Why People File a Quitclaim Deed in Plumas County
Just Got Married
Whether it's a starter home or a longtime family property, adding a spouse after marriage is one of the more routine reasons this deed gets filed.
Going Through a Divorce
If your settlement is final but the deed still lists your ex, a quitclaim deed is the missing last step.
Inherited Property
Property left to you in a will isn't fully yours on paper until a quitclaim deed (or similar transfer) updates the title.
Gifting to Family
Gifting a vacation property, a family farm, or a spare house to a relative usually means one filing: a quitclaim deed.
About the Plumas County Clerk-Recorder
Plumas County was split off from Butte County in 1854 and takes its name from the Feather River, which Spanish explorers had already dubbed El Rio de las Plumas - the River of Feathers - after spotting what looked like drifting feathers on the water. Every major fork of the Feather River, north, middle, and south, traces back to headwaters within the county's mountains, which is exactly why state lawmakers reached for that name when they drew the new county's boundaries. The county seat, Quincy, has never incorporated as a city despite anchoring the courthouse and county government, making Portola the only formally incorporated city in this sparsely populated stretch of the northern Sierra Nevada. The office's full formal title is the Clerk-Recorder and Elections department.
Cities and Communities Served
Recording jurisdiction runs countywide, not by city limits — if the property sits anywhere within Plumas County, this is the Plumas County Clerk-Recorder that will accept the deed. That includes:
Incorporated city: Portola.
Unincorporated communities: Quincy, Chester, Greenville, East Quincy, Chilcoot.
Portola is Plumas County's only incorporated city; the county seat, Quincy, is itself an unincorporated community.
Office Details
Address: 520 Main Street, Room 102, Courthouse, Quincy, CA 95971
Phone: (530) 283-6128
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with the office closed to the public Wednesdays from 11:00 a.m. to noon for staff training. Recording services run 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily, a narrower window than the general office hours. Marriage license appointments must be scheduled in advance by phone.
Recording Fee: A flat per-page recording fee applies, plus a county documentary transfer tax calculated using the county's transfer tax table as a percentage of the property's value, with exemptions available when the correct code section is noted on the document. A completed Preliminary Change of Ownership Report (PCOR) must accompany most deeds; a penalty fee applies if it is missing or incomplete.
Good to know before you go: Plumas County's recording counter keeps narrower hours (8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) than the Clerk-Recorder office's general 8-to-5 schedule, and the office closes to the public every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to noon for staff training - both worth building into the timing of an in-person recording trip to Quincy.
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 Plumas County Clerk-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 Plumas County Clerk-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 Plumas County Clerk-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 Plumas County Clerk-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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