California · Document Recording
Recording a Deed or Document in Los Angeles County, CA
Los Angeles County (population 10,014,009) records real-property documents through the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. Below is what it costs and how to submit. Filing a memorandum of contract? We record it with the county for $199, notary included — no trip to the courthouse.
Los Angeles County recorder — contact
- Recording office
- Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
- Mailing address
- Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, Document Analysis and Recording Section, P.O. Box 1250, Norwalk, CA 90651-1250
- Phone
- (800) 201-8999
- Checks payable to
- Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (Los Angeles County)
- Electronic recording
- Available via Simplifile
Los Angeles County recording fees
- First page / base fee
- $15.00
- Additional pages
- $3.00 per additional page
- Other fees
- $75 SB2 fee (Building Homes and Jobs Act) + $10 DA Fraud Fee + $2 Restrictive Covenant Modification Program fee, per document unless exempt
Counties change fees without notice. Check with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk before you mail a check.
What Los Angeles County requires
- Page formatting
- 8.5x11 standard page, standard CA Gov Code margin requirements (2.5in top margin first page)
- Cover sheet
- Not required if document meets standard CA Gov Code margin/format requirements
- Submission & return
- Recorded document mailed back to return address on document
- Hours & turnaround
- Not publicly confirmed; high-volume county, turnaround varies
Can you e-record in Los Angeles County?
Yes. Los Angeles County accepts electronic recording through Simplifile, so a properly formatted document can be recorded the same or next business day without mailing paper.
How to record a document in Los Angeles County, California
- Prepare the document so it meets Los Angeles County's formatting rules (above): legal description, grantee address, signature block, and the blank space the recorder reserves for its stamp.
- Notarize it if the instrument requires acknowledgment. Most deeds and affidavits do.
- Submit electronically through Simplifile, or by mail to Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
- Pay the recording fee, payable to Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (Los Angeles County).
- Receive the recorded instrument back with its book/page or instrument number as proof of record.
Looking up a Los Angeles County property
Owner names, parcel numbers and legal descriptions for Los Angeles County property are searchable at Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor Public Portal (address/AIN search only; owner-name search restricted by law). A deed or memorandum needs the exact legal description, so pull it from there or from the last recorded deed.
Filing with Jurably in California
California isn't available quite yet — it's coming soon. See the states we file in.