Find Property Records San Diego
Property records for San Diego are kept by the San Diego County Assessor Recorder County Clerk. San Diego is the county seat and the largest city in the county with over 1.3 million people. All deeds, liens, and tax records for homes and land in San Diego go through the county system. The main office is at 1600 Pacific Highway in downtown San Diego. You can also visit branch offices in Chula Vista, San Marcos, and Santee. Most records are online at the county website. You can search by name, address, or document number. The system has records going back many years. Some older records need an in-person visit. Many San Diego residents start their search online and only visit the office when they need certified copies or help with a complex request that the website cannot handle.
San Diego Quick Facts
San Diego County Recorder Office
The county recorder office in San Diego keeps all deeds and liens for the city. Every time someone buys or sells property in San Diego, the deed goes to this office. The staff stamp it with a date and time. That stamp proves when the document was filed. It becomes part of the public record. Anyone can search for it later to see who owns what.
San Diego County Assessor Recorder County Clerk is at 1600 Pacific Highway, Suite 260. The office is open Monday through Friday from eight in the morning to five in the afternoon. Call 619-237-0502 for recorder questions. Call 619-236-3771 for assessor questions. Email ARCCHELP@sdcounty.ca.gov if you have questions that can wait for a reply. The office is in downtown San Diego near the bay. Parking garages are nearby. Bring photo ID when you visit the counter.
Branch offices serve other parts of the county. The Chula Vista office is at 590 3rd Avenue. The San Marcos office is at 141 East Carmel Street. The Santee office is at 10144 Mission Gorge Road. All branch offices are open Monday through Friday from eight to five. You can file or get copies at any location. The staff can help you search records or tell you what you need to file a document in San Diego.
| Office | San Diego County Assessor Recorder County Clerk |
|---|---|
| Main Address | 1600 Pacific Highway, Suite 260 San Diego, CA 92101 |
| Phone | Recorder: 619-237-0502 Assessor: 619-236-3771 |
| ARCCHELP@sdcounty.ca.gov | |
| Hours | M-F, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
| Website | sdarcc.gov |
Note: Due to Assembly Bill 1785, APN searches are no longer available online as of December 2024. You must use in-person kiosks to search by parcel number.
How to Search Property Records Online
Go to the San Diego County website at sdarcc.gov to start an online search. Click on the official records search link. The system lets you search by name, document number, or date. You cannot search by Assessor Parcel Number online anymore due to a state law change in December 2024. If you need to search by APN, you must visit an office in person or use a public kiosk.
Type the owner name or address into the search box. Hit search and wait for results. The system will show a list of matching records. Click on one to see more details. You can view images of the documents online. If you need an official copy, you can download it for a fee. The county charges two dollars for the first page and five cents for each extra page. Certification adds one dollar.
For property tax info, visit the San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector at sdttc.com. Enter your address or parcel number to find your tax bill. The site shows what you owe, when it is due, and your payment history. You can pay online by phone at 1-855-829-3773 or mail a check to the office. Payments by eCheck are often free. Credit cards come with a service fee.
The tax collector also posts info on defaulted properties and tax sales. If a property in San Diego has unpaid taxes for several years, it may go to auction. The county publishes a list of these properties online. Check sdttc.mytaxsale.com for info on upcoming tax sales in San Diego.
Property Documents You Can Find in San Diego
Grant deeds transfer ownership. When someone sells a home in San Diego, they sign a grant deed. The buyer takes that deed to the county recorder. The recorder files it and stamps it with a date and time. That deed becomes part of the public record. Anyone can search for it later to see who owns the property.
Trust deeds secure loans on property. If you borrow money to buy a house in San Diego, you sign a trust deed. The lender files it at the county. The deed gives the lender a claim on your property until you pay off the loan. When you finish paying, the lender records a reconveyance. That paper removes the lien from your title.
Liens attach to property when someone owes money. A mechanic lien comes from a contractor who did work but did not get paid. A tax lien comes from unpaid taxes. The IRS can file a federal tax lien. The state can do the same. These liens show up in the public record for your San Diego property. You must pay or settle them before you can sell with clear title.
Common property records in San Diego:
- Grant deeds and quitclaim deeds
- Deeds of trust and reconveyances
- Mechanic liens, tax liens, judgment liens
- Notices of default and trustee sales
- Property tax bills and payment records
- Assessment rolls and appeals
San Diego Property Taxes
Property taxes in San Diego are based on the assessed value of your home or land. The county assessor sets that value each year. Under Proposition 13, the assessed value can go up no more than two percent per year unless the property sells. When you buy a home, the assessor resets the value to what you paid. That new value becomes the base for your tax bill.
