Why People File a Quitclaim Deed in Tulare County
Just Got Married
If a lender required proof that both spouses are on title, a quitclaim deed is typically what satisfies that.
Going Through a Divorce
Divorces that involve real estate almost always end with a quitclaim deed as the final step in dividing the property.
Inherited Property
If your name isn't officially on the title of a property you inherited, a quitclaim deed is the usual way to fix that.
Gifting to Family
If your parents are ready to hand the family home over to you now, a quitclaim deed is the standard way to make that official.
About the Tulare County Assessor/Clerk-Recorder
Tulare County was created April 20, 1852 and named for Tulare Lake, which itself takes its name from the tule reeds -- from a Nahuatl word for cattail-like rushes -- that Spanish military officer Pedro Fages found choking its shoreline in 1772 while chasing deserters. Tulare Lake was, before it was drained for agriculture in the second half of the 1800s, the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River; its disappearance freed up land that helped make the county one of the most productive agricultural regions in the country, particularly for citrus and dairy. Visalia, the county seat, predates the county itself, founded in 1852 as one of the first American settlements in the southern San Joaquin Valley, and the county today stretches from valley farmland up into Sequoia National Park's western entrance.
Cities and Communities Served
Recording jurisdiction runs countywide, not by city limits — if the property sits anywhere within Tulare County, this is the Tulare County Assessor/Clerk-Recorder that will accept the deed. That includes:
Incorporated cities: Visalia (county seat), Dinuba, Exeter, Farmersville, Lindsay, Porterville, Tulare, Woodlake.
Unincorporated communities: Three Rivers, Ivanhoe, Terra Bella, Earlimart.
Office Details
Address: 221 South Mooney Boulevard, Unit 105, Visalia, CA 93291
Phone: 559-636-5050
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM. The recording counter itself stops accepting new documents at 3:00 PM, though staff remain available for questions and research until 5:00 PM.
Recording Fee: Tulare 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: Tulare County accepts e-recording through Simplifile; the county reports roughly two-thirds of documents recorded countywide now arrive electronically rather than by mail or in person.
Good to know before you go: In 2024 the Tulare County Clerk-Recorder's office temporarily closed both its clerk and recorder counters countywide to install new records management software -- a reminder that even well-established, high-volume offices like Tulare's occasionally go dark for a day or two for system upgrades, so it's worth calling ahead if you're planning an in-person visit for a time-sensitive recording.
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 Tulare County Assessor/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 Tulare County Assessor/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 Tulare County Assessor/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 Tulare County Assessor/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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