Los Angeles County has mailed owners copies of newly recorded deeds since 19961. Every other county in California must have a similar program by Jan. 1, 20272.
So if you searched for a Los Angeles County property fraud alert, the mailed version already covers your home. A faster email version is free too, but you have to turn it on.
Does Los Angeles County have a property fraud alert?
Yes, two of them, and different county offices run them. The Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, which files deeds in the public record, mails you copies. The Assessor's Office runs an email alert you opt into3,4.
| Homeowner Notification Program (mail) | Homeowner Alert Service (email) | |
|---|---|---|
| Run by | Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk | Office of the Assessor |
| Sign-up | Automatic. Nothing to do | Free online account, then add each parcel |
| Sent when | A grant deed, quitclaim deed, deed of trust, notice of default or notice of sale is recorded | A document is recorded on a parcel you track, such as a transfer, mortgage or foreclosure notice |
| How fast | Within 30 days for deeds and loans. Within 5 days for foreclosure notices | Within 48 hours |
| What arrives | A copy of the document, plus two sheets that explain it | Parcel number, document type, recording date and document number. No names, address or image |
| Sent to | The property, plus your tax-bill mailing address if different | The email on your account |
| Cost | Free to you. State law lets the county charge the filer up to $7 | Free |
Sources: LA County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs1,3,5, Office of the Assessor4,6,7, state law8 and Colorado Boulevard9, read October 25, 2026.
A grant deed or quitclaim deed moves title, the legal ownership of a property, to a new owner. A deed of trust is the recorded paper behind a home loan. A notice of default starts a foreclosure, and a notice of sale sets the sale date3.
Your AIN, or Assessor's Identification Number, is your parcel's number (a parcel is a piece of land). It is on your property tax bill6.
Property Fraud Alert is something else. That national service shows up in searches for an LA County property fraud alert, but no California county used it in October 202610. See how Property Fraud Alert works.
Is the LA County email alert better than the mailed notice?
Yes for speed: the email can reach you weeks sooner. But the mail needs no sign-up, and both arrive only after a document is recorded5.
Email can arrive up to four weeks before a mailed deed copy
Longest time the county gives for each notice, counted from the day a document is recorded
Show the numbers
| Email alert | 48 hours |
|---|---|
| Mailed foreclosure notice | 5 days |
| Mailed deed or loan copy | 30 days |
Source: LA County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs, January 11, 20235.
What LA's free notices do well
Where they fall short
- Both come after the fact. The Recorder's role "does not include the review of legal sufficiency," the county said in 20171.
- Mail covers five document types. Liens and loan payoff papers are not among them8.
- Email takes setup. Only owners on record can track a parcel, and the form asks for a mobile number7.
- The email is bare. It leaves out names, the address and the document image7.
- No promise. The county is not liable for alert errors or delays7.
Which LA County notice fits your situation?
Most owners should keep the mail and add the email. What changes is who signs up and where the mail should go.
Three common situations in Los Angeles County
The mailed copies keep coming in every case
- Find your AIN on your property tax bill.
- Open the Assessor's Homeowner Alert Service page and choose to register. Skip the old assessorportal address; it has moved11.
- Fill in the form and leave the opt-in box checked.
- Confirm your email, log in, and add your parcel under "Manage Properties."
- Sit down together and register in your parent's name.
- Use an email address they read, or one you both check.
- Make sure the Assessor's mailing address still reaches them.
- Save DCBA's number: (800) 593-8222.
- Update your mailing address with the Assessor on form ASSR-45112.
- Register for the email alert.
- Add every parcel you own in the county.
Based on the Assessor's guide (revised September 2026), its registration terms and DCBA's program page6,7,3.
What have LA County deed fraud cases shown?
Two recent cases show what after-the-fact notices can and can't do. A 2025 state Senate analysis said, "Although title fraud is infrequent, it does take place"13.
Our deed theft guide explains these schemes in general.
What changes when SB 255 takes effect in 2027?
By Jan. 1, 2027, every other California county must mail owners a notice within 30 days of a new deed, quitclaim deed, mortgage or deed of trust. Los Angeles County is exempt because it already runs its own program under a separate law2,8.
If you own property in another county, its notice goes to the tax-bill address on file before the recording2.
- 1992A state law starts a three-year LA pilot "in response to an increase in real estate and title fraud in the county"13.
- 1996The county starts mailing owners copies of new deeds and loans1.
- July 2022Three LA County owners tell Spectrum News 1 a man recorded fake deeds on their homes; one found out during a sale. He was charged with five felony counts18.
- Jan. 2023Email alerts begin5.
- Dec. 2024Venice lenders tell ABC7 a forged document with a misspelled notary stamp was recorded anyway19.
- Feb. 2026Charges in the Burbank sale and an arrest in the lien case14,16.
- June 2026At the District Attorney's request, the Recorder's real estate fraud prosecution fee doubles to $1020.
- Sept. 2026SB 1307 is signed, letting a court void a forged document if the accused agrees during diversion, a program that can replace a trial21.
- Jan. 1, 2027SB 255's deadline. Every county but Los Angeles must run a mailed notice program2.
