Kern County Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Form (California)
All Kern County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:
Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Form

Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.
Included Kern County compliant document last validated/updated 10/9/2024
Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included Kern County compliant document last validated/updated 4/2/2025
Completed Example of the Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included Kern County compliant document last validated/updated 4/17/2025
The following California and Kern County supplemental forms are included as a courtesy with your order:
When using these Affidavit of Surviving Spouse forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in Kern County. The executed documents should then be recorded in the following office:
Kern County Recorder
1530 Truxtun Ave, Bakersfield, California 93301
Hours: 8:00am to 4:30pm / Recording until 2:00pm
Phone: 661-868-6400 x 86448
Local jurisdictions located in Kern County include:
- Arvin
- Bakersfield
- Bodfish
- Boron
- Buttonwillow
- Caliente
- California City
- Cantil
- Delano
- Edison
- Edwards
- Fellows
- Frazier Park
- Glennville
- Inyokern
- Johannesburg
- Keene
- Kernville
- Lake Isabella
- Lamont
- Lebec
- Lost Hills
- Maricopa
- Mc Farland
- Mc Kittrick
- Mojave
- Onyx
- Randsburg
- Ridgecrest
- Rosamond
- Shafter
- Taft
- Tehachapi
- Tupman
- Wasco
- Weldon
- Wofford Heights
- Woody
How long does it take to get my forms?
Forms are available immediately after submitting payment.
How do I get my forms, are they emailed?
Immediately after you submit payment, the Kern County forms you order will be available for download directly from your account. You can then download the forms to your computer. If you do not already have an account, one will be created for you as part of the order process, and your login details will be provided to you. If you encounter any issues accessing your forms, please reach out to our support team for assistance. Forms are NOT emailed to you.
What does "validated/updated" mean?
This indicates the most recent date when at least one of the following occurred:
- Updated: The document was updated or changed to remain compliant.
- Validated: The document was examined by an attorney or staff, or it was successfully recorded in Kern County using our eRecording service.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Kern County?
Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Kern County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.
Can the Affidavit of Surviving Spouse forms be re-used?
Yes. You can re-use the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have more than one property in Kern County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Kern County.
What are supplemental forms?
Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by California or Kern County. These could be tax related, informational, or even as simple as a coversheet. Supplemental forms are provided for free with your order where available.
What type of files are the forms?
All of our Kern County Affidavit of Surviving Spouse forms are PDFs. You will need to have or get Adobe Reader to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.
Do I need any special software to use these forms?
You will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.
Do I have to enter all of my property information online?
No. The blank forms are downloaded to your computer and you fill them out there, at your convenience.
Can I save the completed form, email it to someone?
Yes, you can save your deed form at any point with your information in it. The forms can also be emailed, blank or complete, as attachments.
Are there any recurring fees involved?
No. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.
Transferring California Community Property to the Surviving Spouse
Section 100(a) of the California Probate Code states that when a married person dies, one-half of the couple's community property belongs to the surviving spouse and the other half stays in the decedent's name, ostensibly for probate distribution. For transfers occurring after July 1, 2001, California property owners gained the option to hold title as community property with the right of survivorship. By vesting this way, the remaining spouse acquires the deceased spouse's portion of the shared property without the need for probate (Cal Civ Code 682.1(a)).
The surviving spouse files an affidavit (a statement of facts, made under oath), along with an official copy of the death certificate, at the recording office for the county where the property is located. The content may vary depending on the circumstances, but it generally contains the names of both spouses, a formal legal description of the shared real estate, and the recording information for the deed transferring ownership to the couple, confirming their intention to hold title as community property. Note that the right of survivorship is not automatic with community property -- it must be written on the face of the deed. To alleviate any questions about the survivorship status, consider including an official copy of the recorded deed.
The affidavit should also confirm, among other things, that the co-owners were married when the decedent died, that there are no probate actions related to the property, and that the surviving spouse is submitting the affidavit to ensure clear title. A clear title is important because it makes future transactions involving the real estate less complicated.
Each case is unique, so contact an attorney with specific questions or for complex situations.
(California Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)
Our Promise
The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Kern County recording requirements for formatting. If there's an issue caused by our formatting, we'll make it right and refund your payment.
Save Time and Money
Get your Kern County Affidavit of Surviving Spouse form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.
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June 30th, 2025
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June 30th, 2025
Breeze.... It feels silly to hire an attorney to do this for just one beneficiary. Thanks.
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June 29th, 2025
Everything that was stated to be included in my order was complete. Very satisfied
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Michael M.
January 11th, 2019
I downloaded the gift deed and I can not type my info onto it what am I doing wrong. Please advise
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May 14th, 2024
it worked. fantastic. thanks!
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June 7th, 2021
Package downloaded without any problems. Help sheet was fair. Maybe they could cross reference the help number on the help sheet to the form better - somehow. Overall, I was pleased. I was able to download, fill in the blanks and do what edits I thought it needed with ease. Cost was very reasonable. I'll give it a 5.
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February 25th, 2019
This is a fantastic website and financial savings to many. Being able to download and complete the document I needed vs having my attorney complete saved me $800. I would highly recommend this website.
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April 19th, 2023
Dry convenient and had just the form I needed and included directions, filled out sample form and other resources. Will recommend and use again if needed.
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March 20th, 2023
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August 26th, 2021
Quick and easy ordering and download. Appreciated that I could get the form that is used in my county. Would have like to be able to add paragraphs to form.
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July 4th, 2022
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June 12th, 2021
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August 22nd, 2020
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September 23rd, 2021
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James U.
June 18th, 2020
Fonts for all fields are not the same. Collin County has a specified size it wants in all fields. Other than that every thing was fine.
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