San Diego County Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Form

San Diego County Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Form

San Diego County Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Form

Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.

Document Last Validated 10/28/2025
San Diego County Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Guide

San Diego County Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.

Document Last Validated 11/6/2025
San Diego County Completed Example of the Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Document

San Diego County Completed Example of the Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.

Document Last Validated 11/3/2025

All 3 documents above included • One-time purchase • No recurring fees

Immediate Download • Secure Checkout

Important: Your property must be located in San Diego County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the office below.

Where to Record Your Documents

San Diego Clerk/Recorder Main Office
Address:
County Administration Center - 1600 Pacific Highway, Suite 260
San Diego, California 92101

Hours: Monday to Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm

Phone: (619) 236-3771, 238-8158; (760) 630-1219 North County

Mail to: San Diego Assessor/Recorder/Clerk
Address:
P.O. Box 121750
San Diego, California 92112-1750

Hours: N/A

Phone: mailing address

El Cajon Branch Office
Address:
200 S Magnolia Ave
El Cajon, California 92020

Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm

Phone: (619) 238-8158 or (619) 236-3771 Assessor

San Marcos Branch Office
Address:
141 E Carmel St
San Marcos, California 92078

Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm

Phone: (619) 238-8158 or (760) 630-1219 North County

Chula Vista Branch Office
Address:
590 3rd Ave.
Chula Vista, California 91910

Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays.

Phone: (619) 238-8158

Recording Tips for San Diego County:
  • White-out or correction fluid may cause rejection
  • Both spouses typically need to sign if property is jointly owned
  • Bring multiple forms of payment in case one isn't accepted

Cities and Jurisdictions in San Diego County

Properties in any of these areas use San Diego County forms:

  • Alpine
  • Bonita
  • Bonsall
  • Borrego Springs
  • Boulevard
  • Camp Pendleton
  • Campo
  • Cardiff By The Sea
  • Carlsbad
  • Chula Vista
  • Coronado
  • Del Mar
  • Descanso
  • Dulzura
  • El Cajon
  • Encinitas
  • Escondido
  • Fallbrook
  • Guatay
  • Imperial Beach
  • Jacumba
  • Jamul
  • Julian
  • La Jolla
  • La Mesa
  • Lakeside
  • Lemon Grove
  • Lincoln Acres
  • Mount Laguna
  • National City
  • Oceanside
  • Pala
  • Palomar Mountain
  • Pauma Valley
  • Pine Valley
  • Potrero
  • Poway
  • Ramona
  • Ranchita
  • Rancho Santa Fe
  • San Diego
  • San Luis Rey
  • San Marcos
  • San Ysidro
  • Santa Ysabel
  • Santee
  • Solana Beach
  • Spring Valley
  • Tecate
  • Valley Center
  • Vista
  • Warner Springs

View Complete Recorder Office Guide

Hours, fees, requirements, and more for San Diego County

How do I get my forms?

Forms are available for immediate download after payment. The San Diego County forms will be in your account ready to download to your computer. An account is created for you during checkout if you don't have one. Forms are NOT emailed.

Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in San Diego County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by San Diego County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.

Can I reuse these forms?

Yes. You can reuse the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have multiple properties in San Diego County you only need to order once.

What do I need to use these forms?

The forms are PDFs that you fill out on your computer. You'll need Adobe Reader (free software that most computers already have). You do NOT enter your property information online - you download the blank forms and complete them privately on your own computer.

Are there any recurring fees?

No. This is a one-time purchase. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.

How much does it cost to record in San Diego County?

Recording fees in San Diego County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (619) 236-3771, 238-8158; (760) 630-1219 North County for current fees.

Questions answered? Let's get started!

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)

Important: Your property must be located in San Diego County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the office below.

This Affidavit of Surviving Spouse meets all recording requirements specific to San Diego County.

Our Promise

The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the San Diego 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 San Diego 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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December 26th, 2020

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December 12th, 2023

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Dennis T.

November 23rd, 2019

I liked the service very much. The form I ordered wasn't provided by the local government agency and I couldn't find it on the internet. I liked that the form came with easy to follow, line by line, instructions and a sample. I also appreciated that I wasn't forced to take on a trial membership to keep me on the hook. I would definitely use this service again in the future!

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Shane T.

March 7th, 2020

The Transfer on Death Deed form package was very good. But like anything, could use some improvements. There is not enough space to fill more than one beneficiary with any level of additional detail like "as his sole and separate property" The area for the legal description could be a bit bigger and potentially fit many legal descriptions. Or it could be made to simply say "See Exhibit A" as is likely necessary for most anyway. The guide should indicate what "homestead property" means so the user doesn't have to research the legal definition. (which turns out to be obvious, at least in my state, if you live there, it's your homestead.) It would be helpful if an "Affidavit of Death" form were included in the package for instances where the current deed hasn't been updated to reflect a widowed owner as the sole owner before recording with only the one signature.

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November 17th, 2019

Forms were easy to complete and print.

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December 26th, 2018

Excellent - no reservations. I used them on a Sunday and had my info on Monday. Not only did they execute the order flawlessly, the fixed my screw up* immediately. *I hit refresh before the "secured" page transmitted, so I created (2) two orders of the same item.

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October 13th, 2022

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October 22nd, 2021

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August 27th, 2020

sweet & easy

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Suzanne D.

January 7th, 2019

Information found, thank you. I own Ground Rent on property and needed to know name of property owner and address for mailing bill.

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April 30th, 2021

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Carl T.

February 23rd, 2021

Great site with good information and pricing. Let me know when you are able to record documents in California.

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April 29th, 2021

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September 10th, 2020

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December 31st, 2018

It has been very easy. Like that the recording is so fast.

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