Search Riverside County Property Records

Riverside County property records are maintained by the Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder office with locations across the county. You can search deeds, liens, and assessment data online or visit one of their service centers in Riverside, Temecula, Palm Desert, or other areas. The county serves over 2.4 million people making it one of California's largest counties by population. With more than 850,000 parcels spread across desert, mountain, and valley regions, Riverside County processes thousands of property documents each month and maintains one of the busiest recorder offices in Southern California.

Riverside County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder

The Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder office handles all property documents for Riverside County. This includes recording deeds and liens as well as assessing property values for tax purposes. The office has multiple locations to serve the large county. Main offices are in Riverside, with branch offices in Temecula, Palm Desert, and other areas. Each location can help you search records or file documents.

For assessor questions, call toll-free at (800) 746-1544. For recorder and clerk services, call (800) 696-9144. These lines connect you to staff who can answer questions about property values, recording fees, or how to get copies of documents. Office hours vary by location so check the website before you visit.

Recording fees in Riverside County follow state law. The base fee is fifteen dollars for the first page and three dollars for each additional page. The SB2 building homes fee of seventy-five dollars applies to most real estate transfers. Other fees include fraud prevention and monument preservation charges. Total recording costs for a typical deed can range from about one hundred to two hundred dollars depending on page count and document type.

The office accepts payments by cash, check, or credit card. For mail requests, processing takes one to two weeks. Online requests through the self-service portal usually get processed within forty-eight hours. Include your contact info and parcel number or document details when you request copies.

Search Property Records Online

Riverside County offers online access to most property records through their website at rivcoacr.org. The county uses a self-service portal that lets you search and view documents from home. You can look up deeds, liens, and other recorded papers. The system also provides assessment data including property values and tax information.

To search by name, go to the recorder section of the website. Enter the last name of the person you want to find. The system shows all documents filed by or against that person. You can filter results by date or document type. Click on any document to see details or view an image.

Searching by address works through the assessor portal. Type in the street number and name. The system finds the parcel and displays current value, tax amount, and owner name. You can also search by APN if you know the parcel number. The assessor site includes property maps showing lot lines and nearby parcels.

Some search features may be limited due to state law. Assembly Bill 1785 restricts online APN searches on certain county websites. If you cannot search by parcel number online, you can still do that search at a public kiosk in one of the county offices. Staff can also help you find records if the online system does not give you what you need.

The online system is free for basic searches. If you want to download or print documents, there may be a small fee. Most counties charge around one to three dollars per page for copies. Certified copies cost more and must be picked up in person or mailed after you pay the fee.

Property Assessment and Values

The County Assessor sets values on all land and buildings in Riverside County. This value determines your property tax bill each year. Under Proposition 13, most properties can only increase by two percent per year for tax purposes. When a property sells, the assessor resets the value to the purchase price. That new value becomes the base for future years.

If you buy a house in Riverside County, expect to get a supplemental tax bill. This bill covers the difference between the old value and the new purchase price. It gets prorated based on when you bought the property during the tax year. The regular tax bill stays in the name of the prior owner until the next roll year. Your supplemental bill comes separately and has its own due date.

You can appeal your assessment if you think the value is too high. The deadline for regular appeals is from July 2 to September 15 in most California counties. For supplemental assessments, you have sixty days from the date on the notice. File your appeal with the Riverside County Assessment Appeals Board. They will schedule a hearing where you can present evidence that your property is worth less than the assessed value. Information on filing appeals is available at boe.ca.gov/proptaxes/faqs/assessappeals.htm.

The assessor also handles property tax exemptions. The homeowner exemption saves you seven thousand dollars off your assessed value if you live in the house as your main home. Other exemptions exist for veterans, seniors, and disabled persons. Contact the assessor office to see which exemptions you qualify for in Riverside County.

Paying Property Taxes in Riverside County

Property taxes in Riverside County are collected by the County Treasurer-Tax Collector. Tax bills are mailed each fall. Taxes are due in two installments. The first half is due November 1 and becomes late after December 10. The second half is due February 1 and becomes late after April 10. A ten percent penalty applies if you miss these deadlines.

You can pay your property tax online at countytreasurer.org or ca-riverside-ttc.publicaccessnow.com. The site accepts eCheck for free or credit card with a service fee of around two to three percent. You can also pay by phone, mail, or in person at one of the tax collector offices.

If you pay by mail, send your check to the address on the tax bill. Make sure to include your parcel number on the memo line. Allow extra time for mail processing near the deadline. The postmark date matters if you are close to the due date. Starting in December 2025, USPS postmarks show the date mail is first processed by machinery, not when you dropped it in a mailbox. For deadline-sensitive payments, ask for a manual postmark at the post office counter.

Many homeowners pay through escrow. Your mortgage lender collects a portion of the tax each month and pays the bill when it comes due. Even if you use escrow, you should check with the tax collector to confirm payment arrived on time. You are still responsible if the lender fails to pay. Look up your parcel online to see if the current year tax shows as paid.

If taxes remain unpaid for five years, the property can be sold at auction. Riverside County holds tax auctions to recover delinquent taxes. Once a property goes to the defaulted roll, additional fees and interest accrue each month. Redemption fees can add hundreds of dollars to the amount owed. If you are behind on taxes, contact the tax collector office right away to discuss payment plans or options.

Other Property Resources in Riverside County

The County Clerk issues marriage licenses and keeps vital records. These records sometimes relate to property when couples buy a house or when someone dies and property passes to heirs. The clerk office is part of the same department as the recorder so you can often handle both types of business at one location.

Planning and building departments review permits for construction in Riverside County. If you want to build or remodel, you need a permit. The planning staff check that your project follows zoning rules. Building inspectors make sure work meets code. Once the project is done and approved, the permit file becomes public record. These files can show what changes were made to a property and when.

Title companies search all these records when you buy or refinance property in Riverside County. They check for liens, unpaid taxes, and other claims against the title. Most lenders require title insurance before they will approve a loan. The title company issues a policy that protects you if someone later claims an interest in the property. This search process reviews many years of recorded documents to make sure the title is clear.

Cities in Riverside County

Riverside County includes several large cities. Property records for all cities are kept at the county level by the Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder. City offices handle local matters like building permits and business licenses but not property deeds or tax assessments. Those functions stay with the county.

The following Riverside County cities have populations over 100,000 and have their own pages on this site with local resources:

• No cities in Riverside County currently meet the 100,000 population threshold based on available city pages

For property records anywhere in Riverside County, use the county recorder and assessor offices. For building permits or zoning questions in a specific city, contact that city hall.

Nearby Counties

Riverside County borders several other counties in Southern California. Each has its own set of property records maintained by their recorder and assessor offices. If you need records from a neighboring county, contact that county directly. Here are the nearby counties:

• San Bernardino County (north of Riverside County)
• San Diego County (south of Riverside County)
• Orange County (west of Riverside County)
• Imperial County (southeast of Riverside County)

County lines can split large parcels of land. If you own property that crosses a county line, you may need to check records in both counties. Each county keeps its own files and does not share data with neighboring counties. A deed recorded in Riverside County will not show up in San Bernardino County records and vice versa.