CHAPTER 6. Recorder
Chapter 6 added by Stats. 1947, Ch. 424.
§§ 27201–27399 · 139 sections
ARTICLE 1. Duties Generally §§ 27201–27211 · 13 sections
- § 27201 (a) (1) (A) The recorder shall, upon payment of proper fees and taxes, accept for recordation any instrument, paper, or notice that is authorized or required…
- § 27201.1 (a) (1) A disinterested custodian of an electronic record may certify that a tangible copy is a complete and accurate reproduction of the electronic record.…
- § 27201.5 (a) A notary acknowledgment shall be deemed complete for recording purposes without a photographically reproducible official seal of the notary public if the…
- § 27202 Upon the request of any officer of the United States, the county recorder shall record instruments to which the United States is a party without payment of the…
- § 27203 Any recorder to whom an instrument proved or acknowledged according to law or any paper or notice which may by law be recorded is delivered for record is…
- § 27203.5 If the recorder willfully and maliciously commits any of the acts described in Section 27203 or derives a personal financial benefit from committing any of…
- § 27204 Any person who receives a form from the recorder pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 27203, stating that the proffered document is unrecordable, and who…
- § 27205 After two years from the date of filing in the recorder’s office of notice of completion of any building or improvement, the contract, plans, specifications…
- § 27206 The county recorder may destroy federal tax liens together with any release of said liens eight years after the lien was filed in his office; provided, a…
- § 27207 At the request of the county recorder, the board of supervisors of any county may authorize the destruction of any or all of the filed papers or records books…
- § 27208 If a paper or document has been microfilmed, the county recorder may destroy or otherwise dispose of any paper or document filed with or submitted to him or…
- § 27210 The county recorder may use a printed, stamped, photographically reproduced facsimile, electronic, or otherwise digitally created signature in certifying to a…
- § 27211 (a) The recorder shall keep an official seal of the recorder’s office that shall, when embossed, stamped, impressed, or affixed to a certification, show…
ARTICLE 2. Books §§ 27230–27265 · 26 sections
- § 27230 The recorder shall procure any books for records as the business of the recorder’s office requires, but orders for the books shall first be obtained from the…
- § 27231 The recorder has the custody of, and shall keep all books, records, maps, and papers deposited in the recorder’s office.
- § 27232 The recorder shall keep an index of deeds, grants, and transfers, labeled “Grantors,” each page divided into three columns, headed respectively: “Names of…
- § 27233 The recorder shall keep an index of deeds, labeled “Grantees,” each page divided into three columns, headed respectively: “Names of grantees,” “Names of…
- § 27234 The recorder shall keep two indices of mortgages, labeled respectively: “Mortgagors of real property” and “Mortgagors of personal property,” with the pages…
- § 27235 The recorder shall keep two indices of mortgages, labeled respectively: “Mortgagees of real property” and “Mortgagees of personal property,” with the pages…
- § 27236 The recorder shall keep two indices of releases of mortgages, labeled respectively: “Releases of mortgages of real property—mortgagors” and “Releases of…
- § 27237 The recorder shall keep two indices of releases of mortgages, labeled respectively: “Releases of mortgages of real property—mortgagees” and “Releases of…
- § 27238 The recorder shall keep an index of powers of attorney, labeled: “Powers of attorney,” each page divided into four columns, headed respectively: “Names of…
- § 27239 The recorder shall keep an index of leases, labeled: “Leases—lessors,” each page divided into three columns, headed respectively: “Names of lessors,” “Names of…
- § 27240 The recorder shall keep an index of leases, labeled: “Leases—lessees,” each page divided into three columns, headed respectively: “Names of lessees,” “Names of…
- § 27243 The recorder shall keep an index of assignments of mortgages and leases, labeled: “Assignments of mortgages and leases—assignors,” each page divided into four…
- § 27244 The recorder shall keep an index of assignments of mortgages and leases, labeled: “Assignments of mortgages and leases—assignees,” each page divided into four…
- § 27246 The recorder shall keep an index of official bonds, labeled: “Official bonds,” each page divided into four columns, headed respectively: “Names of officers,”…
- § 27247 The recorder shall keep an index of notices of mechanics’ liens, labeled: “Mechanics’ liens,” each page divided into three columns, headed respectively:…
- § 27248 (a) The recorder shall keep an index to abstracts of judgments, labeled: “Abstracts of judgments,” each page divided into six columns, headed respectively:…
- § 27249 The recorder shall keep an index of attachments, labeled: “Attachments,” each page divided into five columns, headed respectively: “Parties against whom…
- § 27250 The recorder shall keep an index of notices of the pendency of actions, labeled: “Notices of actions,” each page divided into three columns, headed…
- § 27252 The recorder shall keep an index to the certificates of births, deaths and marriages.
