Monterey County Notice of Pending Action Form (California)

All Monterey County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:

Notice of Pending Action Form

Monterey County Notice of Pending Action Form

Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.
Included Monterey County compliant document last validated/updated 6/18/2025

Notice of Pending Action Guide

Monterey County Notice of Pending Action Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included Monterey County compliant document last validated/updated 3/10/2025

Completed Example of the Notice of Pending Action Document

Monterey County Completed Example of the Notice of Pending Action Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included Monterey County compliant document last validated/updated 4/2/2025

Proof of Service Form

Monterey County Proof of Service Form

Fill in the blank Notice of Pending Action form formatted to comply with all California recording and content requirements.
Included Monterey County compliant document last validated/updated 5/13/2025

Proof of Service Guide

Monterey County Proof of Service Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included Monterey County compliant document last validated/updated 6/24/2025

Completed Example of the Proof of Service Document

Monterey County Completed Example of the Proof of Service Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included Monterey County compliant document last validated/updated 4/11/2025

When using these Notice of Pending Action forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in Monterey County. The executed documents should then be recorded in the following office:

Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk

168 West Alisal St, 1st floor / PO Box 29, Salinas, California 93902-0570

Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 am to 5:00 pm / Recording until 4:00 pm

Phone: (831) 755-5041 or toll free from peninsula (831) 647-77

Local jurisdictions located in Monterey County include:

  • Aromas
  • Big Sur
  • Bradley
  • Carmel
  • Carmel By The Sea
  • Carmel Valley
  • Castroville
  • Chualar
  • Gonzales
  • Greenfield
  • Jolon
  • King City
  • Lockwood
  • Marina
  • Monterey
  • Moss Landing
  • Pacific Grove
  • Pebble Beach
  • Salinas
  • San Ardo
  • San Lucas
  • Seaside
  • Soledad
  • Spreckels

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 Monterey 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 Monterey County using our eRecording service.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Monterey County?

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

Can the Notice of Pending Action 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 Monterey County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Monterey County.

What are supplemental forms?

Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by California or Monterey 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 Monterey County Notice of Pending Action 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.

A Notice of Pending Action, formerly known as a lis pendens, is a document that is recorded to give constructive record notice of a pending lawsuit. The lawsuit must involve a claim which affects (a) title to, or right to possession of, real property; or (b) the use of an easement. [Code Civ. Proc. 405.4] When recorded, the notice lets subsequent buyers, transferees and encumbrancers know that an action is pending which affects the real property.

An attorney of record in an action may sign a notice of pendency of action. Alternatively, a judge of the court in which an action that includes a real property claim is pending may, on request of a party, approve a notice of pendency of action. A notice of pendency of action may only be recorded if: (1) it has been signed by the attorney of record; (2) it is signed by a party acting in propria persona ("for one's self," acting on one's own behalf) and approved by a judge; or (3) the action is one in eminent domain and subject to Code Civ. Proc. 405.6. [Code Civ. Proc. 405.21]

A party to an action who asserts a real property claim may record a notice of pendency in the action in which that real property claim is alleged. The notice must be recorded in the office of the recorder of each county in which all or part of the real property is situated. The notice must contain the names of all parties to the action and a description of the property affected by the action. [Code Civ. Proc. 405.20]

Except in eminent domain actions subject to Code Civ. Proc. 405.6, a real property claimant must, prior to recording the notice, mail a copy of it, by registered or certified mail with return receipt requested, to all known addresses of the parties to whom the real property claim is adverse, and to all owners of record of the real property affected by the claim. Immediately after recording, file a copy of the notice with the court in which the action is pending. [Code Civ. Proc. 405.22]

Any failure to meet the statutory obligations, including the Proof of Service requirement, will render the notice of pendency of action void and invalid as to any adverse party or owner of record. [Code Civ. Proc. 405.23]

Lawsuits can be complicated, and even small errors can affect the outcome of a case. Please contact an attorney with questions about using the Notice of Pending Action, or for any other issues related to real property in California.

(California Notice of Pending Action Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)

Our Promise

The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Monterey 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 Monterey County Notice of Pending Action 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.

4.8 out of 5 - ( 4564 Reviews )

Michael G.

