Recording Requirements
Recordings may be sent in by mail, dropped off in our drop box outside the office, submitted through electronic recording, or in-person during business hours. Please check the current business hours to the right under Contact Information.
Important Notice
The staff of the Clerk-Recorder-Assessor's Office are forbidden by
California legal codes to practice law or provide legal advice; this
prohibition includes giving advice about what forms you might need or
how you should fill them out.
Page Contents
About Recording Requirements
- Certain requirements apply to almost any document(s) you want to record.
- Please make sure to take these requirements into consideration as you prepare your document(s) for recording in order to facilitate timely recording of your document(s) and to avoid unnecessary penalties at recording time.
- The Recorder's Office does not have forms and cannot provide advice on how a document should be completed.
The Sacramento Law Library is a free resource for many forms - Please Note: Depending on the type of document, additional requirements may apply.
General Recording Requirements
- Documents Transferring Title
- Documents transferring title must contain the Assessor's Parcel Number (APN) and must be accompanied by a Preliminary Change of Ownership Report
- Legibility
- Documents must be clearly readable and capable of producing a legible microfilm record.
- Names Under Signatures
- Names must be printed or typed under all signatures and business names.
- Notary Acknowledgement
- Documents affecting title to real property must be properly acknowledged.
- Title
- Documents shall be identified as to type.
- Parties
- Names of parties to be indexed must be contained in the document.
- Return Address
- Only enter the address to which the document is being returned in this area leaving a 2 inch margin from top of page. Address for mailing tax statements should be at the bottom of the first page of the document.
Recording Fees
Please visit the Recorder Fee Schedule page for information about Recording Fees, Notification Fees, Copy Fees, Taxes and other important details.
How to Record Documents
Once your document is prepared, we accept recordings the following ways:
- In-person during office hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 8:00am to 4:00pm and Wednesday from 8:00am to 3:00pm
- By mail (USPS, FedEx, UPS, OnTrac, etc.) at County Clerk-Recorder, 585 Fiscal Dr Rm 103, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
- Enclosed in a secured envelope/package in our Drop Box outside our front door
When submitting your document for recording please include:
- Original signed document-a photocopy is not acceptable for recording
- Payment for recording. Make check payable to “County Recorder”
- Include a separate page with your contact information: name, phone number, and email address
Conformed Copies
In addition to the above items, for a free conformed copy upon recording, please include a photocopy of the document and self-addressed-stamped-envelope.