Monterey County Preliminary Notice Form (California)
All Monterey County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:
Preliminary Notice Form

Fill in the blank Preliminary Notice form formatted to comply with all California recording and content requirements.
Included Monterey County compliant document last validated/updated 7/9/2025
Preliminary Notice Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included Monterey County compliant document last validated/updated 6/3/2025
Completed Example of the Preliminary Notice Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included Monterey County compliant document last validated/updated 5/22/2025
The following California and Monterey County supplemental forms are included as a courtesy with your order:
When using these Preliminary Notice 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 Preliminary Notice 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 Preliminary Notice 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 claimant other than a laborer or direct contractor must serve preliminary notice under Civ. Code 8200 in order reserve the right to to claim a future mechanic's lien on a property. The notice must be served to the owner, direct contractor, and construction lender, if any.
California law requires notice to be served within 20 days of first furnishing labor, materials, services, or equipment in a work of improvement. A claimant may give late notice, but this limits the claimant's lien to only work performed within 20 days prior to giving the late notice, and work from that point forward (Civ. Code 8204).
Notices in relation to mechanic's liens must follow requirements under Civ. Code 8102, which include the names and addresses of the owners, direct contractor, and construction lender, if any, a description of the job site and job site address, and the name, address, and relationship to the parties of the claimant providing notice.
In addition to these requirements, the preliminary notice under Civ. Code 8200 requires a general description of the work provided by the potential claimant, an estimate of the total price of the work, and a verbatim notice to the property owner established by statute. If a preliminary notice is given by a subcontractor who has not paid all compensation due to a laborer, the notice also requires the name and address of all laborers to whom payment is due (Civ. Code 8202).
Pursuant to Civ. Code 8106, notice can be served by personal delivery, mail (as provided by Civ. Code 8110), or leaving a notice and mailing a copy according to the Code of Civil Procedure for service of summons in a civil action.
While this notice is typically not recorded, it may be filed with the county recorder for the limited purpose of facilitating the recorder's mailing of notices. When recorded, the preliminary notice does not constitute a recorded document and is maintained in a separate index. It does not function to provide constructive notice to third parties (Cal Civ. Code 8214).
Consult a lawyer with questions about preliminary notices, mechanic's lien laws, or any other issues related to real property in the State of California.
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 Preliminary Notice 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 - ( 4568 Reviews )
Charlene H.
July 22nd, 2025
Deeds.com is a wonderful website. I highly recommend them and would use them again in the future.
Thank you, Charlene! We're so glad to hear you had a great experience. We truly appreciate your recommendation and look forward to helping you again in the future.
Kimberly B.
July 22nd, 2025
Great service, quick and easy!
We are grateful for your feedback and looking forward to serving you again. Thank you!
Liliana H.
July 21st, 2025
I had a great experience using Deeds.com to file my legal document. The whole process was simple and easy to follow. The website walks you through each step, and everything is explained clearly. At one point, I had to resubmit my documents, but even that was quick and easy. There were clear instructions, and I had no trouble making the changes and sending them again. The communication was great too. I was kept updated the whole time, and any questions I had were answered fast. If you need to file legal documents and want a stress-free way to do it, I definitely recommend Deeds.com. They made the whole process smooth from start to finish.
Thank you, Liliana! We really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. We're glad everything went smoothly and that our team could support you when needed. It means a lot to know you'd recommend us!
Brian C.
April 1st, 2019
***** so easy thanks.
Thanks Brian, we appreciate your feedback.
Kris D.
February 7th, 2022
The Executor's Guide needs more info about what to put for grantee (estate of deceased or my name as executor?) and the price (something nominal like $10?) before there is a buyer. The guide seems to use only one example.
Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!
Kaleigh S.
April 8th, 2020
I used Deeds.com to record two judgments with the County Recorder's Office. The site was very easy to use and I had my recorded copies back the very next day. I highly recommend their service!
We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!
Jayar L.
May 23rd, 2024
I just completed my first deed filing and I’m very happy with the experience. The deeds staff was extremely supportive and helpful in guiding me through the learning curve of being my first filing without legal assistance. They saved me a ton in legal fees.
Thank you for the kind words Jayar. Glad we were able to help.
Desiree T.
September 4th, 2020
In a world where "immediate satisfaction" takes too long, Deeds provided exceptionally satisfying service. Answered all of my questions quickly, and had my document recorded within one day. Thank you so much!
We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!
Don M.
February 8th, 2023
ONCE A PERSON STARTS THE PROCESS, IT IS QUITE EASY, THE PROCESS THAT IS.
We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!
Keith K.
October 21st, 2022
More expensive that I would have thought.
Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!
Zina J.
October 30th, 2019
Deeds.com supplied exactly what I needed to complete a quitclaim. Deeds.com saved me $180, supplied the necessary forms, and a sample page to use as a guide. I recommend Deeds.com.
Thank you!
Harry C.
February 11th, 2019
I got the wrong state and now they want to charge me again for the proper state. My fault, BUT!!!!
Sorry to hear that Harry. We've gone ahead and canceled the order you made in error. Have a wonderful day.
Leah P.
March 16th, 2021
Thank you for your complete listing of deeds and forms. The Deed form I needed worked perfectly!
Thank you!
Constance R.
July 13th, 2020
It was very easy to e-file. I liked it.
Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!
Louise S.
May 15th, 2022
The form was easy to download and complete however you should be able to convert to a word document.
Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!