Why People File a Quitclaim Deed in Shasta County
Just Got Married
Property bought before the relationship became a marriage often needs one small update afterward — a quitclaim deed adding the new spouse.
Going Through a Divorce
Some people are still legally co-owners with an ex long after the divorce is final — a quitclaim deed is what corrects that.
Inherited Property
A quitclaim deed doesn't decide who inherits property — that's the estate's job — it simply records the outcome on the title.
Gifting to Family
If your family is restructuring who owns a shared property, a quitclaim deed is typically how each change gets recorded.
About the Shasta County Assessor-Recorder
Shasta County was one of California's original 27 counties, formed in 1850 and named for Mount Shasta, whose modern spelling wasn't settled until the state legislature fixed it that same year. The county's boundaries shrank twice in the 1850s as Siskiyou and Tehama counties were carved out of its original territory. What began as a Gold Rush supply hub built its lasting economy on timber, copper mining, and the railroad, and Redding -- founded as a Central Pacific Railroad terminus -- grew into the trade and medical hub for California's entire north state, a role it still plays today with Mount Shasta and Lassen Peak both visible from parts of the county.
Cities and Communities Served
Recording jurisdiction runs countywide, not by city limits — if the property sits anywhere within Shasta County, this is the Shasta County Assessor-Recorder that will accept the deed. That includes:
Incorporated cities: Redding (county seat), Anderson, Shasta Lake.
Unincorporated communities: Burney, Palo Cedro, Cottonwood, Old Shasta, French Gulch, Igo.
Recording jurisdiction covers the entire county, not just these named communities.
Office Details
Address: 1450 Court Street, Suite 208, Redding, CA 96001
Phone: (530) 225-5671
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM, closed weekends and county holidays. Note: this is a separate office from the Shasta County Clerk (elections/marriage licenses) at 1643 Market Street -- deeds and other real property documents are recorded at the Assessor-Recorder's Court Street office.
Recording Fee: Shasta County charges a flat per-page recording fee for the first page plus an additional fee for each subsequent page, along with 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 (PCOR) is not submitted or is incomplete at the time of recording.
E-recording: Shasta County accepts e-recording through Simplifile.
Good to know before you go: Shasta County splits real-estate recording from general Clerk functions across two different buildings in Redding: deeds, liens, and other property documents go through the Assessor-Recorder's office at 1450 Court Street, while the separate County Clerk office (elections, marriage licenses, fictitious business names) is a few blocks away at 1643 Market Street -- mailing a deed to the wrong address is a common and avoidable delay.
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 Shasta 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 Shasta 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 Shasta 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 Shasta 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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