Santa Cruz County Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Form

Santa Cruz County Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Form
Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.

Santa Cruz County Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Guide
Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.

Santa Cruz County Completed Example of the Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Document
Example of a properly completed form for reference.
All 3 documents above included • One-time purchase • No recurring fees
Additional California and Santa Cruz County documents included at no extra charge:
Where to Record Your Documents
County Recorder
Santa Cruz, California 95060
Hours: 8:00am to 12:00 and 1:00 to 4:00pm
Phone: (831) 454-2800
Recording Tips for Santa Cruz County:
- Documents must be on 8.5 x 11 inch white paper
- Double-check legal descriptions match your existing deed
- Verify all names are spelled correctly before recording
- Recording fees may differ from what's posted online - verify current rates
- Recording early in the week helps ensure same-week processing
Cities and Jurisdictions in Santa Cruz County
Properties in any of these areas use Santa Cruz County forms:
- Aptos
- Ben Lomond
- Boulder Creek
- Brookdale
- Capitola
- Davenport
- Felton
- Freedom
- Los Gatos
- Mount Hermon
- Santa Cruz
- Scotts Valley
- Soquel
- Watsonville
Hours, fees, requirements, and more for Santa Cruz County
How do I get my forms?
Forms are available for immediate download after payment. The Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County?
Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County?
Recording fees in Santa Cruz County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (831) 454-2800 for current fees.
Have other questions? Contact our support team
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 Santa Cruz County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the office below.
This Affidavit of Surviving Spouse meets all recording requirements specific to Santa Cruz County.
Our Promise
The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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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August 8th, 2019
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December 29th, 2020
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April 22nd, 2023
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September 10th, 2020
Good information guiding through filling out the product. Would like form to be more flexible in terms of spacing, but otherwise excellent.
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March 25th, 2022
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February 17th, 2021
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September 29th, 2021
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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 26th, 2023
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August 23rd, 2019
I am satisfied with the service. Live in another state and could not go directly to the county office for my deed. Your service solved my problem. Thank you
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Catherine S.
December 19th, 2019
Description of document could have been better
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February 19th, 2019
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September 15th, 2019
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