- Jan. 1, 2030LA's mailed foreclosure notices end unless lawmakers extend them. Deed and loan copies continue8.
Sources: California Legislature2,8,13,21, LA County1,5,20 and the news reports listed below14,16,18,19.
Who do you call if an LA County notice looks wrong?
Call the county's Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA) at (800) 593-8222, or email homehelp@dcba.lacounty.gov. It gives free help with unfamiliar notices3.
Call about a transfer you didn't make, a forged signature, a wrong property description or a foreclosure notice3. Then:
- Get the full document. Order a copy from the Registrar-Recorder online, by mail, by fax or in person; there is no online index to browse. Call (800) 201-899922.
- Report a crime. Mail the District Attorney's Real Estate Fraud Complaint Form to 211 West Temple Street, Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Send copies, not originals23.
- Ask a lawyer about court. Knowingly recording a forged document is a felony in California. Undoing one still takes a court order or a new deed from the forger21,19. Our step-by-step fraudulent deed guide explains the options.
Frequently asked questions
Is property fraud alert a free service?
Yes, in Los Angeles County: the mailed copies and the Assessor's email alert both cost owners nothing. The national Property Fraud Alert service is free too, but Los Angeles County does not use it.
Is a property fraud alert legitimate?
Yes, when it comes from the county. In Los Angeles County, sign up only at assessor.lacounty.gov, and ignore letters selling an "official" copy of your deed.
How can I get a property fraud alert in California?
Through your county. SB 255 requires every county to run a mailed notice program by Jan. 1, 2027, and Los Angeles County already has one. The state Department of Real Estate lists the county programs it knows about.
How do I get a copy of my deed in Los Angeles County?
Order it from the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk online, by mail, by fax or in person. If a fire hit your home, call (800) 201-8999, option 3, to ask for no-cost property records.
Are property deeds public record in California?
Yes. In Los Angeles County, any member of the public can search and request real estate records, which go back to 1850.
Turn on the faster alert
Mailed copies already cover your home. The email alert needs one free account and your AIN.
Go to the Assessor's sign-up pageSee free alerts in other countiesWe last checked the county pages, sign-up links and phone numbers here on October 25, 2026.
Sources
- County of Los Angeles Homeowner Notification Program Combats Real Estate Fraud, LA County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs, September 13, 2017
- SB 255 (Seyarto), Chapter 351, Statutes of 2025, California Legislature, approved October 6, 2025
- Enhanced Homeowner Notification Program, LA County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs, updated November 19, 2024
- Homeowner Alert Service (e-Notification), Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor, last updated September 26, 2026
- DCBA, LA County Assessor, Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Launch Property Owner E-Notification Alert, LA County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs, January 11, 2023
- Homeowner Alert Service (e-Notification) Instructions Guide (PDF), Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor, revised September 2026
- Register (account sign-up and opt-in terms), Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor, checked October 25, 2026
- AB 1106 (Smith), Chapter 165, Statutes of 2019, amending Government Code §§ 27297.6 and 27387.1, California Legislature, approved July 31, 2019
- L.A. County Property Owners Can Use Free Homeowner Alert Service, News Desk, Colorado Boulevard, September 9, 2025
- Property Fraud Alert (county list), Fidlar Technologies, checked October 25, 2026
- Assessor portal, old address (shows "The service you requested has moved."), Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor, checked October 25, 2026
- Change of Mailing Address, Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor, checked October 25, 2026
- Senate Judiciary Committee analysis of SB 255 (Seyarto), California State Senate, hearing of April 22, 2025
- Real Estate Broker, 2 Others Arrested on Complaint Charging Them with Fraudulently Selling $1.5 Million Home Owned by Victim, U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California, February 11, 2026
- Two Plead Guilty in Burbank House Sale Fraud, City Wire Service, Burbank Leader, April 25, 2026
- LAPD Commercial Crimes Division Arrest of Suspect for Recording Fraudulent Mechanical Liens on Multiple Properties, Los Angeles Police Department, March 1, 2026
- Los Angeles woman faces 24 years in prison for real estate fraud, John Ross Ferrara, KTLA, March 4, 2026
- 3 LA homeowners warn against deed theft after properties are stolen by man, Renee Eng, Spectrum News 1, July 23, 2022
- How scammers can take the deed to your home without you knowing, ABC7 Los Angeles, December 20, 2024
- Real Estate Fraud Prosecution Fee Increase Notice (PDF), LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, 2026
- SB 1307 (Jones), Chapter 695, Statutes of 2026, California Legislature, approved September 27, 2026 (includes Penal Code § 115 as amended)
- Real Estate Records: General Information, LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, checked October 25, 2026
- Real Estate Fraud Complaint Form (PDF), Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, revised September 17, 2021
- Mail Solicitation Alert: Notice to Home Owners (PDF), LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, undated, checked October 25, 2026
- County Recorder Property Owner Alert Program, California Department of Real Estate, checked October 25, 2026
- Property Fraud Alert (service page: "Constituents sign up for the free service"), Fidlar Technologies, checked October 25, 2026
