Why People File a Quitclaim Deed in Alpine County
Just Got Married
Adding your new spouse to the title after a wedding is one of the most common reasons people file here — it's a straightforward paperwork step, not a real estate transaction.
Going Through a Divorce
Divorce is one of the most common reasons people end up here — removing a former spouse from the title, once the settlement is final.
Inherited Property
Families dealing with an inherited property often end up here — a quitclaim deed can move title into an heir's name once the estate matters are settled.
Gifting to Family
Parents gifting property to their kids, or adding a family member to the title, typically use a quitclaim deed to make it official with the county.
About the Alpine County Assessor-Recorder
Alpine County was carved out of pieces of Amador, El Dorado, Calaveras, Mono, and Tuolumne counties in 1864, formed in a rush of speculation after silver was discovered just over the Nevada state line near what became Virginia City. The county's population spiked above 11,000 in its first years and then collapsed almost as quickly once the local silver deposits proved unproductive, falling under 1,000 by the end of the decade and eventually bottoming out at 241 residents in 1930. It remains California's least populous county today, an entirely mountainous stretch of the Sierra Nevada wedged between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite with an average elevation above 5,000 feet and not a single incorporated city within its borders.
Cities and Communities Served
Recording jurisdiction runs countywide, not by city limits — if the property sits anywhere within Alpine County, this is the Alpine County Assessor-Recorder that will accept the deed. That includes:
Unincorporated communities: Markleeville, Bear Valley, Kirkwood, Woodfords, Mesa Vista, Alpine Village.
Alpine County has no incorporated cities at all -- it is one of only three California counties without one -- so every community, including county-seat Markleeville, is unincorporated and recording is handled countywide from the single Markleeville office.
Office Details
Address: 99 Water Street, Markleeville, CA 96120 (mailing: P.O. Box 155, Markleeville, CA 96120)
Phone: (530) 694-2283
Hours: Recording hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM-12:00 PM and 1:00 PM-4:00 PM (closed holidays), a narrower window than the general county office hours of 8:00 AM-12:00 PM and 1:00 PM-5:00 PM.
Recording Fee: A flat per-page recording fee applies, plus a county documentary transfer tax based on a percentage of the property's value. A separate penalty fee applies if a Preliminary Change of Ownership Report is required but not completed and submitted at the time of recording.
E-recording: Electronic recording is available through the Simplifile e-recording network despite the county's small size, though the office does not describe it on its own recording-requirements page.
Good to know before you go: Documents mailed in for recording can take up to 45 working days to come back because of how infrequently the small office processes and returns mail, so anyone on a deadline should plan to record in person or use an e-recording vendor instead of mailing the deed. The office also cannot provide notary services or any legal or document-preparation help, and it accepts payment by check, cashier's check, money order, or credit card taken over the phone or in person.
How to File a Document
- Sign in Front of a Notary: California requires the grantor's signature to be acknowledged before a notary public before the Alpine County Assessor-Recorder will accept a deed for recording. California notaries also have to take the signer's right thumbprint in their journal specifically for deeds and other real-property documents -- a state-specific requirement that catches people off guard if their notary isn't prepared for it, so it's worth confirming ahead of time that whoever notarizes your deed has a journal and inkpad on hand.
- Attach a Full Legal Description, Not Just an Address: A street address alone won't satisfy California's requirements -- the deed needs the property's actual legal description (a metes-and-bounds description, a government survey reference, or a platted lot and block, depending on how the parcel was originally surveyed and subdivided). You can usually copy this directly from the deed that transferred the property to you.
- Complete a Preliminary Change of Ownership Report: California requires a separate Preliminary Change of Ownership Report (PCOR) to accompany most deeds when they're filed. It's a distinct form the county assessor's office uses to determine whether the transfer triggers a reassessment -- a penalty applies if it's missing or left incomplete, so it's worth getting right before you file. The Alpine County Assessor-Recorder or county assessor can supply the current version.
- Know Where California Stands on Remote Online Notarization: Unlike some states, California-commissioned notaries can't yet offer remote online notarization -- that's not scheduled to change until January 1, 2030. In the meantime, an out-of-state online notary can still validly notarize a California deed, since California recognizes notarial acts performed under another state's laws. See our online notarization page for how that works.
- Record with the County Clerk-Recorder: Bring, mail, or (where the county supports it) e-file the signed, notarized deed and its Preliminary Change of Ownership Report with the Alpine County Assessor-Recorder for the county where the property sits. California's recording fee is a flat, statute-set amount per document, and on top of that, a county documentary transfer tax applies based on a percentage of the property's value -- some cities also levy their own additional city transfer tax on top of the county's.
Still Have Questions About Filing With the Alpine County Assessor-Recorder?
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Other Counties in California
Filing somewhere else in the state? Here are a few other county pages:
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