Santa Barbara CA County CA Recorder: Deeds & Records

Which service do you need?

Santa Barbara County provides an Official Records Search portal for recorded land documents.

The county’s main online index covers documents recorded since 1975. A separate historical index covers 1931 through 1974.

The search system can help identify recorded deeds, mortgages, reconveyances, liens and other instruments before you request a copy.

1. Open the Official Records Search portal.

   The county’s Self-Service system provides several search options.

2. Choose the search type.

   Select Name Search, Document Type Search, Document Number Search, Map Book/Page Search or Advanced Search.

3. Enter the name or recording details.

   Try the grantor, grantee or another party named on the recorded instrument.

4. Add a recording-date range.

   Use an approximate year or shorter date range to reduce unrelated results.

5. Check the matching entries.

   Review the document title, parties, recording date and document number.

6. Order a copy when needed.

   Use the search result’s copy-order option or the county’s recording reference when requesting a certified copy.

Search options explained

Exact Match versus Wildcard Search

The county’s search help explains that an Exact Match search follows the order in which names are entered.

A Wildcard search is broader. It can find records containing related search terms without requiring the same exact order.

Can I view the deed image online?

The public index helps you find the document, but the county states that document images are available through lobby kiosks at its offices.

You can order a regular or certified copy separately. The search index and a purchased document copy are different services.

Santa Barbara County maintains real estate documents dating back to 1850.

However, the online indexes have different historical coverage. Knowing the approximate recording year helps you choose the correct resource.

Once you identify the recorded document, you can order a regular or certified copy.

A regular copy is useful for personal reference. A certified copy includes the Recorder’s official certification.

How long do copy requests take?

The county’s Self-Service page states that Official Records copy orders are generally processed within 10 business days.

Certified copies are mailed. Regular copies may be mailed or emailed when requested under the county’s instructions.

Request your regular copy by email

If you place an eligible regular-copy order online, contact the Clerk-Recorder within 24 hours to request email delivery.

Include the wording Copy Order Request and your order number in the email subject line.

Email: Clk-RecHelpDesk@countyofsb.org

Need a certified copy for a legal purpose?

Ask the receiving bank, title company, attorney or government agency whether it needs a certified paper copy.

A search-result printout and a Recorder-certified document may not be accepted for the same purpose.

Santa Barbara County operates Clerk-Recorder offices in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria.

Both offices provide public recording services during normal weekday business hours.

A deed is a legal document used to transfer an interest in real property.

The Recorder accepts documents that meet California recording requirements. It cannot choose a deed type or explain whether your document will achieve the intended legal result.

1. Prepare the appropriate instrument.

   Use the proper grant deed, quitclaim deed, trust-transfer instrument or other legally appropriate document.

2. Include the correct property description.

   Check the legal description against the existing deed or reliable title documentation.

3. Add the Assessor’s Parcel Number.

   Santa Barbara County requires the APN on deeds and notices of completion.

4. Check signatures and acknowledgment.

   Original signatures and a proper notarial acknowledgment are generally required unless a statutory exception applies.

5. Prepare ownership-change forms.

   Include a Preliminary Change of Ownership Report when required.

6. Review documentary transfer tax.

   Calculate the applicable tax or include the required affidavit when no tax is being paid.

7. Pay the correct recording charges.

   Check page fees, any fraud-program fee, SB 2 charges and document-specific surcharges.

8. Submit the document.

   Record in person or mail the original document and required payment to the county.

Required recording format

Preliminary Change of Ownership Report

California’s Preliminary Change of Ownership Report, commonly called a PCOR, helps the Assessor evaluate a change in property ownership.

The county requires a completed PCOR with applicable ownership-transfer documents.

If a required PCOR is not filed with the document, the Recorder may charge an additional $20.

Documentary transfer tax

Santa Barbara County’s standard documentary transfer tax is $0.55 per $500, or fractional part of $500, of taxable consideration.

The tax is generally collected when a taxable deed or qualifying transfer instrument is recorded.

When no documentary transfer tax is being paid, Santa Barbara County requires a Documentary Transfer Tax Affidavit for applicable deed transfers.

Santa Barbara County publishes a recording fee schedule effective January 1, 2026.

The amount payable depends on the document type, page count, applicable statutory surcharges and transfer taxes.

What is the SB 2 fee?

California’s Building Homes and Jobs Act can add $75 for an applicable recorded real estate instrument.

The fee has statutory exemptions. The overall limit is generally $225 per qualifying transaction.

Deeds associated with transfers subject to documentary transfer tax and qualifying residential transfers to owner-occupiers may fall within an exemption.

What about extra recording charges?

The Recorder accepts eligible documents by regular mail and courier delivery.

Use the correct address for the delivery method. A post office box is not the same as a physical courier destination.

Include these items before mailing

• Original signed and properly acknowledged recordable document
• Complete legal description and required APN
• PCOR when required
• Documentary Transfer Tax Affidavit when applicable
• Correct recording charges and transfer-tax payment
• Return name and address on the document
• Conformed copy and return envelope if needed

The county says mailed recording submissions are typically processed within 7–10 business days after receipt.

If a document is rejected, it will be returned unrecorded with an explanation.

Accepted originals are generally mailed back within approximately 15 business days after recording.

Santa Barbara County property research often involves more than one office.

The Recorder preserves recorded instruments. The Assessor handles valuation and parcel identification. The Treasurer-Tax Collector handles property-tax bills and collections.

Santa Barbara County Assessor contacts

Need the APN for a deed?

If you only have a street address, use the Assessor’s property and parcel resources to identify the correct APN.

Then compare the APN and legal description with the existing deed or reliable title documents.

Restrictive covenant modification

California law provides a procedure for modifying certain unlawful discriminatory restrictions in recorded property documents.

Santa Barbara County publishes Restrictive Covenant Modification information and instructions through the Clerk-Recorder.

Use these county resources to verify recording instructions, fees, office locations and document-search methods.