California Quitclaim Deed

Find Your County's Clerk-Recorder

California splits real-property recording across 58 county offices, most branded "County Clerk-Recorder" though several fold in assessor or elections duties under a longer name. Which one you need comes down to where the property is, not where you happen to live -- use the list below to track down the right office for your deed.

One thing worth clearing up: recording a deed isn't what makes the transfer official -- signing, notarizing, and delivering it already did that. What recording actually does is put the transfer on public record, which is your protection if someone else ever tries to claim an interest in the same property later. California also expects a Preliminary Change of Ownership Report alongside most deeds, and individual counties sometimes layer on their own formatting rules -- our recording requirements guide spells all of that out before you file.

Select the County Where Your Property Is Located