- § 27254 The recorder shall keep an index of mining locations and of documents affecting them, labeled, “Mining locations,” divided into suitable columns showing the…
- § 27255 (a) The county recorder in each county shall develop and maintain, within the existing indexing system, a comprehensive index of conservation easements and…
- § 27256 The recorder shall keep such other indices as are required in the performance of official duties.
- § 27257 Instead of those indices indicated in this division, the recorder may utilize either of the following systems of indexing: (a) The recorder may keep two…
- § 27263 When a conveyance is executed by a sheriff or marshal, the name of the sheriff or marshal and the party charged in the execution shall both be inserted in the…
- § 27264 The recorder shall provide a separate book called “Record of Patents” or official records in which shall be recorded all patents of land situate in the county,…
- § 27265 Where indexes are compiled by the use of key punch and printing machines, if temporary index sheets are provided for the use of the public before the permanent…
ARTICLE 3. Documents to be Recorded §§ 27279–27297.7 · 30 sections
- § 27279 (a) “Instrument,” as used in this chapter, means a written paper signed by a person or persons transferring the title to, or giving a lien on real property, or…
- § 27279.1 (a) The recorders of San Bernardino County and Orange County may accept, in lieu of a written paper document, a digitized image of a recordable instrument if…
- § 27279.2 For purposes of Section 27279.1, the requester and addressee for delivery of a recorded image may record a digitized image of a recordable instrument if it is…
- § 27279.3 (a) A requester and addressee for delivery of a recorded image may record a digitized image of a recordable instrument if the requester meets the conditions…
- § 27279.4 (a) The California Attorney General shall appoint an Electronic Recordation Task Force consisting of voluntary representatives from governmental agencies and…
- § 27280 (a) Any instrument or judgment affecting the title to or possession of real property may be recorded pursuant to this chapter. (b) Any instrument or document…
- § 27280.5 The names of parties required to be indexed appearing in any instrument, paper, or notice presented for recordation shall be legibly signed, typed, or printed…
- § 27280.6 (a) It is unlawful to present for recording or filing, or otherwise attempt to record or file, with a county recorder an exclusive listing agreement of any…
- § 27281 (a) Deeds or grants conveying any interest in or easement upon real estate to a political corporation or governmental agency for public purposes shall not be…
- § 27281.5 (a) Any restriction imposed upon real property on or after January 1, 1982, which restricts either the ability of the owner of real property to convey the real…
- § 27282 (a) The following documents may be recorded without acknowledgment, certificate of acknowledgment, or further proof: (1) A judgment affecting the title to or…
- § 27283 The record of all notices of location of mining claims made prior to March 9, 1897 in the proper office without acknowledgment, or certificate of…
- § 27284 Affidavits showing work or posting of notices upon mining claims may be recorded in the recorder’s office of the county where the mining claims are situated.
