MPEP § 317.01 — Recording Date (Annotated Rules)

§317.01 Recording Date

USPTO MPEP version: BlueIron's Update: 2025-12-31

This page consolidates and annotates all enforceable requirements under MPEP § 317.01, including statutory authority, regulatory rules, examiner guidance, and practice notes. It is provided as guidance, with links to the ground truth sources. This is information only, it is not legal advice.

Recording Date

This section addresses Recording Date. Primary authority: 37 CFR 3.21, 37 CFR 1.8, and 37 CFR 1.10. Contains: 2 requirements, 1 permission, and 7 other statements.

Key Rules

Topic

Certificate of Mailing

6 rules
StatutoryInformativeAlways
[mpep-317-01-eaaf0bbb9f311c55e07a6b31]
Document Recording Date Is Determined By Filing Date
Note:
The date a document is recorded is determined by the date it meets recording requirements and is filed in the Office.

The date of recording of a document is the date the document meeting the requirements for recording set forth in this part is filed in the Office. A document which does not comply with the identification requirements of § 3.21 will not be recorded. Documents not meeting the other requirements for recording, for example, a document submitted without a completed cover sheet or without the required fee, will be returned for correction to the sender where a correspondence address is available. The returned papers, stamped with the original date of receipt by the Office, will be accompanied by a letter which will indicate that if the returned papers are corrected and resubmitted to the Office within the time specified in the letter, the Office will consider the original date of filing of the papers as the date of recording of the document. The procedure set forth in § 1.8 or § 1.10 of this chapter may be used for resubmissions of returned papers to have the benefit of the date of deposit in the United States Postal Service. If the returned papers are not corrected and resubmitted within the specified period, the date of filing of the corrected papers will be considered to be the date of recording of the document. The specified period to resubmit the returned papers will not be extended.

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 3.21Certificate of MailingExpress Mail Filing DateCorrespondence Address Requirements
StatutoryInformativeAlways
[mpep-317-01-e91a6845a82b04f871c498e6]
Identification Requirements for Recording
Note:
A document must meet the identification requirements of §3.21 to be recorded.

The date of recording of a document is the date the document meeting the requirements for recording set forth in this part is filed in the Office. A document which does not comply with the identification requirements of § 3.21 will not be recorded. Documents not meeting the other requirements for recording, for example, a document submitted without a completed cover sheet or without the required fee, will be returned for correction to the sender where a correspondence address is available. The returned papers, stamped with the original date of receipt by the Office, will be accompanied by a letter which will indicate that if the returned papers are corrected and resubmitted to the Office within the time specified in the letter, the Office will consider the original date of filing of the papers as the date of recording of the document. The procedure set forth in § 1.8 or § 1.10 of this chapter may be used for resubmissions of returned papers to have the benefit of the date of deposit in the United States Postal Service. If the returned papers are not corrected and resubmitted within the specified period, the date of filing of the corrected papers will be considered to be the date of recording of the document. The specified period to resubmit the returned papers will not be extended.

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 3.21Certificate of MailingExpress Mail Filing DateCorrespondence Address Requirements
StatutoryInformativeAlways
[mpep-317-01-8904793aeb7b31a1b3f01458]
Returned Papers Must Be Corrected and Resubmitted Within Specified Time
Note:
If returned papers are corrected and resubmitted within the specified time, the original filing date will be considered the recording date.

The date of recording of a document is the date the document meeting the requirements for recording set forth in this part is filed in the Office. A document which does not comply with the identification requirements of § 3.21 will not be recorded. Documents not meeting the other requirements for recording, for example, a document submitted without a completed cover sheet or without the required fee, will be returned for correction to the sender where a correspondence address is available. The returned papers, stamped with the original date of receipt by the Office, will be accompanied by a letter which will indicate that if the returned papers are corrected and resubmitted to the Office within the time specified in the letter, the Office will consider the original date of filing of the papers as the date of recording of the document. The procedure set forth in § 1.8 or § 1.10 of this chapter may be used for resubmissions of returned papers to have the benefit of the date of deposit in the United States Postal Service. If the returned papers are not corrected and resubmitted within the specified period, the date of filing of the corrected papers will be considered to be the date of recording of the document. The specified period to resubmit the returned papers will not be extended.

