The vast majority of states in the
United States employ a system of
recording legal instruments that affect the title of
real estate as the exclusive means for publicly documenting land titles and interests. This system differs significantly from
land registration systems, such as the
Torrens System that have been adopted in a few states. The principal difference is that the recording system does not determine who owns the title or interest involved. That determination is ultimately made through litigation in the courts. What the system does do is to provide framework for determining whom the law will protect with relation to those titles and interests when a dispute arises.