- § 27285 The following documents may be recorded without acknowledgment or further proof: (a) Letters patent from the United States or from the state, executed and…
- § 27286 If letters patent have been lost or are beyond the control of any party deraigning title from them, or if for any reason they remain unrecorded, any person…
- § 27287 Unless it belongs to the class provided for in either Sections 27282 to 27286, inclusive, or Section 1202 or 1203, of the Civil Code, or is a fictitious…
- § 27288 If the instrument is an agreement for sale, lease, option agreement, deposit receipt, commission receipt, or affidavit which quotes or refers to an agreement…
- § 27288.1 All documents described in this section now or hereafter authorized by law to be recorded in the official records of a county shall contain the following…
- § 27288.2 Pursuant to Section 5029 of the Public Resources Code, after March 15, 1993, the county recorder shall record a certified resolution establishing an historical…
- § 27289 Whenever a notice is required by law to be recorded for any purpose, it shall be signed by the person giving notice or his agent.
- § 27290 An instrument proved and certified pursuant to Sections 1198 and 1199 of the Civil Code may be recorded in the proper office only if the original is at the…
- § 27291 (a) Notwithstanding any provision of Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 9501) of Division 9 of the Commercial Code or any other provision of law, a financing…
- § 27293 (a) (1) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (b), if an instrument, paper, or notice intended for record is executed or certified in whole or in part in…
- § 27294 In all cases the recorder shall endorse the amount of the fee for recordation on the instrument, paper, or notice recorded.
- § 27295 Where real property acquired by a municipality or a redevelopment agency is to be transferred in accordance with an official redevelopment plan any contract…
- § 27296 (a) The county recorder in each county shall complete a yearly statistical report of documents, including electronically transmitted documents, recorded and…
- § 27297 For purposes of this article, a certificate describing real property and any lien thereon claimed pursuant to law for the costs of abatement of a nuisance upon…
- § 27297.5 (a) Upon recordation of an abstract of judgment or other document creating an involuntary lien affecting the title to real property, unless the county recorder…
- § 27297.6 (a) (1) Following adoption of an authorizing resolution by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the Los Angeles County Recorder, or a designee or…
- § 27297.7 (a) On or before January 1, 2027, each county within the state shall establish a recorder notification program, in accordance with this section, and the board…
ARTICLE 3.5. Social Security Number Truncation Program §§ 27300–27307 · 8 sections
- § 27300 As used in this article, the following terms have the following meanings: (a) “Official record” means the permanent archival record of all instruments, papers,…
- § 27301 (a) The county recorder of each county shall establish a social security number truncation program in order to create a public record version of each official…
- § 27302 (a) A county recorder shall be deemed to be in compliance with the requirements of Section 27301 and shall not be liable for failure to truncate a social…
- § 27303 When a public record version of an official record exists, both of the following shall apply: (a) Upon a request for inspection, copying, or any other public…
- § 27303.5 Notwithstanding Section 27303, a county recorder may provide a copy of a DD214 official record when requested by a person listed in subdivision (b) of Section…
- § 27304 (a) Each county may use funds generated by fees authorized by subdivision (d) of Section 27361 to implement a social security number truncation program…
- § 27305 (a) To assist the Legislature in monitoring the progress of each county recorder’s social security number truncation program, the County Recorders Association…
- § 27307 A county recorder is authorized to take all actions required by this article notwithstanding subdivision (d) of Section 27203 or any other provision of law.
