Are Prenuptial Agreements Public Records?
By Gina Stewart
wedding day image by Bettina Baumgartner from Fotolia.com
Prenuptial agreements should be drafted by an attorney and are a binding contract between two people intending to get married. Depending on which state a couple lives in, their prenuptial agreement could be a matter of public record.
Misconceptions
There are many misconceptions about prenuptial agreements, the biggest being that they are only for the rich and famous or older, wealthy men wanting to protect their fortunes from nefarious fiancées. This is often not the case as many couples decide to make an arrangement for their future in case of divorce or death. Women are just as likely as men to be wealthy.
UPAA
The Uniform Premarital Agreement Act (UPAA) came about in the early 1980s to give a more consistent form to prenuptial agreements from state to state. The UPAA has been adopted by most states and governs what can and can not be enforced through the law.
Local Jurisdiction
Since there is no all encompassing rule on making a prenuptial agreement public record, it is up to the couple's attorney to check with the local probate office or land recorder's office to verify recording of this type of legal document. Once the document is recorded, then becomes a matter of public record.
References
Writer Bio
Gina Stewart began writing in 1986 for the "Suburban Journals." She attended the University of Missouri-Columbia in her early 30s, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. After graduation, she started writing for the "Centralia Guard" newspaper and the "Columbia Business Times." Today she is a freelance writer for many of her own clients who own blogs and websites.