Contra Costa County CA Recorder: Deeds & Records

Contra Costa’s RecorderWorks portal provides more search paths than many county Recorder systems.

Choose the search type that matches the information you already have instead of running a broad name search every time.

1. 1

   Open RecorderWorks

   Use the official Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder Official Records Index.

   Open RecorderWorks

   After opening: choose Name, Document Number, Document Type, Map, Recording Date, Book and Page, Old Book, APN or Legal Description depending on what information you have.
2. 2

   If searching by person, use LAST FIRST

   The portal instructs users to enter the last name followed by the first name.

   Example format: SMITH ALLISON. A partial first name can reduce timeouts on common surnames.

3. 3

   Use Partial Match when spelling is uncertain

   The name search includes an Allow Partial Match option.

   This is useful for longer entity names, trusts, middle names or uncertain first-name spelling.

4. 4

   Add a recording date range

   A date range can reduce hundreds of unrelated results.

   Use the approximate purchase, refinance, lien or payoff year when known.

5. 5

   Click the document number

   The portal instructs users to click a document number to open the record details.

   Save that number before ordering a copy or discussing the record with staff.

6. 6

   Click a party name to expand that person’s records

   After opening a document, clicking a party name can display other indexed documents tied to that person.

   This is particularly useful when tracing a deed, refinance and later reconveyance.

Contra Costa’s Recorder search is strongest when you already have an owner name or APN.

If all you know is the street address, start with the County’s parcel-information tools.

1. 1

   Open the County property-information page

   Open Maps & Property Information

   After opening: choose CCMAP or ParcelQuest Lite. Search the street address, select the matching parcel and save the APN.
2. 2

   Copy the APN exactly

   The APN is the County parcel identifier used across Assessor and property-research systems.

3. 3

   Return to RecorderWorks

   Use APN search for qualifying modern deeds, or use party-name search when you know the owner name.

4. 4

   Match the legal description

   Before relying on a deed, compare the legal-description information with the parcel you intended to research.

Recording a deed is different from searching an existing deed.

The Clerk-Recorder reviews documents for recordability but cannot choose a deed type or give legal advice about how title should be held.

1. 1

   Prepare the correct legal instrument

   Confirm the deed type, parties, legal description, signatures and notarization before submission.

2. 2

   Include the APN where required

   Use the correct Contra Costa County Assessor’s Parcel Number for the property.

3. 3

   Complete the transfer-tax declaration

   A taxable transfer generally requires documentary transfer-tax information or a valid statutory exemption statement.

4. 4

   Prepare the PCOR when required

   A Preliminary Change of Ownership Report commonly accompanies a deed that changes ownership.

   California law can impose an additional fee when a qualifying transfer is submitted without the required PCOR.

5. 5

   Check the SB2 fee or exemption

   The Building Homes and Jobs Act can add a state recording charge to certain real-estate documents.

   If an exemption applies, the appropriate exemption language should be shown before recording.

6. 6

   Use the current Recorder fee schedule

   Do not calculate payment from an older recorded deed because fees and taxes can differ by document and transaction.

7. 7

   Submit and keep the recording reference

   After acceptance, save the document number and obtain a certified copy if a lender, court or agency requires one.

Contra Costa recording fees are not one flat “deed fee.”

The total can change based on the document title, page count, number of titles, transaction type and statutory exemptions.

RecorderWorks lets users search the index and place available recorded documents into an online shopping cart.

The portal allows you to choose between regular and certified copies where available.

1. 1

   Find the correct document

   Search by name, APN, document number or another available method.

2. 2

   Open the document number

   Confirm the parties, recording date and document type before paying.

3. 3

   Add it to the shopping cart

   The portal provides an Add to Shopping Cart option for purchasable records.

4. 4

   Select Regular or Certified

   Choose certification only when the receiving agency or legal process requires it.

5. 5

   Recalculate and check out

   RecorderWorks instructs users to recalculate the order and then use Check Out to complete the request.

The modern online index begins in 1986, but RecorderWorks also includes an Old Book route for earlier records.

The portal explains that before the document-number system, records were commonly referenced through book and page.

1. 1

   Open Old Book

   Use the Old Book tab rather than a modern date-range search.

2. 2

   Search the historical index

   Select the appropriate historical index book and locate the party entry.

3. 3

   Use the index reference

   Follow the book/page or historical document reference to the actual record.

4. 4

   Ask staff if the chain breaks

   Historical indexing can use abbreviations, older spelling conventions or prior recording systems.

Not every map-related task belongs only in RecorderWorks.

Contra Costa Public Works maintains a separate online map-record research system for subdivision maps, parcel maps, Records of Survey, corner records and annotated Assessor parcel books.

1. 1

   Get the APN from CCMAP

   Search the property address and save the Assessor’s Parcel Number.

2. 2

   Use the annotated parcel book

   The County says survey references can appear in red on annotated Assessor parcel-book pages.

3. 3

   Open the referenced survey or map

   Use the book-and-page reference to locate the recorded map in Laserfiche Weblink.

Contra Costa Recorder records are indexed by name, so people with the same or similar names can appear in the same search.

RecorderWorks advises users to inspect the underlying lien because many liens contain identifying details such as the last four digits of a Social Security number.

If a third party is questioning a lien that belongs to someone else with your name, you may need a copy of the lien plus evidence showing that its identifying information does not match you.

This page is an independent informational guide. It is not the official website of Contra Costa County, the Clerk-Recorder, the Assessor, Public Works or any California government agency.

This page is not legal advice, a deed-preparation service, a title search, a title opinion or a guarantee that a recorded document is legally sufficient.

Recording fees, transfer taxes, SB2 rules, forms, portal functions and office hours can change. Verify current requirements with the responsible agency before recording or paying fees.

Public property and Recorder records should be used for property, title, tax and public-record research only.

Do not use this information for employment screening, tenant screening, credit eligibility, insurance underwriting or another purpose regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. This website is not a Consumer Reporting Agency.