July 14th, 2025

Very helpful and easy to use

Reply from Staff

Your appreciative words mean the world to us. Thank you.

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

Reply from Staff

We are delighted to have been of service. Thank you for the positive review!

Douglas C.

August 30th, 2019

Excellent website with examples on how to fill out forms. Even better was the help from the office of the county clerk. I called them twice and they were extremely helpful on how to fill out the forms. Kudos to them!!!

Reply from Staff

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dill h.

March 5th, 2019

easy-peasy

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Jose F.

May 19th, 2020

When I found this website, I was confused and hesitant to use this website to submit paperwork that needed to be submitted to the Clerks of Courts in Miami. I am glad I decided to go through with it. It was the easiest process I have encountered even with working with the City. Highly recommend as it is super easy to use and received that everything was approved and recorded in two working days. Thank you so much for bringing my stress level lower as many uncertainties of how to process my paperwork. Will use it again to finish my project as the City continues to not accept walk ins. Thank you so much.

Reply from Staff

So glad we were able help Jose, have a amazing day!

Mark W.

May 9th, 2019

Easy, simple and fast.
I am familiar with deeds in my state and these looked correct.
The common missed document of TRANSFER OF REAL ESTATE VALUE document was also included. Kudos on being complete.

Reply from Staff

Thanks Mark, we really appreciate your feedback.

JESSICA B.

June 25th, 2020

easy to move through the site and create an account.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

John V. B.

April 11th, 2019

I have not yet used the site however, I feel that this site could be a big asset to the genealogical community. It is well laid out thus easy to use.

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Sasa G.

July 14th, 2022

Great service! Quick & easy!

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Molly A.

April 12th, 2020

Super easy to download and Deeds dot com had the documents I was looking for and set up in a manner that the County Government office would accept.

Nice!

Thank you, Deeds!

Reply from Staff

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A. S.

February 27th, 2019

First, I am glad that you gave a blank copy, an example copy, and a 'guide'. It made it much easier to do. Overall I was very happy with your products and organization... however, things got pretty confusing and I have a pretty 'serious' law background in Real Estate and Civil law. With that said, I spent about 10+ hours getting my work done, using the Deed of Trust and Promissory note from you and there were a few problems: First, it would be FANTASTIC if you actually aligned your guide to actually match the Deed or Promissory Note. What I mean is that if the Deed says 'section (E)' then your guide shouldn't be 'randomly' numbered as 1,2,3, for advice/instructions, but should EXACTLY match 'section (E)'. Some places you have to 'hunt' for what you are looking for, and if you did it based on my suggestion, you wouldn't need to 'hunt' and it would avoid confusion. 2nd: This one really 'hurt'... you had something called the 'Deed of Trust Master Form' yet you had basically no information on what it was or how to use it. The only information you had was a small section at the top of the 'Short Form Deed of Trust Guide'. Holy Cow, was that 'section' super confusing. I still don't know if I did it correctly, but your guide says only put a return address on it and leave the rest of the 16 or so page Deed of Trust beneath it blank... and then include your 'Deed of Trust' (I had to assume the short form deed that I had just created) as part of it. I had to assume that I had to print off the entire 17 page or so title page and blank deed. I also had to assume that the promissory note was supposed to be EXHIBIT A or B on the Short Form Deed. It would be great if someone would take a serious look at that short section in your 'Short Form Deed of Trust Guide' and realize that those of us using your products are seriously turning this into a county clerk to file and that most of us, probably already have a property that has an existing Deed... or at least can find one in the county records if necessary... and make sure that you make a distinction between the Deed for the property that already exists, versus the Deed of Trust and Promissory note that we are trying to file. Thanks.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We'll have staff review the document for clarity. Have a great day!

Mary C.

August 30th, 2022

The Deeds.com site made is relatively simple to download a Beneficiary Deed form specific to St Louis, which is great, because neither the city or state provide this. Thanks!

Reply from Staff

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Ann M.

February 11th, 2022

I was extremely pleased with how easy this process was, and how quickly my document was recorded. I will definitely use this again!

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Shellie J.

February 19th, 2020

Documents are great and easy to use, just wish there was a page helping to know where to mail documents to with an amount since it tells you mailing in is an option.

Reply from Staff

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