Santa Cruz County Transfer on Death Deed Form

Last validated April 9, 2026 by our Forms Development Team

Santa Cruz County Transfer on Death Deed Form

Santa Cruz County Transfer on Death Deed Form

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

Document Last Validated 3/12/2026
Santa Cruz County Transfer on Death Deed Guide

Santa Cruz County Transfer on Death Deed Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.

Document Last Validated 4/1/2026
Santa Cruz County Completed Example of the Transfer on Death Deed Document

Santa Cruz County Completed Example of the Transfer on Death Deed Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.

Document Last Validated 3/20/2026
Santa Cruz County Notice of Revocable Transfer on Death Deed

Santa Cruz County Notice of Revocable Transfer on Death Deed

Provide this form to your beneficiary(s).

Document Last Validated 4/9/2026

All 4 documents above included • One-time purchase • No recurring fees

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

Where to Record Your Documents

County Recorder

Address:
701 Ocean St, Rm 230
Santa Cruz, California 95060

Hours: 8:00am to 12:00 and 1:00 to 4:00pm

Phone: (831) 454-2800

Recording Tips for Santa Cruz County:
  • Ensure all signatures are in blue or black ink
  • Recorded documents become public record - avoid including SSNs
  • Make copies of your documents before recording - keep originals safe
  • Recording fees may differ from what's posted online - verify current rates
  • Leave recording info boxes blank - the office fills these

Cities and Jurisdictions in Santa Cruz County

Properties in any of these areas use Santa Cruz County forms:

  • Aptos
  • Ben Lomond
  • Boulder Creek
  • Brookdale
  • Capitola
  • Davenport
  • Felton
  • Freedom
  • Los Gatos
  • Mount Hermon
  • Santa Cruz
  • Scotts Valley
  • Soquel
  • Watsonville

View Complete Recorder Office Guide

Hours, fees, requirements, and more for Santa Cruz County

How do I get my forms?

Forms are available for immediate download after payment. The Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable formatting requirements used for recording in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County?

Recording fees in Santa Cruz County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (831) 454-2800 for current fees.

Questions answered? Let's get started!

Use this form to transfer real estate at death, but outside of a will and without the need for probate distribution. Execute the TODD form, then record it during the course of your life, and within 60 days of the signing date (5626(a)). Note that unlike grant deeds or quitclaim deeds, there is no change in ownership when transfer on death deeds are recorded (5650), so they are exempt from transfer taxes and the Preliminary Change of Ownership Report (PCOR).

Section 5650 explains that while you are alive, you retain absolute ownership of and control over your property. You may sell, mortgage, rent, or otherwise use the real estate in any lawful manner, without input from or notice to the beneficiaries, or even modify or revoke the future transfer.

Be aware, too, that the TODD is NOT affected by provisions in your will (5642(b)). Best practices dictate that any change to an estate plan initiates a review of the whole thing, so to reduce the chance for conflict, ensure that the transfer on death deed reinforces the will and other related documents.

Beneficiaries take title to the property under the rules set out at section 5652. Any associated debts, obligations, or agreements in place when you die 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)).

As it stands, California's transfer on death deed is not valid for real estate held in joint tenancy or as community property with right of survivorship (5664).

5624. A revocable transfer on death deed is not effective unless all of the following conditions are satisfied:
(a) The deed is signed by the transferor and dated.
(b) The deed is signed by two witnesses who were present at the same time and who witnessed either the signing of the deed or the transferor's acknowledgment that the transferor had signed the deed.
(c) The deed is acknowledged before a notary public.

SEC. 10. Section 5625 is added to the Probate Code, to read:
5625. (a) Any person generally competent to be a witness may act as a witness to a revocable transfer on death deed.
(b) A revocable transfer on death deed is not invalid because it is signed by an interested witness.
(c) If a beneficiary of a revocable transfer on death deed is also a subscribing witness, there is a presumption that the witness procured the revocable transfer on death deed by duress, menace, fraud, or undue influence. This presumption is a presumption affecting the burden of proof. This presumption does not apply where the witness is named as beneficiary solely in a fiduciary capacity.

Overall, the Simple Revocable Transfer on Death Deed offers a convenient, flexible option to consider as part of an overall estate plan. Even so, they may not be appropriate in all cases. Contact an attorney for complex situations or with any questions.

Included NOTICE OF REVOCABLE TRANSFER ON DEATH DEED Form
5681. (a) After the death of the transferor, the beneficiary of a revocable transfer on death deed shall serve notice on the transferor's heirs, along with a copy of the revocable transfer on death deed and a copy of the transferor's death certificate. (b) The notice required by subdivision (a) shall be in substantially the following form:

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



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

This Transfer on Death Deed meets all recording requirements specific to Santa Cruz County.

Our Promise

The documents you receive here are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County Transfer on Death Deed 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.

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November 20th, 2020

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March 26th, 2021

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February 15th, 2022

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November 2nd, 2020

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February 14th, 2022

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May 27th, 2021

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June 3rd, 2022

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September 19th, 2020

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Felicia T.

May 30th, 2023

Great service with all the added resources on the form I requested. Question: How long do the forms stay available on my account?

Reply from Staff

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Kathryn C.

February 14th, 2022

The transfer deed documents are laid out the way county offices need, but I don't like the requirements so I'm going to leave a bad review.

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Well, thanks we guess.

Gary G.

June 26th, 2019

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Patricia J.

October 31st, 2021

No word "Download" so had a little trouble figuring out how to download, but finally figured it out.

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Roberta M.

February 21st, 2022

I found a lot of useful information regarding the Lady Bird Deed and feel it will serve my needs as opposed to a Revocable Living Trust. The information was easy to understand and very helpful. The forms seem easy to complete and I plan to get them notarized and filed at the courthouse very soon.

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Guy G.

March 22nd, 2023

Deeds.com was easy to use and their easement deed was exactly what I was looking for. I knew I didn't need to spend hundreds of dollars talking to an attorney.

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Joyce S.

August 5th, 2019

Download very easy. Forms are just what I need. Thanks

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