ARTICLE 4. Recording §§ 27320–27338 · 23 sections
- § 27320 When any instrument, paper, or notice authorized by law to be recorded is deposited in the recorder’s office for record, the recorder shall endorse upon it in…
- § 27321 (a) The recorder shall endorse upon each instrument, paper, or notice the identification number or book and page where it is recorded, and shall thereafter…
- § 27321.5 Before acceptance for recording, in addition to the address required on each document for delivery by the recorder, all of the following shall apply: (a) Every…
- § 27322 The recorder shall record by legible handwriting, by typewriting, or by photographic reproduction process, in well-bound books or by such other means as…
- § 27322.1 The words “file for record” when used as a directive in any law relating to any document to be filed in the recorders office shall be deemed to mean “record”…
- § 27322.2 A system of microphotography, optical disk, or reproduction by any other technique that does not permit additions, deletions, or changes to the original…
- § 27322.3 If the recorded instruments, papers, or notices or the record books in the office of the recorder have been microfilmed for preservation purposes, a type of…
- § 27322.4 The county recorder may cause any or all files or records in his or her official custody to be microphotographed or otherwise reproduced pursuant to Section…
- § 27323 The recorder may segregate the instruments, papers, and notices and record them in separate books, or sheets or rolls of film under titles of indices provided…
- § 27324 Each instrument, paper, or notice presented for recordation shall have a title or titles indicating the kind or kinds of documents contained therein. The…
- § 27325 If any instrument, paper, or notice is presented and accepted for recordation or filing without a title or an endorsement indicating the manner of indexing, it…
- § 27326 The recorder shall file and record in the record of deeds, grants, and transfers, certified copies of final judgments or decrees partitioning or affecting the…
- § 27327 Any instrument, paper, or notice filed for record in the office of the county recorder of the county where it is entitled to record and that is copied into a…
- § 27328 Any instrument which is filed for record with the recorder as a deed, deed of trust, mortgage, or chattel mortgage, or which is copied into any book of deeds,…
- § 27329 (a) If any record of an instrument, paper, or notice is lost, injured, or destroyed by conflagration or other public calamity, the recorder shall record any…
- § 27330 On or before January 1, 1968, notices of liens for internal revenue taxes payable to the United States and certificates of release, discharge, subordination or…
- § 27331 An order affecting title to or possession of real property issued by a court in an action subject to Section 12527 may be recorded in any of the indices…
- § 27333 All conveyances of real estate, except patents issued by the State as a party, made by any public officer pursuant to law, when recorded shall be…
- § 27334 If the name of the person in whom title to real estate is vested is changed from any cause, the recorder shall alphabetically index the conveyance in the…
- § 27335 In the recording of instruments of writing required or authorized by law to be recorded, the clerk, recorder, or other officer whose duty it is to make the…
- § 27336 County recorders shall accept form books or blanks from any incorporated water users’ association organized to secure the benefits of an act of Congress…
- § 27337 (a) If any military veteran or any person authorized to receive a certified copy of a record pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 6107…
- § 27338 A deed, instrument, or other document related to a conveyance that is subject to Section 8560 of the Public Resources Code shall not be recorded without a…
ARTICLE 5. Fees §§ 27360–27388.2 · 28 sections
- § 27360 For services performed by the recorder’s office, the county recorder shall charge and collect the fees fixed in this article.
- § 27360.5 As used in this code, the word “folio” means 100 words. Each figure, character, symbol, and initial, excluding punctuation marks, shall be regarded as a word…
- § 27361 (a) The fee for recording and indexing every instrument, paper, or notice required or permitted by law to be recorded shall not exceed ten dollars ($10) for…
- § 27361.1 Whenever two or more instruments, papers, or notices are serially incorporated on one form or sheet, or are attached to one another, except as an exhibit…
- § 27361.2 (a) Whenever any instrument, paper, or notice is recorded that contains references to more than one previously recorded document and requires additional…
- § 27361.3 (a) Notwithstanding any contrary provision of the law, the fee for recording every release of lien, encumbrance, or notice executed by the state, or any…
- § 27361.4 (a) The board of supervisors of any county may provide for an additional fee of one dollar ($1) for filing every instrument, paper, or notice for record, in…
- § 27361.5 (a) As used in Section 27361, a page shall be one printed side of a single piece of paper being 81/2 inches by 11 inches. (b) A sheet shall be one printed side…
- § 27361.6 Except as otherwise provided by law or regulation, all documents submitted for recording shall have at least a 1/2-inch margin on the two vertical sides except…
- § 27361.7 Whenever the text of a document presented for record may be made out but is not sufficiently legible to reproduce a readable photographic record, the recorder…
- § 27361.8 (a) Whenever any instrument, paper, or notice is recorded that requires additional indexing by the county recorder to give notice required by law and does not…
- § 27361.9 The board of supervisors of any county may provide for an additional fee for filing every preliminary notice pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 8214 of the…
- § 27364 The fee for each certificate under seal shall be set by the board of supervisors in an amount necessary to recover the direct and indirect costs of providing…
- § 27365 The fee for any copy of a birth, death, or marriage certificate, when the copy is made by the recorder, is the same as is payable to a state or local registrar…
- § 27366 The fee for any copy of any other record or paper on file in the office of the recorder, when the copy is made by the recorder, shall be set by the board of…
- § 27369 The fee for searching the records of his office for a birth, death, or marriage certificate is the same as is payable to a state or local registrar of vital…
- § 27371 The fee for recording each map or plat where it is copied in a book of record is ten cents ($0.10) for each course, plus ten cents ($0.10) a folio for letters…
- § 27372 The fee for recording or filing and indexing each map wherein land is subdivided in lots, tracts, or parcels is five dollars ($5) for the first page and two…
- § 27375 The fee for taking an acknowledgment of any instrument is seventy-five cents ($0.75).