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 3.21Certificate of MailingExpress Mail Filing DateCorrespondence Address Requirements
StatutoryPermittedAlways
[mpep-317-01-a29eae1d190d79d4d077f340]
Procedure for Resubmitting Returned Papers to Benefit from Date of Deposit
Note:
This rule permits resubmission of returned papers via the United States Postal Service to benefit from the original date of deposit, provided they are corrected and resubmitted within the specified period.

The date of recording of a document is the date the document meeting the requirements for recording set forth in this part is filed in the Office. A document which does not comply with the identification requirements of § 3.21 will not be recorded. Documents not meeting the other requirements for recording, for example, a document submitted without a completed cover sheet or without the required fee, will be returned for correction to the sender where a correspondence address is available. The returned papers, stamped with the original date of receipt by the Office, will be accompanied by a letter which will indicate that if the returned papers are corrected and resubmitted to the Office within the time specified in the letter, the Office will consider the original date of filing of the papers as the date of recording of the document. The procedure set forth in § 1.8 or § 1.10 of this chapter may be used for resubmissions of returned papers to have the benefit of the date of deposit in the United States Postal Service. If the returned papers are not corrected and resubmitted within the specified period, the date of filing of the corrected papers will be considered to be the date of recording of the document. The specified period to resubmit the returned papers will not be extended.

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 3.21Certificate of MailingExpress Mail Filing DateExpress Mail Filing
StatutoryInformativeAlways
[mpep-317-01-8984fd31a40e848a4fbe3d33]
Date of Recording After Resubmission
Note:
If corrected papers are not resubmitted within the specified period, the filing date will be considered the recording date.

The date of recording of a document is the date the document meeting the requirements for recording set forth in this part is filed in the Office. A document which does not comply with the identification requirements of § 3.21 will not be recorded. Documents not meeting the other requirements for recording, for example, a document submitted without a completed cover sheet or without the required fee, will be returned for correction to the sender where a correspondence address is available. The returned papers, stamped with the original date of receipt by the Office, will be accompanied by a letter which will indicate that if the returned papers are corrected and resubmitted to the Office within the time specified in the letter, the Office will consider the original date of filing of the papers as the date of recording of the document. The procedure set forth in § 1.8 or § 1.10 of this chapter may be used for resubmissions of returned papers to have the benefit of the date of deposit in the United States Postal Service. If the returned papers are not corrected and resubmitted within the specified period, the date of filing of the corrected papers will be considered to be the date of recording of the document. The specified period to resubmit the returned papers will not be extended.

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 3.21Certificate of MailingExpress Mail Filing DateCorrespondence Address Requirements
StatutoryInformativeAlways
[mpep-317-01-55d70d8fe3f2c8845c51e802]
Resubmission Period Not Extended
Note:
The time to correct and resubmit returned papers cannot be extended by the Office.

The date of recording of a document is the date the document meeting the requirements for recording set forth in this part is filed in the Office. A document which does not comply with the identification requirements of § 3.21 will not be recorded. Documents not meeting the other requirements for recording, for example, a document submitted without a completed cover sheet or without the required fee, will be returned for correction to the sender where a correspondence address is available. The returned papers, stamped with the original date of receipt by the Office, will be accompanied by a letter which will indicate that if the returned papers are corrected and resubmitted to the Office within the time specified in the letter, the Office will consider the original date of filing of the papers as the date of recording of the document. The procedure set forth in § 1.8 or § 1.10 of this chapter may be used for resubmissions of returned papers to have the benefit of the date of deposit in the United States Postal Service. If the returned papers are not corrected and resubmitted within the specified period, the date of filing of the corrected papers will be considered to be the date of recording of the document. The specified period to resubmit the returned papers will not be extended.

