The Registry does not conduct a substantive review of documents. Registered Land is less common and the system is more formal and complex. Under this system, the Land Court certifies title to land after a court-appointed title examiner conducts an exhaustive title search and interested parties are given due process.
The time a case takes in the Land Court depends on the type of case and the court's caseload. Case Management Conferences are scheduled by the assigned judge for all cases subject to Land Court Standing Order 1–04. These cases typically take place within the first three months after the case is filed.
A Local Land Court comprises a Local Land Court Magistrate and either two or four Land Mediators. If possible, one of the mediators should be the one who attempted to resolve the matter by means of mediation. Clerks may or may not be appointed.
Subsequent to registration cases are legal proceedings. They modify, add, or update registered land records due to changes in the land's title or ownership. They are also known as “SBQ Cases,” “Subsequent Cases,” or “S-Cases.”
The Land Court Department of the Trial Court has statewide jurisdiction over a wide range of cases involving real estate and land use and oversees the Commonwealth's system for the registration of title to real property.
Overview. The Land Court has exclusive, original jurisdiction over the registration of title to real property and over all matters and disputes concerning such title subsequent to registration.