El Paso County Public Trustee Chuck Broerman

Release Information

A Release of Deed of Trust is a written request by the holder of the evidence of debt (the lender), or a title insurance company, to the Public Trustee. The purpose of the release is to remove all or a portion of the property from the lien created by a Deed of Trust. A Deed of Trust is an agreement between three parties: the Grantor (owner/borrower), the Beneficiary (lender), and the Public Trustee. When recorded, a Deed of Trust creates a lien against the Grantor's property. When the terms of the Deed of Trust are satisfied, a request of Release of Deed of Trust must be recorded to remove the lien from the property. Release of Deed of Trust forms are under the heading release info and then forms on the El Paso County Public Trustee Home Page.

How To Release a Deed of Trust

A Release of Deed of Trust is signed and executed by the Current Owner of the Evidence of Debt (Lender), or a Title Company, and submitted to the Public Trustee of the county where the property is located. The Public Trustee inspects the documents presented for accuracy and completeness, signs and executes the release form and records the release with the County Clerk and Recorder.

Requirements to Release a Deed of Trust

Colorado Revised Statute §38-39-102 has set out certain requirements for releasing a Deed of Trust through the Office of the Public Trustee in the county where the property is located. The following documents are to be presented in El Paso County:

Original Evidence of Debt that corresponds to the Deed of Trust, including the principal amount, dates and the number of notes/deeds of trusts involved. In lieu of the original evidence of debt, a qualified holder as defined in C.R.S. §38-38-100.3 or a title company may request the release without production of the original evidence of debt. A private party lender who does not have the original evidence of debt must submit a Lost Instrument Bond in the amount of 1.5 times the original principal balance.

Recorded Deed of Trust, can be the original or a copy; it must include the parties, the grant to the Public Trustee, and the legal description of the property.. The Clerk and Recorder’s stamp must be on the document and legible. You may obtain a copy from the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s Office at the Citizens Service Center, 1675 W. Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, CO, 719-520-6200.

Request for Release of Deed of Trust form

Release of Deed of Trust forms are under the heading release info and then forms on the El Paso County Public Trustee Home Page.

The release form must have the following:

Qualified Holder:

If you do not have the original evidence of Debt (Note) and you are one of the entities described in C.R.S. §38-39- 102 (3) (a) or (b), such as a Federal Housing Administration Approved Mortgage, a Colorado State Bank, a National Bank, a Colorado chartered Credit Union, Federally chartered Credit Union, or a Title Insurance Company licensed and qualified in Colorado, you may use the full or partial Request for Release of Deed of Trust Without Production of Evidence of Debt.

Requests for Release of Deed of Trust Without Production of Evidence of Debt may be submitted electronically to the El Paso County Public Trustee’s office via Simplifile or CSC eRecording. Their information is provided below:

Inquiries About Status of Releases

For inquiries on the status of any release, please contact the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder's Office at 719-520-6200 or contact your mortgage lender. The Public Trustee's office processes thousands of releases each month and the time lapse between a homeowner's payoff and the release may be several months pursuant to Colorado Revised Statutes. Because of the large volume of releases received each day, there is no way for us to determine if your release documents have been received on any given day. We generally process a release within a day or two of receipt.

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