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 3.21Certificate of MailingExpress Mail Filing DateCorrespondence Address Requirements
Topic

Correspondence Address Requirements

2 rules
StatutoryRequiredAlways
[mpep-317-01-4029c2afd06a64c1bf329488]
Documents Must Have Cover Sheet and Fee
Note:
Documents submitted without a cover sheet or required fee must be corrected by the sender if an address is available, with the original date of receipt considered the filing date.

The date of recording of a document is the date the document meeting the requirements for recording set forth in this part is filed in the Office. A document which does not comply with the identification requirements of § 3.21 will not be recorded. Documents not meeting the other requirements for recording, for example, a document submitted without a completed cover sheet or without the required fee, will be returned for correction to the sender where a correspondence address is available. The returned papers, stamped with the original date of receipt by the Office, will be accompanied by a letter which will indicate that if the returned papers are corrected and resubmitted to the Office within the time specified in the letter, the Office will consider the original date of filing of the papers as the date of recording of the document. The procedure set forth in § 1.8 or § 1.10 of this chapter may be used for resubmissions of returned papers to have the benefit of the date of deposit in the United States Postal Service. If the returned papers are not corrected and resubmitted within the specified period, the date of filing of the corrected papers will be considered to be the date of recording of the document. The specified period to resubmit the returned papers will not be extended.

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 3.21Correspondence Address RequirementsCorrespondence with the OfficeCorrespondence Address
StatutoryRequiredAlways
[mpep-317-01-e6a279fd0c64931f997687de]
Cover Sheet Required for Recording
Note:
Documents submitted without a completed cover sheet will be returned for correction.

The date of recording of a document is the date the document meeting the requirements for recording set forth in the regulations is filed in the Office. A document which does not comply with the identification requirements of 37 CFR 3.21 will not be recorded. Documents not meeting the other requirements for recording, for example, a document submitted without a completed cover sheet or without the required fee, will be returned for correction to the sender when a correspondence address is available.

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 3.21Correspondence Address RequirementsCorrespondence with the OfficeCorrespondence Address
Topic

Date of Recording (37 CFR 3.51)

1 rules
StatutoryInformativeAlways
[mpep-317-01-92c4f4cf3a45e2c7e589da1f]
Document Meeting Requirements Must Be Filed for Recording
Note:
Documents that meet the requirements for recording must be filed in the Office to determine their recording date, which will not be recorded if they do not comply with identification or other submission requirements.

The date of recording of a document is the date the document meeting the requirements for recording set forth in the regulations is filed in the Office. A document which does not comply with the identification requirements of 37 CFR 3.21 will not be recorded. Documents not meeting the other requirements for recording, for example, a document submitted without a completed cover sheet or without the required fee, will be returned for correction to the sender when a correspondence address is available.

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 3.21Date of Recording (37 CFR 3.51)Recording of Assignments (MPEP 302-303)Correspondence Address Requirements
Topic

Recording of Assignments (MPEP 302-303)

1 rules
StatutoryInformativeAlways
[mpep-317-01-5a6a4751095b6b65752c99c8]
Identification Requirements for Recording
Note:
Documents must meet the identification requirements of 37 CFR 3.21 to be recorded.

The date of recording of a document is the date the document meeting the requirements for recording set forth in the regulations is filed in the Office. A document which does not comply with the identification requirements of 37 CFR 3.21 will not be recorded. Documents not meeting the other requirements for recording, for example, a document submitted without a completed cover sheet or without the required fee, will be returned for correction to the sender when a correspondence address is available.

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 3.21Recording of Assignments (MPEP 302-303)Assignment and Ownership (MPEP Chapter 300)Date of Recording (37 CFR 3.51)

Citations

Primary topicCitation
Certificate of Mailing
Correspondence Address Requirements
37 CFR § 1.10
Certificate of Mailing
Correspondence Address Requirements
37 CFR § 1.8
Certificate of Mailing
Correspondence Address Requirements
Date of Recording (37 CFR 3.51)
Recording of Assignments (MPEP 302-303)
37 CFR § 3.21

Source Text from USPTO’s MPEP

This is an exact copy of the MPEP from the USPTO. It is here for your reference to see the section in context.

BlueIron Last Updated: 2025-12-31