San Diego County Transfer on Death Affidavit Form

Last validated July 15, 2026 by our Forms Development Team

San Diego County 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.

Document Last Validated 5/29/2026
San Diego County Transfer on Death Affidavit Guide

San Diego County Transfer on Death Affidavit Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.

Document Last Validated 7/15/2026
San Diego County 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.

Document Last Validated 7/13/2026

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

Immediate Download • Secure Checkout

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

Where to Record Your Documents

San Diego Clerk/Recorder Main Office

Address:
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

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

Hours: N/A

Phone: mailing address

El Cajon Branch Office

Address:
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

Address:
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

Address:
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

Recording Tips for San Diego County:
  • Documents must be on 8.5 x 11 inch white paper
  • Verify all names are spelled correctly before recording
  • Recorded documents become public record - avoid including SSNs
  • Ask for certified copies if you need them for other transactions

Cities and Jurisdictions in San Diego County

Properties in any of these areas use San Diego County forms:

  • 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

View Complete Recorder Office Guide

Hours, fees, requirements, and more for San Diego County

How do I get my forms?

Forms are available for immediate download after payment. The San Diego 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 San Diego County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable formatting requirements used for recording in San Diego County, including margin requirements, font requirements, and other layout standards. This guarantee applies to formatting, not to the legal sufficiency of information entered by the user or the suitability of a form for a particular transaction.

Can I reuse these forms?

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

Recording fees in San Diego County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (619) 236-3771, 238-8158; (760) 630-1219 North County for current fees.

Questions answered? Let's get started!

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)

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

This Transfer on Death Affidavit meets all recording requirements specific to San Diego County.

Our Promise

The documents you receive here are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable San Diego County recording format requirements. If there is a rejection caused by our formatting, we will correct the issue or refund your payment. This guarantee applies to document formatting only and does not extend to information entered by the user, the selection of the form, or the legal effect of the completed document.

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 - ( 4767 Reviews )

Kathryn P.

February 9th, 2022

Somewhat easy to traverse.

Reply from Staff

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Rick H.

May 11th, 2019

Website easy to use. Sample feed from helpful. Will know more after county reviews application.

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June 10th, 2019

THIS WAS A USER FRIENDLY FORM, WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE WITHIN A SHORT TIME. THANK YOU

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Linda I.

August 16th, 2023

So far so good. It was reasonably easy to download and complete the form using information found in my closing paperwork. I haven't yet had my form notarized but plan to do so this week and submit the packet to my county auditor.

Reply from Staff

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Therese L.

September 20th, 2019

Good instructions and example

Reply from Staff

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Janice W.

January 25th, 2019

Great instructions, samples, ease in getting the form I needed, filling it out as a PDF, and having it ready for a Notary's signature. I was hesitant a first, but glad I paid the fee - now it is done!

Reply from Staff

Great to hear Janice! Thanks, have a great day!

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February 4th, 2021

The Deeds.com website was clear and easy to follow. I completed it about 20 minutes. I appreciate the convenience of doing it from home and that I will receive a copy by mail.

Reply from Staff

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ian a.

September 28th, 2022

Your website advertising was somewhat deceptive regarding doing a quitclaim on a name change. "If you are transferring the property to yourself under your new name, all you have to do is update the deed from your former name to your current one." This made this sound easy. But when I downloaded the material for my state, expecting to find an example, there was no example of how to do a name change quitclaim deed! I therefore had to figure this out myself. You might have provided a warning about certain uses that were not covered in the material so that people know ahead of time that the use they needed to know about wasn't covered in the material.

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Raymond C.

August 31st, 2021

Very convenient

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David L.

December 29th, 2020

It was a very easy to use application. I can only give it four stars because I have yet to receive confirmation from the county that my application was acceptable, ie., format, font, etc. I believe it will be fine.

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Loretta W.

June 26th, 2025

Thank you for your excellent service

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Ann K.

March 4th, 2020

I ordered a Quit Claim Deed for my county. Once I read the detailed instructions and filled it out I submitted it to the local Register of Deeds and it was filed on the spot while I waited! Thank you, you made a difficult and expensive task easy (for a laymen with no knowledge) at little expense. Highly recommend your site!!!

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February 11th, 2021

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Robert B.

April 5th, 2019

Everything worked Fine. I wish there was an John Doe type of an example for the Tax form.

Reply from Staff

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Jared D.

April 29th, 2020

Yes it was awsome experience,thank you

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