Why People File a Quitclaim Deed in Santa Barbara County
Just Got Married
A quitclaim deed doesn't ask why you're adding someone to a title — which is exactly why it's the tool of choice after a wedding.
Going Through a Divorce
If the settlement already spells out who owns the property, a quitclaim deed simply makes the recorded title match it.
Inherited Property
Some heirs discover the title is still in a deceased relative's name years later — a quitclaim deed is the standard way to correct that.
Gifting to Family
If you're setting up a family member to inherit less paperwork later, gifting property now with a quitclaim deed is one way to do it.
About the Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder
Santa Barbara County was formed as one of California's original 27 counties in 1850, taking its name from the Mission Santa Barbara, founded in 1786 by Padre Fermín Lasuén and itself named for the patron saint of mariners by Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno back in 1602. The county's economy has long followed its coastline and climate, moving from 19th-century cattle ranching and citrus to today's Santa Ynez Valley wine industry, while offshore oil operations made national headlines after the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill helped spark the modern environmental movement. It also includes the northern Channel Islands and stretches from the Santa Ynez Mountains to the agricultural Santa Maria Valley, giving it a mix of beach towns, ranchland, and wine country within one jurisdiction.
Cities and Communities Served
Recording jurisdiction runs countywide, not by city limits — if the property sits anywhere within Santa Barbara County, this is the Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder that will accept the deed. That includes:
Incorporated cities: Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Lompoc, Goleta, Carpinteria, Buellton, Solvang, Guadalupe.
Unincorporated communities: Isla Vista, Montecito, Orcutt, Summerland, Los Alamos, Mission Canyon, Vandenberg Village.
Santa Barbara County also maintains branch recording offices in Santa Maria and Lompoc in addition to the main Santa Barbara Hall of Records.
Office Details
Address: 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Phone: (805) 568-2250
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. at the Santa Barbara Hall of Records. The county also runs branch recording counters in Santa Maria (same Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. hours) and Lompoc (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday only).
Recording Fee: A flat per-page fee for the first page plus a smaller fee for each additional page, a real estate fraud prevention fee that applies to certain transfer documents, a state Building Homes and Jobs Act fee per real estate instrument (capped per transaction, with common exemptions), and a county documentary transfer tax calculated as a percentage of the property's value. A Preliminary Change of Ownership Report must generally accompany a deed transferring ownership, or a penalty surcharge applies.
E-recording: Available through approved third-party e-recording vendors integrated with the county's system (e.g., Simplifile, CSC, GetItRecorded). E-recorded submissions are subject to an earlier cutoff — around 12:00 p.m. — on Fridays and on the last business day of each month.
Good to know before you go: Santa Barbara County records real estate documents at three public counters — the Santa Barbara Hall of Records plus branch offices in Santa Maria and Lompoc — but the Lompoc branch only takes recordings Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and e-recorded submissions cut off earlier on Fridays and on the last business day of each month. Worth planning around if you need a document to record on a specific date.
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 Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara 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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