Monterey County Recorder Information

About Monterey County Recorder

The recorder is responsible for maintaining records for real property located in Monterey County.

Recording Fees

Leave 2.5 x 4.5" at top right of first page for recording information. Alternately, attach a page that meets this requirement and add $3.00 fee for additional page.

Documents Paying A Documentary Transfer Tax
If all pages are 8.5" x 11"
$13.00 for first page/title
$3.00/additional page
If not all pages are 8.5" x 11"
$16.00 for first page/title
$6.00/additional page

Documents NOT Paying A Documentary Transfer Tax*
If all pages are 8.5" x 11"
$97.00 for first page/title (includes $75 Housing Fee)
$3.00/additional page
If not all pages are 8.5" x 11"
$100.00 for first page/title (Includes $75 Housing Fee)
$6.00/additional page

Some documents may be exempt from the portion of the fee ($9) collected for the Real Estate Fraud Prosecution Fund. To be exempt, a document presented for recording must have one of the following statements on the first page of the document (not the cover sheet):

1. A Documentary Transfer Tax declaration, stating that the transfer is subject to the tax, and including the amount of tax due (the amount of tax due may be on a separate paper pursuant to Revenue and Taxation Code section 11932); or

2. When recording additional documents at the same time in connection with a document subject to documentary transfer tax, the statement: Exempt from fee under GC 27388; recorded concurrently in connection with a transfer subject to the imposition of documentary transfer tax.

Documents without Preliminary Change of Ownership Report: $20.00

Penalty print: More than 9 lines per vertical inch of 22 characters per horizontal inch-$1.00 per page

Documents requiring additional indexing:
Each additional reference indexed - $1.00
Indexing of more than 10 names - $1.00 (for each group of 10 names or fractional portion thereof after initial group of 10 names.)

DOCUMENTARY TRANSFER TAX: $0.55 per $500.00 of fractional part thereof

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

* To record a real estate document in Monterey County, the real property must be located in Monterey County.

* A real property document should be submitted on paper sized 8.5 x 11 inches. 8.5 x 14 inch sized paper is acceptable, but this will result in extra fees.

* On the top left side of the first page, include a blank space that is at least 2.5 inches down and 3.5 inches across. A return address should be listed in this area.

* On the top right side of the first page, allow a space of 2.5 x 4.5 for recording information.

* Immediately below the space required for the recorder on the first page, a document title should be given.

* All other margins should be at least 1/2 an inch.

* The font size should not be smaller than 9 point.

* The document must be authorized or required by law to be recorded. The document must be properly acknowledged. California requires an all-purpose acknowledgment.

* Proper fees and taxes must accompany the document.

* The name of the person requesting the recording should be named in the document.

* The name and address to where the document should be returned needs to be stated in the document. The requester and addressee for delivery of the recorded images should be the same.

* The name and address to where future tax statements should be mailed needs to be noted across the bottom of the first page

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

* The names of the parties to be indexed shall be legibly signed, typed, or printed before being accepted by a county recorder. Printed names should be beneath signatures.


REQUIRED INFORMATION

* If the document effects or evidences a transfer or encumbrance of an interest in real property, the name or names in which the interest appears of record, shall show the name(s) of the assessed owner(s) as they appeared on the latest secured assessment roll.

* If the document releases or terminates any interest, right, or encumbrance, it shall contain or have appended all the names of the people or entities owning the title or interest being relieved by the document, or the names of the owners of that title or interest as they appeared at the time and in the document creating the interest, right, or encumbrance.

* A non-English language document shall be accompanied by a certified or court-registered translation.

* The recorder may require that a deed or other real property document indicate the assessor's identification number or numbers that fully contain all or a portion of the real property described in the legal description. The form of the entry shall be substantially as follows: Assessor's Identification Number: ___-___-___.

* All documents transferring property require a Preliminary Change of Ownership Report. The Preliminary Change of Ownership Report can be downloaded from the Monterey County Clerk and Recorder's website.

* The transferor of real property should deliver a real estate disclosure statement to the buyer, unless the transaction is exempt.

* If a document is transferring title, it should contain the assessor's parcel number, the tax rate area of the property, and a completed Documentary Transfer Tax Declaration.