Why People File a Quitclaim Deed in Madera County
Just Got Married
A lot of couples wait until well after the wedding to update the title, and a quitclaim deed works just as well then as it would right away.
Going Through a Divorce
Some people are surprised a divorce decree alone doesn't update the deed — that last step is a quitclaim deed, filed separately.
Inherited Property
An inherited property's title doesn't update on its own — a quitclaim deed is the document that makes the county's records catch up.
Gifting to Family
If you're signing property over to a relative as a gift, a quitclaim deed is the document that records it with the county.
About the Madera County Clerk-Recorder's Office
Madera takes its name from the Spanish word for 'lumber,' a nod to the 54-mile wooden flume the California Lumber Company built in 1876 to float Sierra Nevada timber down to the valley floor -- the settlement that grew up at the flume's terminus became the county seat. Carved out of Fresno County in 1893, Madera County shifted from a logging economy to one built on irrigated agriculture once the timber gave out, drawing on Friant-Kern Canal water and the San Joaquin River to become one of California's leading dairy, grape, and almond-producing counties. The county stretches from the flat farmland of the San Joaquin Valley up into the Sierra National Forest and the southern approach to Yosemite, taking in mountain communities like Oakhurst and Bass Lake along the way.
Cities and Communities Served
Recording jurisdiction runs countywide, not by city limits — if the property sits anywhere within Madera County, this is the Madera County Clerk-Recorder's Office that will accept the deed. That includes:
Incorporated cities: City of Madera, Chowchilla.
Unincorporated communities: Oakhurst, Coarsegold, Bass Lake, North Fork, Ahwahnee, Fish Camp.
Recording is handled countywide by the Madera County Clerk-Recorder regardless of city; mountain communities like Oakhurst and Bass Lake are unincorporated and rely on the county seat for recording.
Office Details
Address: 200 W. 4th Street, Madera, CA 93637
Phone: (559) 675-7724
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Clerk); documents are accepted for recording 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed county holidays. Appointments are encouraged for in-person visits.
Recording Fee: Recording fees are assessed per page for the first page and each additional page of a document, with an added per-title fee for documents that reference multiple titles. On top of the base recording fee, the county collects a documentary transfer tax based on a percentage of the property's sale price or value, plus a state-mandated per-document fee that funds affordable housing programs (unless the transfer qualifies for an exemption). A separate penalty fee applies if a required Preliminary Change of Ownership Report (PCOR) is missing or incomplete on a deed that changes ownership.
E-recording: Electronic recording is available through CeRTNA (the California Electronic Recording Transaction Network Authority) for authorized submitters such as title companies, attorneys, and lenders; Madera County is also listed as an active county in the CSC eRecording network.
Good to know before you go: The Recorder's office relocated in May 2025 within Madera's Government Center campus (the former CalFire administration building at 200 W. 4th Street) to sit directly adjacent to the County Clerk-Elections counter -- if you have old directions to a different building on the same campus, look for the Government Center entrance rather than any previously listed recorder location.
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 Madera County Clerk-Recorder's Office 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 Madera County Clerk-Recorder's Office 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 Madera County Clerk-Recorder's Office 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 Madera County Clerk-Recorder's Office?
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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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