Recorder Office
Contact the recorder's office directly for its records, copies, and recording requirements.
County Clerk-Recorder
About the Santa Clara County Clerk-Recorder
Land records in Santa Clara County are recorded by the County Clerk-Recorder. The office is held by Louis Chiaramonte.
The office does not perform any searches of real estate records. Recording information for the past 30 days can be sent by email as a daily or monthly .csv file on request.
Checked October 2026 against official publications. Sources: FAQs | Office of the County Clerk-Recorder · CEQA filing receipt, Santa Clara County Clerk-Recorder
Recording Fees
These government fees are separate from any Deeds.com service fees. Confirm current charges with the recorder's office.
| Deeds and other conveyances | $25.00 first page, $3.00 each additional page (standard fee) |
|---|---|
| Mortgages and deeds of trust | $25.00 first page, $3.00 each additional page (standard fee) |
| Releases and satisfactions | $25.00 first page, $3.00 each additional page (standard fee; government lien releases excepted) |
| Other standard documents | $25.00 first page, $3.00 each additional page (standard fee) |
Added at recording
| Affordable Housing and Jobs Act Fee (Senate Bill 2) | $75.00 Per title of documents; all documents unless exempted. Gov. Code § 27388.1 |
|---|---|
| Restrictive Covenant Program Fee (Assembly Bill 1466) | $2.00 Per title. Gov. Code § 27388.2 |
| Survey monument preservation fund | $10.00 Grant deeds with a property description not referring to a full lot and tract (portion of a lot, parcel or survey map lot, Township and Range, metes and bounds, or street address) |
| Lien notice fee | $4.00 Involuntary liens; each named defendant or lienee (husband and wife with a common address count as one) |
Other charges
| Document that does not meet the formatting standards | $3.00 per page when A page or sheet does not conform to the dimensions described in Section 27361.5(a) |
|---|---|
| Additional names indexed | $1.00 each beyond the 10 included (per group of 10 names or fraction thereof) |
| Additional references or marginal notations | $1.00 each beyond the 1 included (each reference after the first, if indexing required) |
| Certification | $2.00 |
StatewideThe recorder charges $1 extra per page or sheet when printing on printed forms is spaced more than nine lines per vertical inch or more than 22 characters and spaces per inch (Gov. Code § 27361(a)(1)). Counties may adopt additional fees: up to $10 per real estate instrument for the Real Estate Fraud Prosecution Trust Fund upon a board of supervisors resolution (Gov. Code § 27388); $1 for the first page for a social security number truncation program (Gov. Code § 27361(d)); $1 per instrument fees for micrographics/archive, business-day operation, and indexing within two business days (Gov. Code § 27361.4); and up to $1 per instrument for an electronic recording delivery system (Gov. Code § 27397). A recorder may charge an additional $20 recording fee when a document evidencing a change in ownership is presented without a concurrent Preliminary Change of Ownership Report (Rev. & Tax. Code § 480.3(b)).
The office's fee schedule (Rev. 8 - 12/16/2024) lists a standard first-page fee of $102.00 that includes the $10.00 Real Estate Fraud Prevention Fee, the $75.00 SB2 Building Homes & Jobs Act Fee and the $2.00 AB1466 Restrictive Covenants Fee; for documents subject to Documentary Transfer Tax, $10.00 is subtracted. Combined documents are charged as separate documents: $15.00 for each additional document not subject to the Real Estate Instrument Fee, or $25.00 for each additional document subject to it. Conformed copy: $5.00. Copies: $4.00 first page, $2.00 per additional page. Government lien releases: $23.00 (includes REI). Map filing: $8.00 first page + $2.00 each additional page. Builder's Contracts: $15.00. Preliminary 20-day notices: $50.00.
Paying the office
| Accepted | Check, Money order, Cashiers check |
|---|---|
| Checks payable to | SCC - The Clerk-Recorder's Office |
For mail recordings where the total is uncertain, a check may be sent with a not to exceed amount (NTE $) on the memo line; the office enters the correct amount owed.
Transfer tax
Documentary Transfer Tax. $0.55 for each $500 or fractional part thereof of consideration or value exceeding $100 (county); cities may impose one-half that amount. The tax is collected when the document is recorded. (statewide, Cal. Rev. & Tax. Code § 11911)
StatewideA county's documentary transfer tax is imposed by board of supervisors ordinance under Rev. & Tax. Code § 11911(a). A city within a taxing county may impose its own tax at one-half the county rate (§ 11911(b)), and a credit is allowed against the county tax for the city tax (§ 11911(c)). Some charter cities levy their own rates. Every taxed document must show on its face the amount of tax due and the incorporated or unincorporated location of the realty (§ 11932).