Tax bills go out twice a year. The first installment is due November 1 and late on December 10. The second is due February 1 and late on April 10. A ten percent penalty hits if you pay late. If you do not pay by June 30, the account goes to the defaulted roll. An extra thirty-three dollar redemption fee applies, plus monthly interest at one and a half percent.
Pay your San Diego property taxes at sdttc.com or call 1-877-829-4732 with tax questions. You can also call 1-855-829-3773 to pay by phone. Mail payments go to San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector, PO Box 130000, San Diego, CA 92170. Include your parcel number on your check. The office posts tax bills online, so you can view and print them from home before you pay.
If you think your property value is too high, file an appeal with the county Assessment Appeals Board. The filing period for regular appeals runs from July 2 to September 15 each year. You need to show why the assessed value is wrong. The board will schedule a hearing and decide if your value should be lowered. Visit boe.ca.gov/proptaxes/faqs/assessappeals.htm for more info on appeals.
Fees for Recording Documents in San Diego
Recording a deed in San Diego costs about ninety to one hundred dollars or more. The base fee is fourteen dollars for the first page with the real estate fraud fee, or seventeen dollars if the fraud fee applies. Senate Bill 2 adds seventy-five dollars to most real estate transfers. This fee funds affordable housing programs in California. The maximum SB2 fee is two hundred twenty-five dollars per transaction. Each extra page costs three dollars.
Other fees may apply. There is a ten dollar monument preservation fee on some documents. Documentary transfer tax is fifty-five cents per five hundred dollars of value. If you sell a home for five hundred thousand dollars, the tax is five hundred fifty dollars. The county collects this tax when you record the deed.
Copy fees are much less than recording fees. Plain copies cost two dollars for the first page and five cents for each extra page. Certified copies add one dollar. If you order copies by mail, send a check for the right amount plus a self-addressed stamped envelope. Processing takes one to two weeks by mail. In-person requests are usually same-day if you come during office hours.
Note: Fee schedules can change, so check the county website or call 619-237-0502 to confirm current rates before you file or order copies.
City of San Diego Development Services
The City of San Diego handles building permits and planning for new construction. These records are separate from property ownership records. If you want to see what permits were issued for a home or check building history, contact the city Development Services Department. Their office is downtown. Call 619-446-5000 for questions about permits in San Diego.
Visit sandiego.gov/development-services for info on building permits. The city tracks all permits for new construction, additions, and repairs. You can request a permit history on any property. This helps when you are buying a home and want to see if work was done with permits. The city also handles zoning, code enforcement, and inspections for properties in San Diego.
California Property Recording Laws
California Civil Code section 1213 says that recorded documents give public notice. If you record your deed at the county, later buyers cannot claim they did not know about it. The law protects people who record first. Visit leginfo.legislature.ca.gov to read Civil Code 1213.
Civil Code section 1214 sets the race-notice rule. If two people buy the same property, the one who records first wins. This only works if the second buyer did not know about the first sale. Recording your deed right after you buy protects your claim on property in San Diego.
Government Code section 27320 tells the county recorder what to do when you file a document. The recorder must stamp the date and time on it. That timestamp shows when your document was filed. The recorder checks that your paper meets format rules. It must be on standard size paper with clear text and proper margins. If it does not meet the rules, the recorder can reject it and send it back to you.
Revenue and Taxation Code section 60 defines change in ownership for tax purposes. When you buy property in San Diego, the assessor resets the value to what you paid. Some transfers do not trigger reassessment, like gifts between parents and children or moves into certain types of trusts where the same person keeps control.
Other San Diego County Cities
Other cities in San Diego County with property records include Chula Vista, Oceanside, and Escondido. All these cities use the same county recorder and assessor system. If you own property in more than one city in the county, you search them all through the San Diego County portal. Nearby counties like Orange County, Riverside County, and Imperial County have their own systems. You must search each county separately if you want records from multiple places.
San Diego County Property Records
San Diego is the county seat of San Diego County. All property recording and assessment for the city and the rest of the county goes through the county offices. For more details on services, branch office locations, online portals, and fee schedules, visit the San Diego County property records page.