Napa County Recorder Information

About Napa County Recorder

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

Recording Fees

To record the first page of a document, the fee is $15. Each additional page is $3.

For nonconforming documents, an additional $3 fee will apply to each nonconforming page.

Multiple title documents are $15 for each title.

Each additional document reference is $1, and each additional group of 10 or more names is $1.

Documents that are recorded without a Preliminary Change of Ownership report are an additional $20.

The Documentary Transfer Tax is $0.55 per each $500.

Copies and Certification:
Official Records (per page) $2.00
Certification (entire document) $5.00
Recorded Maps (per page) $4.00

All recording fees are due at the time of recording. They 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

- Original signatures are required on all documents. A certified copy of a document is acceptable.

- Any California notary public or other officer taking acknowledgments in California must complete the California all-purpose notary acknowledgment.

- Documents presented for recording must be sufficiently legible in order to produce a readable photographic copy. To this end, font size should be at least 10 point.

- A page is defined as one single piece of paper measuring 8.5 x 11 inches. A sheet is defined as one printed side of a single piece of paper that is not exactly 8.5 x 11 inches, but is no larger than 8.5 x 14.

- All documents submitted for recording must have at least a 1/2 inch margin along each vertical side. In addition, the top 2.5 inches of the first page or sheet must be left blank for recording information. The left 3.5 inches at the top of the first page is used to show the name of the party requesting the recording and where to mail the document after recording.

- If the first page does not have the required space for recording information, a separate page or cover sheet must be attached to the front of the document. The cover page should show the name of the party requesting the recording, where to mail the document after it is recorded, and the title or titles of the document. Recording fees will be charged for this page.

- All documents submitted for recording must indicate the title or titles. The title (or titles) must appear on the first page, directly below the space reserved for the recorder.

- The Recorder is required to index all titles shown on the first page. Additional titles may also be identified and indexed at the discretion of the Recorder. Additional titles indexed by the Napa County Recorder include but are not limited to Assignment of Rents and Leases found in the body of the document. When a document contains more than one title to be indexed, the recording fee will increase $16 for each additional title to be indexed.

- Any document that modifies, releases, or cancels the provisions of a previously recorded document must contain the recording reference number of that prior document.

- A Documentary Transfer Tax is collected on conveyances of real property. If a conveyance is exempt from the transfer tax, a Claim of Exemption from Documentary Transfer Tax can be submitted with the real estate document at the time of recording.

- A Preliminary Change of Ownership Report must be completed by the buyer prior to the transfer of property.