Sutter County, California · Land Records Guide · Reviewed October 21, 2026
Sutter County Recorder: Deeds, Property Records, Online Search, Fees & Office
The Sutter County Recorder records and preserves deeds, deeds of trust, liens, reconveyances, and other documents affecting real property in Sutter County, California.
If you need to find a recorded deed, verify a recording reference, request a certified copy, or record a new document, the Sutter County Clerk-Recorder is the office to contact.
The county has an online Official Records Index, but there is an important difference between its older search system and its newer self-service portal.
This guide explains which system to use, how to find documents, what recording costs, and how to avoid unnecessary trips to the Yuba City office.
Start here
Sutter County Recorder Quick Facts
The county’s real-property page states that the office closes at 2:00 PM on the first Wednesday of each month for staff meetings.
The general Clerk-Recorder page also references an earlier Wednesday closing time. Call before making a late-afternoon visit.
The Recorder maintains a grantor/grantee index of recorded documents. It is organized around the names of parties involved in a document, rather than being a simple property-address directory.
Use the right office
Recorder vs. Assessor vs. Tax Collector
Sutter County separates recorded land documents, property assessment records, and property-tax collection.
Clerk-Recorder
Search recorded deeds, mortgages, releases, liens, and other official documents.
Request certified copies or submit documents for recording.
County Assessor
Find parcel assessment information, property valuation, and assessment-related ownership records.
Use this office when you know the property address but not the recorded owner’s name.
Treasurer-Tax Collector
Check property-tax bills, payment status, delinquent taxes, and collection questions.
The Recorder does not collect your annual property-tax bill.
Need the actual deed? Use the Recorder. Need the property’s assessed value? Use the Assessor. Need to pay property tax? Use the Treasurer-Tax Collector.
Choose Assessment Roll Search, Assessor, Official Records Index Search, or Tax Roll Search according to the information you need.
Online search
How to Search Sutter County Recorder Deeds and Land Records
Sutter County offers a newer Clerk-Recorder self-service portal for researching official records and ordering documents.
The county also maintains an older records query system. Understanding the difference can save time when searching for recently recorded deeds.
Use this system when researching recent recordings, searching the current Official Records Index, or ordering records.
Open New Self-Service Portal ↗Read the county disclaimer and select I Accept.
Use the search controls presented by the portal, then review the matching document details.
The legacy system remains online, but the county directs users to its newer self-service website for documents recorded after March 13, 2023.
Open Legacy Records Query ↗Choose Official Records Search rather than Assessment Search or Tax Search when researching recorded documents.
If your document was recorded after March 13, 2023, switch to the new self-service portal.
What dates are searchable?
The Recorder’s current real-property page identifies Official Records Index coverage from December 1, 1993, to the present.
The older system may be useful for historical searches, but online coverage does not mean every original document from the county’s history is digitally available.
Open the official search
Start with the new Clerk-Recorder self-service website.
Accept the disclaimer
The county explains that the index is a finding aid, not a legal determination about the underlying document.
Enter identifying information
Search by the grantor’s or grantee’s name, or use document information when the system supports it.
Compare matching records
Check document type, indexed names, document number, and recording date before selecting a result.
Order the record if needed
Use the document-order process if you need the actual recorded instrument or a certified copy.
The Recorder’s grantor/grantee index is a name index. The office’s FAQ explains that the property owner’s name is generally needed to search the recordings associated with a property.
If you only have a property address, identify the parcel or relevant owner through the Assessor first.
Understand your result
How to Read a Sutter County Recorded Document Result
A Recorder index entry helps identify a recorded document. It is not the same as a title report or proof that a listed person still owns the property.
- Grantor
- The person or entity transferring an interest under a document such as a grant deed.
- Grantee
- The person or entity receiving the interest described in the instrument.
- Document number
- The recording reference used to identify a specific document in the county’s records.
- Recording date
- The date the document entered the Recorder’s official records.
- Document type
- The recorded instrument category, such as grant deed, deed of trust, lien, or reconveyance.
- Legal description
- The property identification described in the document itself. Review the full document when this matters.
Common recorded document types
Grant deed: typically documents a transfer of real-property ownership interests.
Deed of trust: commonly records a security interest connected to a real-estate loan.
Reconveyance: commonly records release of a deed-of-trust security interest.
Mechanic’s lien: may reflect a claim arising from unpaid construction-related work.
Tax lien: can reflect a recorded government claim relating to a tax obligation.
Easement: may document access or another defined right concerning land.
