California Forms

Monterey County Preliminary Notice Form

Monterey County Preliminary Notice Form

Monterey County Preliminary Notice Form

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

Document Last Validated 7/9/2025
Monterey County Preliminary Notice Guide

Monterey County Preliminary Notice Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.

Document Last Validated 6/3/2025
Monterey County Completed Example of the Preliminary Notice Document

Monterey County Completed Example of the Preliminary Notice Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.

Document Last Validated 8/8/2025

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

Immediate Download • Secure Checkout

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

Where to Record Your Documents

Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk
Address:
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

Recording Tips for Monterey County:
  • Bring your driver's license or state-issued photo ID
  • Ensure all signatures are in blue or black ink
  • Check margin requirements - usually 1-2 inches at top
  • Leave recording info boxes blank - the office fills these
  • If mailing documents, use certified mail with return receipt

Cities and Jurisdictions in Monterey County

Properties in any of these areas use Monterey County forms:

  • 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

View Complete Recorder Office Guide

Hours, fees, requirements, and more for Monterey County

How do I get my forms?

Forms are available for immediate download after payment. The Monterey 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 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 I reuse these forms?

Yes. You can reuse the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have multiple properties in Monterey 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 Monterey County?

Recording fees in Monterey County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (831) 755-5041 or toll free from peninsula (831) 647-77 for current fees.

Questions answered? Let's get started!

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.

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

This Preliminary Notice meets all recording requirements specific to Monterey County.

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 - ( 4574 Reviews )

April L.

November 13th, 2019

The warranty deed forms I received worked fine.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

George A. M.

August 10th, 2022

User friendly and fast to use. I was pleased with experience.

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

Sherry P.

November 24th, 2020

It would be helpful to have a frequently asked questions section. That would make it easier to know I have the correct form. Sherry

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Melanie K.

December 27th, 2019

Great service! Super easy to use! I used the service to download a deed notice to do a TOD on a property in Fairfax County, VA. Just a heads up that Fairfax County required me to add the last deed book and page # onto the deed notice but otherwise all was just as they required!

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Laura H.

January 12th, 2023

Process was easy. The instructions for TOD and a sample completed form was very helpful. E-recording of deed saved a trip to the county building and well worth the very reasonable charge.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Joshua P.

July 27th, 2022

Easy fill in the blanks form. Just FYI make sure you have a copy of whatever deed you are changing and the tax records. You will want the language to be identical.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

James M.

July 22nd, 2023

Great selection of documents. Easy to use, with guidance material.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback James. We appreciate you.

Roxanne G.

April 16th, 2023

That was easy(I think). Hopefully they saved to my computer intact so I don't have to come back begging for a repeat. Great service!

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Warren B.

June 11th, 2022

Outstanding. There is nothing worse than finding the correct forms or having to hire an atty to do what most people can do on their own. I cant speak for all but these forms are fairly easy. The addition of guides and supplement forms are excellent. I just saved quite a bit of money with your site. Thanks

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

William M.

February 27th, 2019

I got what I needed and did exactly what I needed. All legal and no hassle. Thanks Deeds.com, you made the job much easier.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Robert K.

August 1st, 2020

I used your TOD document to deed my home to my daughter. Your sample document was very helpful. I had to do it a few times but finally got it right. I didn't check but It was surely cheaper than a lawyer fee.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Daniel L.

February 11th, 2022

You could make instructions clearer on the download process and when download is complete. You could also group things together for 1 or 2 "big" downloads.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Cynthia H.

September 5th, 2021

Thank you for having these forms so reasonable and easy to access. I only WISH I would have looked here 1st, spent way to much valuable time trying to get help with this deed. This was so EASY and quick... THANK YOU THANK YOU Highly Recommend

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Andrew B.

January 3rd, 2022

Very easy to use and I appreciate the fees being charged after the submission.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Martha V.

August 30th, 2020

Great service!

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!