Libraries and leisure

Commons searches and DX (Document Exchange)

Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies at County Hall in Hertford holds a series of maps and registers showing areas of common land and designated village greens, throughout the county. These are avalable for visitors to consult.

We offer a Commons Search service to solicitors. The standard search fee is £14.00 if Ordnance Survey (OS) grid references for the property are supplied by the solicitor. A standard search will normally be processed within 3 working days. If the response is needed more quickly, an expedited (same day) search option is available. A full list of search fee options is given below:

Standard search with OS grid references supplied £14.00
Standard search without OS grid references supplied £24.00
Expedited search with OS grid references supplied £36.00
Expedited search without OS grid references supplied £46.00
Copy of relevant entry from the Register £10.00
Expedited copy of relevant entry from Register £36.00

Cheques should be made payable to HCC and sent to Hertfordshir Archives & Local Studies, Register Office Block, County Hall, Hertford, SG13 8EJ (DX 145780 Hertford 4) together with:

a completed search application form
2 copies of a map of the site, giving grid references

DX (Document Exchange)

DX stands for Document Exchange, a courier service primarily paid for and used by solicitors and legal firms to guarantee the safe transfer of legal papers from one location to another. The County Council's DX number is DX145780 Hertford 4.

Each participating business including the County Council has an individual code number which acts as their "address". The mail is collected and sorted by the DX company, and distributed by them the following day.

Hertfordshire Archives & Local Studies often receives phone calls in connection with Commons Searches asking for the County Council's DX number, as this is the way solicitors prefer to address their envelopes. They expect Archives & Local Studies to return the completed search forms using their own DX reference numbers.

Alternative search terms: Commons registration , common land, commons searches