- § 27379 The fee for administering and certifying each oath or affirmation is fifty cents ($0.50).
- § 27380 The fee for filing, indexing, and keeping each paper not required by law to be recorded is three dollars ($3).
- § 27381 No charge or fee shall be made for recording, indexing, or issuing certified copies of any discharge, certificate of service, certificate of satisfactory…
- § 27383 No fee shall be charged by the recorder for services rendered to the State, to any municipality, county in the State or other political subdivision thereof,…
- § 27387 In addition to any other fee, the county recorder shall collect a fee from any lienor, other than a governmental entity, for the recordation of an abstract of…
- § 27387.1 (a) In addition to any other recording fee, the recorder, pursuant to Section 27297.6, may collect a fee from the party filing a deed, quitclaim deed, deed of…
- § 27388 (a) (1) In addition to any other recording fees specified in this code, upon the adoption of a resolution by the county board of supervisors, a fee of up to…
- § 27388.1 (a) (1) Commencing January 1, 2018, and except as provided in paragraph (2), in addition to any other recording fees specified in this code, a fee of…
- § 27388.2 (a) In addition to all other fees authorized by this section, a county recorder may charge a fee of two dollars ($2) for recording the first page of every real…
ARTICLE 6. Electronic Recording Delivery Act of 2004 §§ 27390–27399 · 11 sections
- § 27390 (a) This article shall be known and may be cited as the Electronic Recording Delivery Act of 2004. (b) For the purposes of this article, the following…
- § 27391 (a) Upon approval by resolution of the board of supervisors and system certification by the Attorney General, a county recorder may establish an electronic…
- § 27392 (a) No electronic recording delivery system may become operational without system certification by the Attorney General. The certification shall affirm that…
- § 27393 (a) The Attorney General shall, in consultation with interested parties, adopt regulations for the review, approval, and oversight of electronic recording…
- § 27394 (a) To be eligible to establish an electronic recording delivery system, a county recorder shall contract with, and obtain a report from, a computer security…
- § 27395 (a) No person shall be a computer security auditor or be granted secure access to an electronic recording delivery system if he or she has been convicted of a…
- § 27396 (a) The Attorney General shall monitor the security of electronic recording delivery systems statewide, in close cooperation with county recorders and public…
- § 27397 (a) A county establishing an electronic recording delivery system pursuant to this article shall pay for the direct cost of regulation and oversight by the…
- § 27397.5 (a) A county recorder may include in the county’s electronic recording delivery system a secure method for accepting for recording a digital or digitized…
- § 27398 (a) The Attorney General shall conduct an evaluation of electronic recording delivery systems authorized by this article, and report to both houses of the…
- § 27399 (a) Nothing in this article shall be construed to authorize any state agency to administer any of the processes or procedures relating to the business of the…