Marin County Recorder: Deeds & Records

Mailing a document

Standard mail and express deliveries use different county addresses.

Send the original document with the correct payment. Make checks or money orders payable to Marin County Recorder.

Marin County provides an online Grantor/Grantee Index containing recorded documents from January 2, 1973 onward.

This system offers four search methods. Each works best when you already know something about the document.

Step-by-step: Find a recorded deed

1. Open the official search.

   Use the Grantor/Grantee Index linked above.

2. Choose a search method.

   Start with the owner or former owner’s name if you do not have the recording number.

3. Enter the information.

   Use the name fields, document number, book/page or document-title filters.

4. Review matching records.

   Look at the recorded date, parties, document type and recording reference.

5. Save the document reference.

   Keep the exact reference number if you need to order the full document.

Searching older documents

Documents recorded before 1973 are not part of the current online index.

Visit the Recorder’s Office in Room 232 to research older records. Contact staff before traveling if you need assistance locating the correct historical records.

What if there are no search results?

• Try alternate spellings of the grantor or grantee name.
• Search a former owner’s name if the current owner is not indexed.
• Expand the recording-date range.
• Remove the document-title filter.
• Search the document number or book/page if available.
• Check whether the instrument was recorded before 1973.

The Recorder’s official index is organized around recorded parties and document references, not street addresses or Assessor parcel numbers.

If you know only the property’s address, begin with the Marin County Assessor’s property-information resources.

The Marin County Assessor is in Room 208 of the Civic Center and can be reached at 415-473-7215.

Once you locate the document in the Recorder’s index, you can order an official copy through the county’s online order system.

Both ordinary copies and certified copies are available. The correct choice depends on the organization requesting the document.

Order a deed copy online

1. Find the recording reference.

   Search the official index and note the exact document number.

2. Open Document or Map Order.

   Select the county’s online ordering system.

3. Add an Official Record Request.

   Enter the document reference and required requester information.

4. Select certification if needed.

   Check whether the receiving organization requires a certified copy.

5. Review the order and payment.

   Confirm the correct record before submitting, because the county states document copy sales are final.

Recorded map copies

Recorder-filed subdivision, parcel and survey maps cost $5 per page for the standard 18-by-26-inch format.

Certification adds $4 per map page. Use the Map Request option rather than the regular document-copy option.

The Marin County Recorder accepts documents that meet California’s recording requirements.

The office reviews documents for recording standards. It does not prepare deeds, provide legal advice or decide whether a transfer is legally appropriate.

Basic document requirements

• Use white, 8.5-by-11-inch paper weighing at least 16 lb.
• Include required recording information and return-address details.
• Reserve the Recorder’s required upper-right first-page area.
• Place the document title below the recording and return-address spaces.
• Use legible black ink and readable text.
• Include original wet signatures for documents recorded in person or by mail.
• Keep exhibits clearly labeled and avoid page fasteners.

Documents submitted after 3 PM

The county may accept an otherwise recordable document with payment after 3 PM.

However, it will normally be recorded on the next business day rather than the same day.

Marin’s Recorder has a basic recording charge plus additional mandatory charges that depend on the document.

That means the $14 first-page fee is not usually the entire recording cost.

Illustrative recording-fee example

Suppose a three-page document has one recordable title, is subject to the $75 SB2 fee and the $10 fraud-prosecution fee.

This example does not include documentary transfer tax, special title charges, map fees, PCOR penalties or other transaction-specific costs.

SB2 exemptions

Some transfers qualify for exemption from the $75 SB2 fee. Common situations include certain documents subject to documentary transfer tax or transfers of residential property to an owner-occupier.

The exemption must be properly stated on the document or an applicable cover page. Do not assume it will be applied automatically.

Many property transfers involve documentary transfer tax in addition to recording fees.

The Marin Recorder collects transfer tax and requires appropriate supporting information for relevant conveyances.

Example: $800,000 taxable transfer

Using a hypothetical $800,000 county taxable consideration:

$800,000 ÷ $500 × $0.55 = $880 county documentary transfer tax.

If the transaction is subject to San Rafael’s additional city tax, that example would add $1,600.

The example assumes the stated amount is the applicable tax basis. Actual taxable consideration and exemptions can change the result.

Preliminary Change of Ownership Report — BOE-502-A

A Preliminary Change of Ownership Report generally accompanies a document changing how title is held.

If the required report is not filed with the transfer, the county fee schedule identifies a $20 penalty.

Marin County operates a real-estate fraud notification program through the Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk and District Attorney.

Since October 1, 2021, property owners have received mailed notices when a document affecting title to their property has recently been recorded.

The notice includes copies of the first two pages of the recorded document and instructions for reporting a potentially fraudulent transfer.

A notification does not automatically mean fraud occurred. It is a prompt to review the recorded transaction.

Easements may appear in a deed, a recorded map or a separate agreement.

Marin County recommends beginning with the preliminary title report from your purchase when available.

These services are related but not interchangeable. A Recorder’s document may help explain a transaction without resolving assessment, tax-bill or title questions.

These official sources support the procedures, prices and local contact information explained in this guide.