A similar name, an old mortgage, or an unreleased-looking index entry is not enough to establish the current legal status of a property.
For a purchase, refinance, probate transfer, or title dispute, use a qualified title professional or attorney.
Copies and certified records
How to Request a Sutter County Deed Copy
Sutter County accepts official-record copy requests in person, by mail, and through its online ordering workflow.
If you need a deed for a lender, court, estate, or other formal purpose, ask the receiving institution whether a certified copy is required.
Order a deed copy online
- Open the official self-service portal.
- Accept the disclaimer and locate the recorded document.
- Add the document to the online shopping cart.
- Continue to checkout.
- Print the county-generated Clerk-Recorder Document Order Form.
- Mail the form and required payment to the Clerk-Recorder for processing.
The county’s published workflow includes printing a document-order form and mailing it for processing.
Order copies by mail
Provide enough information for the office to identify the document.
Recorded party name or names
Document date, if known
Document number, if known
Document title or type
Number of copies requested
Daytime contact phone number
Check or money order for the correct amount
Self-addressed stamped envelope
433 Second Street
Yuba City, CA 95991
The county instructs customers to make checks or money orders payable to Sutter County Clerk Recorder.
For expedited return shipping, its instructions call for a prepaid, self-addressed overnight express envelope.
Open Official Copy Request Instructions ↗Choose Ordering Real Property Records, then review the In Person, By Mail, or Online instructions.
Check the current fee schedule before enclosing payment.
Deed recording
How to Record a Deed in Sutter County
The Sutter County Recorder accepts documents affecting real-property title when California law permits or requires them to be recorded.
The Recorder reviews the recording requirements. Staff cannot prepare your deed or provide legal advice about which deed you should use.
Prepare the correct legal document
Use a deed appropriate for the transaction and include the correct parties and legal description.
Check signatures and notarization
Original signatures are generally required unless an authorized exception applies.
Use a legally sufficient acknowledgment when the document requires notarization.
Check page size and margins
Standard pages are 8½ × 11 inches. Keep at least a ½-inch margin on both vertical sides.
Reserve the top 2½ inches of the first page for recording information.
Check document titles and references
List the document title below the reserved recording space.
If the instrument modifies or releases a previous recording, include the required prior recording reference.
Review transfer-related requirements
Check documentary transfer tax and any applicable Preliminary Change of Ownership Report requirements.
Confirm whether an SB 2 recording fee or exemption declaration applies.
Submit the document
Submit the original document and required fees in person or by mail.
The county states that qualifying in-person documents may be recorded while you wait.
If the first page lacks sufficient space, the county may require an additional cover sheet.
A cover sheet counts as a recorded page and can increase the fee.
Check the sections for Original Signature, Acknowledgment, Legibility, Page Size, Page Margins, Cover Page, Document Titles, and Recording Reference Number.
Resolve any missing information before bringing or mailing the document.
Recording costs
Sutter County Recorder Fees for 2026
Sutter County publishes a fee schedule marked effective January 1, 2026.
The total recording cost can include a basic document fee, additional pages, additional titles, transfer tax, the Building Homes and Jobs Act fee, and other applicable charges.
These are selected fee items, not a guaranteed recording total. Document type, number of titles, additional indexing, page size and statutory exemptions can change the charge.
A simple three-page document at $15 for the first page plus $3 for each additional page has an $21 basic page charge.
An applicable $75 SB 2 charge, $2 program charge, transfer tax or other fee would be additional.
Documentary transfer tax
Sutter County’s Recorder FAQ lists documentary transfer tax at $0.55 for each $500 of applicable value transferred.
Whether tax is due—and the amount subject to tax—depends on the transaction and legal exemptions.
A fully taxable $300,000 transfer at the county’s published base rate would produce $330 in documentary transfer tax.
Actual transactions may involve different consideration, exclusions or exemptions.
SB 2 recording fees
California Government Code Section 27388.1 imposes a $75 fee on many qualifying real-estate recordings, subject to statutory exemptions and a $225 transaction cap.
Some transfers subject to documentary transfer tax and certain residential owner-occupier transfers are exempt from this fee.
Confirm the correct exemption statement before claiming the fee does not apply.
Open Sutter County 2026 Fee Schedule ↗Locate the Recorder portion of the schedule, count the document pages and separately indexed titles, then review additional charges.
If the document involves a transfer, trust, lien release or SB 2 exemption, call 530-822-7134 before sending payment.
