Amador County, California - Recorder Information

Register of Deeds

You are NOT on the Amador County official website, you are on Deeds.com, a private website that is not affiliated with any government agency.

The Clerk-Recorder is responsible for recording and maintaining real property records in Amador County.

Recording Fees

$12.00 - Regular Recording Fee: 1st page (limited to 8.5 x 11)
$3.00 - Each Additional Page
$3.00 - Surcharge Fee for any page that is larger or smaller than 8.5" x 11" (applies to all pages of document)
$12.00 - Combined Documents (each title)
$1.00 - Penalty Print (each page)
$10.00 - Survey Monument Fee (only when there is transfer tax)
$20.00 - Penalty for filing transfer document without Preliminary Change of Ownership Form
$1.00 - Documents Requiring Additional Indexing: Each Reference Indexed
$1.00 - Documents Requiring Indexing of More Than 10 Names (each group of 10 names or fractional portion thereof after 1st group of 10 names)

Assembly Bill 1466 Restrictive Covenant Modification Program Fee G.C. 27388.2.......$2.00 (Except those expressly exempted per G.C. 27388.2(b))

Documentary Transfer Tax: $0.55 per $500.00 or $1.10 per $1,000.00

A Documentary Transfer Tax Declaration must be completed and signed for all deeds submitted for recording. Some documents are exempt from the transfer tax. If no transfer tax is due, this can be indicated by entering "O" on the tax line and signing the declaration. If the transfer is exempt, write the code section exempting your transfer on the first page of the deed submitted for recording, as well as a brief explanation. An affidavit may also be attached.

A completed and signed Preliminary Change of Ownership form should be submitted with all deeds presented for recording. This can be downloaded from the County Assessor's website. If the form is not submitted at the time of recording, an additional $20 will be charged.

Regular copies are $2 for the first page of a document and $1 for each additional page of the same document. A certificate under seal is $4.

Items which are requested to be conformed and returned to the filing/recording party must be accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. Cash, checks, and money orders are the only accepted forms of payment.

County recording fees are subject to change without notice. For the most current fees and further information, contact the local recorder directly.

On January 1, 2018, California Senate Bill 2, a.k.a., the "Building Homes and Jobs Act," goes into effect and may increase recording fees for real estate instruments. The fee will address homelessness and housing shortages, and help to increase the rate of home ownership within the State by creating a Building Homes and Jobs Trust Fund to which the additional fee will be remitted.

Upon taking effect, the recorder's office will impose a fee of $75.00 to be paid when recording every real estate instrument, paper, or notice required or permitted by law to be recorded, per each single transaction per single parcel of real property, not to exceed $225.00.

Transfers subject to the documentary transfer tax as defined in Section 11911 of the Revenue and Taxation Code or on any real estate instrument, paper, or notice recorded in connection with a transfer of real property that is a residential dwelling to an owner-occupier are exempt from this fee.

If you have any questions about how the Building Homes and Jobs Act affects your recording fees, please speak with a clerk with the Recorder's Office or a licensed attorney within the state.

Document Formatting Requirements

* Submit original documents on white paper, 16 bond or heavier and printed with black ink in a font size of at least 10 point. Printing should be single-sided only. Dot matrix printers, fax copies, dark backgrounds, variations in colored paper or ink, printed letters that run together and illegible notary seals will likely result in illegible documents. The document must be legible enough to produce a readable photographic record. The notary seal must also be legible for a microfilm reproduction.

* To avoid penalty fees, use standard 8.5 x 11 inch size paper.

* Attached exhibits should be on a separate page and properly marked.

* The first page should have a space in the top left corner that is 2.5 inches down and 3.5 inches across. This section is for the return address.

* On the top right of the first page, allow a blank space of 2.5 inches down and 5 inches across for the recording stamp.

* Directly below the 2.5 inch top margin, a document title should be given. The recorder is only required to index the title (or titles) listed in this space.

* The document should name the person requesting the recording. This should be placed in the upper left corner of the first page.

* State the name and address of the person to whom the document will be returned and fill in the "Recording Requested by and Return to" section on the first page in the upper left corner.

* A proper acknowledgment is required, unless exempt. A California all-purpose acknowledgment is required.

* The Assessor's Parcel Number assigned to the property is required on deeds. This can be found on your current deed or can be obtained from the assessor's office.

* The grantor must sign the deed and must have his signature acknowledged. Corresponding names must be written or typed beneath signatures.

* Across the bottom of the first page, include the name and return address of the person or entity to where future tax statements should be mailed.

* Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of the recorded document.


*If an entire instrument or part of an instrument is in a language other than English, it will not be accepted unless it is accompanied by an English translation. The translation must be performed by a certified or registered court interpreter or by an accredited translator registered with the American Translators Association. The translation must be accompanied by a notarized declaration.

Effect of recording: Every conveyance of real property or an estate for years therein acknowledged or proved and certified and recorded as prescribed by law from the time it is filed with the recorder for record is constructive notice of the contents thereof to subsequent purchasers and mortgagees.
An unrecorded instrument is valid as between the parties thereto and those who have notice thereof.