Santa Cruz County Certificate of Trust Form (California)
All Santa Cruz County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:
Certificate of Trust Form
Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.
Included Santa Cruz County compliant document last validated/updated 4/3/2025
Certificate of Trust Guide
Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included Santa Cruz County compliant document last validated/updated 6/30/2025
Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document
Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included Santa Cruz County compliant document last validated/updated 4/25/2025
The following California and Santa Cruz County supplemental forms are included as a courtesy with your order:
When using these Certificate of Trust forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in Santa Cruz County. The executed documents should then be recorded in the following office:
County Recorder
701 Ocean St, Rm 230, Santa Cruz, California 95060
Hours: 8:00am to 12:00 and 1:00 to 4:00pm
Phone: (831) 454-2800
Local jurisdictions located in Santa Cruz County include:
- Aptos
- Ben Lomond
- Boulder Creek
- Brookdale
- Capitola
- Davenport
- Felton
- Freedom
- Los Gatos
- Mount Hermon
- Santa Cruz
- Scotts Valley
- Soquel
- Watsonville
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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County using our eRecording service.
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 the Certificate of Trust 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 Santa Cruz County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Santa Cruz County.
What are supplemental forms?
Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by California or Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County Certificate of Trust 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.
California Certification of Trust
In California, the certification of trust is governed by Probate Code Section 18100.5.
A certificate of trust is used by an acting trustee or trustees of a trust to prove to financial institutions or other third parties that he/she/they has/have the authority to act on behalf of the trust. The certificate is used in lieu of the full trust document to keep nonessential information about the trust, such as the identities of trust beneficiaries, confidential.
The certificate verifies the existence of the trust and presents the pertinent details of the trust, such as the settlor, the trustee, the powers granted to the trustee, and, in the case that there are co-trustees, the number and identity of persons required to sign legal documents dealing with the trust. The certificate also specifies how the trust will vest title to real property.
Like all documents affecting real estate, the certification requires a legal description of the real property subject to the trust. In California, the certification also must include the trust's taxpayer ID, a number that is either the SSN of the settlor (in the case of revocable trusts) or an EIN assigned by the IRS (in the case of irrevocable trusts).
Trust law can quickly become complicated, and each case is unique, so contact a lawyer with any questions that arise.
(California Certificate of Trust Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)
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 Certificate of Trust 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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JAMES D.
July 10th, 2025
Slick as can be and so convenient.rnrnWorked like a charm
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MARY LACEY M.
June 30th, 2025
Great service! Recording was smooth and swiftly performed. Deeds.com is an excellent service.rn
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Robert F.
June 30th, 2025
Breeze.... It feels silly to hire an attorney to do this for just one beneficiary. Thanks.
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samantha b.
February 18th, 2019
excellent instructions and the examples made completing the forms so very simple. thanks so much.
Thank you Samantha.
Kevin U.
January 27th, 2025
very smooth and easy
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Tim G.
April 23rd, 2020
Pretty good all in all. I do wish I could download forms to a word doc instead of a .pdf. Word is more 'accessable'.
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Allen P.
January 7th, 2023
Information very useful and helpful. It would be helpful to inform purchasers that legal size paper is needed to print documents. We had to run to the store and purchase some.
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Alana G.
March 26th, 2021
I was very pleased. It was the form I needed. I was getting discouraged by companies that wanted me to sign up for monthly payments just to get the one form I needed. I prefer your system of paying for what I get. Thank you so much!
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Barry N.
February 14th, 2019
The form was straight forward and very easy to complete. It took me less than 15 minutes to complete. Make sure you have the "current deed' available' when completing the form.
Thank you for your feedback Barry. Have a fantastic day!
Pamela C.
July 19th, 2022
Easy to use, understand and pay on the website.
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Christopher M.
February 5th, 2024
Awesome company. Fast, friendly, professional.
We are delighted to have been of service. Thank you for the positive review!
Dennis M.
April 24th, 2022
Deeds was responsive and got back to me right away suggesting I go to the county and retrieve copies of the deed there. It's a couple of hundred miles away so was hoping I could do it online. A pretty good website though. Sorry we couldn't do business.
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Gregory G.
April 4th, 2019
Quick and Easy/Immediate Access after payment. Now seeking other forms needed ASAP! Thanks!
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Melissa S.
March 24th, 2024
Simple & easy to navigate. At time of writing this, guide & example of purchased deed is included. Plus lots of extra information to help secure your property. Would recommend to anyone.
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Eileen D.
August 5th, 2020
Very easy to use. The example form was a big help in making sure I had the forms filled out correctly.
Thank you!