Local office information
Sutter County Recorder Office Address, Hours & Google Map
Yuba City, CA 95991
United States
Clerk-Recorder: Donna M. Johnston
Phone: 530-822-7134
Fax: 530-822-7214
The office is in Yuba City. Before visiting, confirm holiday closures and bring the required documents, recording payment and identification when needed for the requested service.
If you are visiting for deed recording, arrive before the 2 PM recording cutoff rather than relying on the later general office closing time.
Verify Official Recorder Location & Hours ↗Scroll to the Clerk-Recorder’s Office Location section. Verify the public hours, document-recording hours and any monthly staff-meeting closure before traveling.
Property-record situations
Older Deeds, Liens, Reconveyances & Property Sale Information
Searching for older deeds
The current online Official Records Index begins on December 1, 1993.
For documents before that date, contact the Recorder to determine which older indexes or record formats are available for in-person research.
Checking whether a lien was recorded
The county advises searching records under the relevant party’s name.
The Recorder can show whether a document was recorded, but the office does not remove liens or determine whether a recorded claim is legally enforceable.
If a lien should have been released, contact the party that recorded or holds the lien.
Finding a property’s sale price
The Recorder FAQ states that its office does not maintain a separate database of property sale prices.
A documentary transfer tax amount may sometimes suggest the taxable consideration, but it may not represent the full purchase price.
Existing liens, exemptions and other circumstances can make that estimate inaccurate.
What if the recorded deed contains an error?
Recording staff cannot rewrite an existing deed or decide how ownership should be corrected.
Contact the document preparer, escrow or title company, or a California real-estate attorney to determine the appropriate corrective instrument.
Practical troubleshooting
Why a Sutter County Deed Search or Recording May Fail
Try spelling variations or the name of a prior recorded party. The county’s portal disclaimer specifically recommends checking alternative spellings.
Use the newer self-service portal for documents recorded after March 13, 2023.
Start with the Assessor assessment search to identify the parcel and relevant ownership information before using the Recorder index.
Find the document’s recording reference and follow the county’s copy-order instructions rather than relying only on an index result.
Check the top 2½-inch recording area and required side margins. A cover sheet may be necessary.
Check the current Recorder fee schedule and call the office before mailing the original document.
Search for releases or related instruments. The Recorder cannot independently remove the lien for you.
The Recorder cannot provide legal drafting advice. Work with a licensed attorney or qualified title professional.
What should you do next?
Need a recorded deed? → Search the new Official Records portal.
Need a parcel assessment? → Use the County Assessor.
Need a certified copy? → Order through the Clerk-Recorder.
Recording a new deed? → Check recording requirements and fees first.
Researching a pre-1993 deed? → Contact the Recorder about older records.
Need to resolve a title problem? → Consult a qualified title professional or attorney.
Common questions
Sutter County Recorder FAQs
Where is the Sutter County Recorder’s Office?
The Sutter County Clerk-Recorder is at 433 Second Street, Yuba City, CA 95991.
Who is the Sutter County Recorder?
Donna M. Johnston is the Sutter County Clerk-Recorder.
How do I search Sutter County deeds online?
Use the Clerk-Recorder self-service portal at crrecords.suttercounty.org/web/user/disclaimer. Accept the disclaimer and use the available records search controls.
What years are covered by the online Official Records Index?
The county’s current real-property page lists index coverage from December 1, 1993, to the present.
What happened to Sutter County’s old record-search website?
The older records query system is still accessible. The county directs users to the new self-service portal for documents recorded after March 13, 2023.
Can I search Recorder records using only an address?
The Recorder uses a grantor/grantee name index. Start with the Assessor to identify the property and relevant owner if you only have a street address.
What are Sutter County’s recording hours?
The county lists document-recording service hours from 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
Can I record a deed by mail?
Yes. The Clerk-Recorder accepts recordable documents by mail or over the counter. Send documents to 433 Second Street, Yuba City, CA 95991.
What is Sutter County’s documentary transfer tax rate?
The county publishes a documentary transfer tax rate of $0.55 for each $500 of applicable transferred value.
Can the Recorder prepare or correct my deed?
No. The Recorder provides recording requirements but cannot prepare documents or give legal advice.
How do I obtain a certified deed copy?
Request the document through the county’s copy-order process and specify that certification is required. Check the current fee schedule first.
Can the Recorder remove a property lien?
No. The Recorder can record a legally sufficient release but cannot independently remove a lien. Contact the lienholder or seek legal advice.
Official resources
Verified Sutter County & California Resources
These county and state resources support the instructions in this guide.