The 14 county recorders who have chosen not to implement the fee declined for various reasons.

Recorders in Cache, Salt Lake and Wasatch are taking a wait-and-see attitude.

"We would prefer voluntary compliance," Salt Lake County Recorder Gary Ott said in an e-mail. "If the recorder determines the need, he will require compliance. A formal 90-day notice will be given prior to implementation of the new statute."

In Duchesne County, Recorder Carolyne Madsen said many of the documents filed in her office are large oil and gas leases. Those leases are filed on standard, legal-sized paper at 8 1/2 by 14 inches. Because her office is accustomed to handling those documents, there's no reason to change now, Madsen said.

"It would be a disservice to a lot of our customers from out of state," she said.

Various recorders, including Summit County's Alan Spriggs, said they figure that once Utah's larger counties begin charging the fee, even more businesses will comply with the standards.

"We'll get the benefit of that," Spriggs said.

Beaver County Recorder Bruce Brown said he's glad the Utah statute makes the fee optional for recorders, because his office has no problem processing larger documents.

"I'm not a subscriber to one-size-fits-all," Brown said.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com