most states set a similar 30-to-90-day deadline.

Source: California Legislative Information — Civil Code § 2941

Written & maintained by the Granite team · Last updated June 2026

Overview

When you take out a mortgage, the lender records a lien against your property as security for the loan. When you make the final payment, that lien doesn't disappear on its own — the lender (or its servicer, or MERS acting as nominee) must sign and record a satisfaction that cancels it. Until that release hits the county's real-property records, the public chain of title still shows your home as encumbered, which can stall a future sale or refinance.

The instrument goes by different names depending on where you live and how the loan was secured: "satisfaction of mortgage" or "release of mortgage" in mortgage states, "deed of reconveyance" or "full reconveyance" in deed-of-trust states, and "mortgage discharge" in others. They all do the same job — they're the legal proof your lien is gone. Most states give the lender a deadline (commonly 30 to 90 days after payoff) to record it, and some impose penalties for missing it.

When you’ll get your Satisfaction of Mortgage

You paid off your mortgage — through your last scheduled payment, a lump sum, or a refinance
You sold your home and the old loan was paid off at closing
Your servicer mailed you the recorded release after the loan reached zero
You're confirming the lien was actually removed before a sale or refinance
You're settling an estate and need to prove the property is owned free and clear

What’s on your Satisfaction of Mortgage

These are the fields Granite reads and extracts automatically the moment you upload one.

Release Type: Whether it's a satisfaction, release, discharge, or deed of reconveyance — the form varies by state and loan type.
Borrower & Lender: The original mortgagor whose loan was paid off and the lender (or MERS as nominee) releasing the lien.
Property & County / State: The property whose lien is cleared and the county where the release is recorded.
Loan Number: The paid-off loan or account number the release references. Sensitive — Granite stores it encrypted.
Original Mortgage Reference: The date and instrument number of the original mortgage being released, tying the two records together.
Release Instrument Number & Recording Date: The recorder's identifier and date that make the release official and public.

How long to keep it

Keep your satisfaction of mortgage permanently.

It is your proof the lien on your home is gone, and a permanent link in your property's chain of title. Releases are sometimes recorded late or never recorded at all — and a lingering paid-off lien can surface years later to block a sale or refinance. Keeping your own copy lets you prove the loan is satisfied instantly, without ordering it from the county recorder. Even after you sell, hold it with your home-sale records through the IRS capital-gains window.

How Granite handles your Satisfaction of Mortgage

Granite recognizes a satisfaction of mortgage on upload and pulls the details that matter — release type, lender, the original mortgage it cancels, and the recording instrument number — while keeping the loan number encrypted. It files the release alongside the rest of your documents for that property, so years later, when you sell, refinance, or settle an estate, your proof that the lien is cleared is one search away instead of buried in a folder from closing day.

FAQ

Satisfaction of Mortgage: common questions

What is a satisfaction of mortgage?: It's the recorded document proving you've paid your mortgage in full. Signed by the lender or servicer and filed with the county, it cancels the lender's lien on your property and restores clear title. Legal Information Institute defines it as a document that "proves the borrower has paid off the mortgage in full, freeing the loan's lien on the property."
Is a satisfaction of mortgage the same as a release of mortgage?: Yes — they're the same instrument under different names. "Satisfaction of mortgage" and "release of mortgage" are used interchangeably in mortgage states. In deed-of-trust states the equivalent is a "deed of reconveyance" or "full reconveyance," and some states call it a "mortgage discharge." All of them legally cancel the lender's lien once the loan is paid off.
How long should you keep a satisfaction of a mortgage?: Keep it permanently. It's your proof the lien is gone and part of your property's chain of title — you may need it to prove the loan was satisfied during a future sale, refinance, or estate settlement. Even after you sell the home, hold it with your closing records through the IRS capital-gains window (generally at least three to seven years).
What happens if a satisfaction of mortgage is never recorded?: Your property's public title still shows the paid-off lien, which can block or delay a sale or refinance until it's cleared. Most states require the lender to record the release within 30 to 90 days of payoff, and some impose penalties for missing the deadline. The CFPB recommends checking your county's property records to confirm the lien was actually released.
How do I get a copy of my satisfaction of mortgage?: Your servicer should mail you the recorded release after the loan reaches zero, and the CFPB notes your lender should also return your original note. If you never received it, request it from your servicer or pull the recorded copy from your county recorder, register of deeds, or clerk's office, where it's a public record indexed under your name and property.
Is a satisfaction of mortgage the same as my deed?: No. Your deed transfers ownership of the property; a satisfaction of mortgage only releases the lender's lien once the loan is paid. You hold both: the deed proves you own the home, and the satisfaction proves no mortgage lien remains against it. Keep them together with your property records.

Sources

This page is checked against primary and authoritative sources:

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