City Conveyance Tax (San Jose, Palo Alto, & Mountain View): $1.65 per $500 or fraction thereof of consideration or value of interest conveyed, in addition to county transfer tax. San Jose Real Property Transfer Tax (Measure E, San Jose Municipal Code Chapter 4.59), collected by the Clerk-Recorder effective July 1, 2025 on transfers of real property in San Jose when the consideration exceeds $2,300,000, applied to the full value of the consideration: 0.75% ($2,300,000.01 to $5,000,000), 1% ($5,000,000.01 to $10,000,000), 1.5% (over $10,000,000).
Checked October 2026 against official publications. Sources: Recording document fees · Record fees · Clerk-Recorder's Office fee sheet brochure · California Government Code § 27361 (FindLaw) · California Government Code § 27388 (FindLaw) · California Revenue and Taxation Code § 11911 (FindLaw) · California Revenue and Taxation Code § 11932 (FindLaw)
Document Requirements
Confirm current requirements with the recorder's office before submitting documents.
| Paper size | 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches (a sheet not greater than 8 1/2 inches by 14 inches) (statewide, Cal. Gov. Code § 27361.5) |
|---|---|
| First page top margin | 2.5 in (statewide, Cal. Gov. Code § 27361.6) |
| Other margins | 0.5 in (statewide, Cal. Gov. Code § 27361.6) |
| Ink and paper | Paper quality and print size and color must reproduce legibly by microphotographic or imaging processes (statewide, Cal. Gov. Code § 27361.6) |
| Return address required | Yes (statewide, Cal. Gov. Code § 27361.6) |
| Tax statement mailing address required | Yes (statewide, Cal. Gov. Code § 27321.5(a)) |
| Parcel number required | Yes |
| Printed names under signatures required | Yes (statewide, Cal. Gov. Code § 27280.5) |
StatewideAt least a 1/2-inch margin on the two vertical sides except in the space reserved for recording information. The left-hand 3 1/2 inches of the top 2 1/2 inches of the first page is used to show the name of the person requesting recording and the return name and address.
StatewideIf the first page does not meet the recording-space requirements, a separate page meeting them and showing the document title must be attached to the front. A document that modifies, releases, or cancels a previously recorded document must state the recorder identification number or book and page of that document. A deed of trust or mortgage with power of sale must specify the trustor's or mortgagor's address and contain a request for notice of default and sale.
Forms filed along with a transfer
- Preliminary Change of Ownership Report (BOE-502-A) Statewide County assessor and recorder; form prescribed by the State Board of EqualizationMay be filed with the recorder concurrent with the recordation of any document effecting a change in ownership; the recorder may charge an additional $20 recording fee without it
Submitting documents
| In person | Accepted |
|---|---|
| By mail | Accepted |
| How recorded documents come back | Originals of real estate documents are always returned after recording, mailed to the name and address in the upper left corner of the document. |
| Processing time | Average time to return documents after recording is 8-10 weeks. |
A single deed with multiple properties in various cities with transfer taxes on it is not accepted.
Checked October 2026 against official publications. Sources: Recording document fees · Record fees · California Government Code § 27361.5 (FindLaw) · California Government Code § 27361.6 (FindLaw) · California Government Code § 27321.5 (FindLaw) · California Government Code § 27280.5 (FindLaw) · California Revenue and Taxation Code § 480.3 (Onecle)
Deeds.com Resources & Services
Using Deeds.com is optional. Contact the recorder's office directly for its services and submission options.
How to Get a Copy of Your Deed
Read Deeds.com's guide to requesting document copies from the recorder's office.
Deeds.com eRecording
Not available through Deeds.com
Deeds.com does not currently offer eRecording in Santa Clara County. Contact the recorder's office about its submission options.
Recorder Office
Contact the recorder's office directly for its records, copies, and recording requirements.
County Clerk-Recorder
Deeds.com Forms
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Supplemental Document Resources
Recording-related forms and instructions for reference. Confirm which documents apply with the recorder's office.
Deeds.com Customer Care
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