47:1-5. All papers, documents and instruments in writing authorized or required by law to be recorded, filed, registered, or indexed in the office of the Secretary of State, clerk, register of deeds and mortgages and surrogate of any county of this State, as well as the record and index of any such papers, documents or instruments in writing, which may be recopied, rerecorded or transcribed pursuant to any law of this State, may be recopied, rerecorded, reindexed or transcribed in such offices by means of photography, data processing or image processing, and such rerecord or transcribing, made by means of photography, data processing or image processing, shall have the same legal force, meaning and effect as if made in handwriting or in typewriting.

The Secretary of State, clerk, register of deeds and mortgages and surrogate of any county of this State may make a copy by means of photography, data processing or image processing of any document or instrument and such photographic, data processed or image processed copy, if made, shall have the same legal force, meaning and effect as if made in handwriting or in typewriting.

Amended 1939,c.346; 1953,c.45,s.1; 1994,c.140,s.2.