Wheeler County Clerk
About the Wheeler County Clerk
Wheeler County is Oregon's least populous county, a rugged stretch of central Oregon canyon country built around the John Day River and the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, one of the country's most significant paleontological sites. With right around 1,500 residents spread across the whole county, agriculture, livestock, and lumber carry the local economy, and Fossil, the county seat, is a small town even by rural-Oregon standards. The Clerk's office here handles a genuinely light volume of filings — expect a small, personal operation rather than a high-throughput records department.
Cities and Communities Served
Recording jurisdiction runs countywide, not by city limits — if the property sits anywhere within Wheeler County, this is the Clerk’s office that will accept the deed. That includes:
Incorporated cities: Fossil (county seat), Mitchell, and Spray.
Unincorporated communities: Clarno, Richmond, Service Creek, Spoos Mill, Twickenham, Waterman, and Winlock.
Note: Wheeler County's seat is Fossil. The unrelated city of Wheeler is a coastal town located in Tillamook County, not Wheeler County.
Office Details
Address: 701 Adams Street, Suite 204, Fossil, OR 97830
Phone: (541) 763-2374 | Fax: (541) 763-2374
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM (closed for lunch)
Recording Fee: Oregon recording fees are set individually by each county and change periodically — check Wheeler County's current fee schedule or call the office to confirm the exact amount before filing.
Document Search: Digital Research Room
How to File a Document
- Prepare Your Document: Make sure your deed meets Oregon's formatting and content requirements before you file.
- Get It Notarized: Have the document signed in front of an Oregon notary public or other authorized official. No notary nearby in Fossil? Oregon allows remote online notarization — you can have your Wheeler County deed notarized online by an Oregon-commissioned notary instead.
- Meet Oregon's First-Page Requirements: Oregon law requires your deed's first page to show the title, grantor and grantee names, the true consideration, and an address for tax statements. If your document doesn't already include this, you'll need to attach a cover sheet, which adds $5 to the recording fee.
- Record It: You can file in person or by mail with the Wheeler County Clerk's office.
- Pay the Recording Fee: Oregon recording fees are set individually by each county and change periodically — check the current fee schedule or call the office to confirm the exact amount before filing.
- Keep Your Receipt: Your recorded document (or a certified copy) is your proof of filing.
Filing? Get a Deed the Wheeler County Clerk Will Accept
FREE generic forms are the most common reason Oregon deeds get rejected — usually over formatting, the legal description, or notary acknowledgment.
Two ways to avoid that:
Both are Oregon-compliant and built for the Wheeler County Clerk’s exact requirements.
Disclosure: affiliate links to Standard Legal, our partner — no extra cost to you.
You are not on the official Wheeler County government website. OregonQuitclaimDeed.com is a privately owned website and is not affiliated with any government agency.