San Diego County Transfer on Death Affidavit Form (California)

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

Transfer on Death Affidavit Form

San Diego County Transfer on Death Affidavit Form

Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.
Included San Diego County compliant document last validated/updated 4/22/2025

Transfer on Death Affidavit Guide

San Diego County Transfer on Death Affidavit Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included San Diego County compliant document last validated/updated 1/29/2025

Completed Example of the Transfer on Death Affidavit Document

San Diego County Completed Example of the Transfer on Death Affidavit Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included San Diego County compliant document last validated/updated 1/29/2025

When using these Transfer on Death Affidavit forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in San Diego County. The executed documents should then be recorded in one of the following offices:

San Diego Clerk/Recorder Main Office

County Administration Center - 1600 Pacific Highway, Suite 260, San Diego, California 92101

Hours: Monday to Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm

Phone: (619) 236-3771, 238-8158; (760) 630-1219 North County

Mail to: San Diego Assessor/Recorder/Clerk

P.O. Box 121750, San Diego, California 92112-1750

Hours: N/A

Phone: mailing address

El Cajon Branch Office

200 S Magnolia Ave, El Cajon, California 92020

Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm

Phone: (619) 238-8158 or (619) 236-3771 Assessor

San Marcos Branch Office

141 E Carmel St, San Marcos, California 92078

Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm

Phone: (619) 238-8158 or (760) 630-1219 North County

Chula Vista Branch Office

590 3rd Ave., Chula Vista, California 91910

Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays.

Phone: (619) 238-8158

Local jurisdictions located in San Diego County include:

  • Alpine
  • Bonita
  • Bonsall
  • Borrego Springs
  • Boulevard
  • Camp Pendleton
  • Campo
  • Cardiff By The Sea
  • Carlsbad
  • Chula Vista
  • Coronado
  • Del Mar
  • Descanso
  • Dulzura
  • El Cajon
  • Encinitas
  • Escondido
  • Fallbrook
  • Guatay
  • Imperial Beach
  • Jacumba
  • Jamul
  • Julian
  • La Jolla
  • La Mesa
  • Lakeside
  • Lemon Grove
  • Lincoln Acres
  • Mount Laguna
  • National City
  • Oceanside
  • Pala
  • Palomar Mountain
  • Pauma Valley
  • Pine Valley
  • Potrero
  • Poway
  • Ramona
  • Ranchita
  • Rancho Santa Fe
  • San Diego
  • San Luis Rey
  • San Marcos
  • San Ysidro
  • Santa Ysabel
  • Santee
  • Solana Beach
  • Spring Valley
  • Tecate
  • Valley Center
  • Vista
  • Warner Springs

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

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

Can the Transfer on Death Affidavit 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 San Diego County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in San Diego County.

What are supplemental forms?

Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by California or San Diego 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 San Diego County Transfer on Death Affidavit 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.

Using an Affidavit of Death to Claim Real Estate from a California Transfer on Death Deed

Transfer on death deeds allow individual landowners to transfer their real estate when they die, without a will or the need for probate distribution. The transferor simply executes a TODD form, then records it during the course of his/her natural life, and within 60 days of the signing date (5626(a)). Unlike grant deeds or quitclaim deeds, the owner continues to hold title to the property when a transfer on death deed is recorded (5650). As such, TODDs are exempt from transfer taxes and the Preliminary Change of Ownership Report (PCOR).

What happens, then, when the owner dies? Section 5680 defines the process for switching the title over to the beneficiary. The beneficiary may establish the fact of the transferor's death under the procedure provided in California Probate Code Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 210) of Part 4 of Division 2. The first step is obtaining a certified copy of the death certificate. Then research the recording information from the transfer on death deed identifying the beneficiary. Complete an affidavit of death and sign it in front of a notary. Finally, file the affidavit, along with the copy of the death certificate, in the recording office for the county where the property is situated. Note that this act transfers title to the beneficiary, so it also requires the PCOR and any associated taxes and fees.

Beneficiaries take title to the property under the rules set out at section 5652. Be aware that any associated debts, obligations, or agreements in place when the owner died follow the real estate to the beneficiaries. In addition, the title transfers without warranty, so the beneficiaries might find themselves liable for future claims against the property. For these reasons, among others, some beneficiaries might wish to disclaim the gift (5652(a)(1)).

In general, transferring title to the beneficiary of a transfer on death deed is a simple process. Even so, complications may arise. Contact an attorney for complex situations or with any questions.

(California Transfer on Death Affidavit Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)

Our Promise

The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the San Diego 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 San Diego County Transfer on Death Affidavit 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 - ( 4531 Reviews )

Jill R.

May 12th, 2025

So helpful and extremely responsive. Such a convenient way to record deeds.

Reply from Staff

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

Willard V.

May 11th, 2025

While it's nice to get all the forms and info in one package for a reasonable cost, the fixed format of the form does not allow for a lengthy meet and bounds property description for real property. Also, the Cover Sheet has big fillable sections with no instructions about what's supposed to go there. I tried the "Contact Us" link, but all it does is spin saying it's trying verify the security of my connection. Looks like I;m going to have to create my own deed in MS Word instead of just filling in the blacks of the PDF file that I downloaded. Bummer!

Reply from Staff

Your feedback is a crucial part of our dedication to ongoing improvement. Thank you for your insightful comments.

Charles S.

May 11th, 2025

It's useful to have forms specific to the County as well as the State. The examples are also helpful, but it would be even more helpful to see an example of a complete and successfully filed package. I will go the County Recorder's Office to see if I can find an example there.

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Kwaku A.

May 27th, 2021

Excellent service ! Came through in the clutch! Easy to use and understand ! Exceptional service ! 10/10

Reply from Staff

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Norman K.

March 2nd, 2021

It wasn't really what I needed I read and read and read and read and I thought I was to do with for filing for probate or probate executor but instead it was for the property if you are executor and but it wasn't very clear on that so it didn't work for me so I was kind of wasted money

Reply from Staff

Sorry to hear that Norman. We've gone ahead and canceled your order and payment.

Cessaly D H.

December 27th, 2022

Excellent service bc you create your own account and have immediate access to documents!

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Norma G.

July 30th, 2020

Very fast response!

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Chrisona S.

October 27th, 2022

Received the forms as promised. Very satisfied.

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Carl R.

August 26th, 2020

Wonderful forms even for an simpleton like me. Thank goodness there are people that actually know what they are doing.

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Renu A.

September 30th, 2020

The service was very reliable and they even helped with filling out the paperwork properly. Very quick turn around and efficient!

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Joan P.

March 18th, 2020

Thank you for combining all necessary documents in one simple location.

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Sarah A.

August 3rd, 2020

Uploading the document was simple, and it was recorded much faster than I thought! Deeds.com makes the process incredibly easy.

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Lorraine F.

October 9th, 2024

I followed the instructions to download the form for my Mac, typed in the legal description of the real property but the space provided for it would not expand so I just typed the form into Word as a document. While I appreciate having the form to work with it would have been a breeze if it worked properly.

Reply from Staff

Your insights are invaluable to us and help us strive for better service. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.

Ashley H.

September 21st, 2020

Thank you for the quick response time messaging back and forth to get this completed, and also the fairly speedy e-recording! Excellent customer service!!!

Reply from Staff

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James W.

January 20th, 2019

Easy access to forms saving lots of time researching reqmts from a State/Municipal Govt website. I saved 400-500 in lawyer fees but getting these forms, and coordinating with the Property recorders office in another state. Will use you again.

Reply from Staff

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