In Maine the copy revenue from the registries, at $1.50 per page,  is the largest contributor to the county buget in most counties.  Get caught using a scanner and you will be asked to leave or in several counties you will be charged with theft of services. Always best to check with the Registar of Deeds first. I have seen portable scanners used while reviewing files in a civil or criminal court in Portland, Maine and security is on top of you in minutes.  Same situation, theft of revenue.  There have even been cases where some one comes in with a laptop, hooks up a usb cable and downloads what they are looking at on the screen, this case gets really nasty.  Hope this helps.