The Sacramento County Recorder keeps an online index of recorded documents that starts on January 4, 18491. What it doesn't do yet is tell you when someone records a deed on your home.
That is about to change. SB 255 requires every California county except Los Angeles to set up a recorder notification program by January 1, 20272. Placer County, next door, already mails these letters, but Sacramento is not on the state's list of county programs3.
Our deed theft guide explains the crime itself. This page sticks to Sacramento.
What does SB 255 require the Sacramento County Recorder to do?
Mail a letter within 30 days after a deed, quitclaim deed, mortgage or deed of trust is recorded. It goes to the person who signed the document.
A deed hands a property to a new owner. A quitclaim deed passes whatever share the signer has, with no promises. A deed of trust makes your home the security for a loan.
The recorder, the county office that files these papers (some states say recorder of deeds), must mail it here:
"The notification shall be sent to the address for mailing tax bills that was established prior to the recording of the document."
That sentence matters for you. A new deed can't move the letter to a new address. But if your tax bill goes to an old address, the letter will too.
Good
Not so good
The Senate Judiciary Committee's analysis was blunt: "the responsibility to protect oneself against title fraud still falls upon the property owner"4.
When will Sacramento County start mailing deed letters?
No start date has been announced. On October 25, 2026, the county was still gathering vendor information, about 10 weeks before the law's deadline.
- 2010AB 2618 lets counties start a notification program, but only if they choose to5.
- Nov. 2024Sacramento County tells KCRA it has no program but "is working on it." Placer County started one in 20226.
- Oct. 6, 2025The governor signs SB 255 after votes of 36-0 in the Senate and 77-0 in the Assembly7.
- Sept. 25, 2026The county asks vendors about a "County Clerk Recorder (CCR) Notification System"8.
- Dec. 1, 2026The request's latest date for a vendor's data link to start testing8.
- Jan. 1, 2027Deadline for each covered county's program and board resolution2.
The request shows what the letters would say: document number, recording date, document type, parcel number, owner name and tax-bill address. County staff would mail them8.
An email sign-up is planned. The county wants an "online real estate notification subscription portal for voluntary public enrollment"8.
It is not a contract yet. The document says, "There will not be an award from this RFI." It also requires at least four weeks of testing before launch8.
We could not confirm whether the Board of Supervisors has adopted its resolution.
How do you search Sacramento County property records today?
Run a free deed search in the Recorder's index under your name, order a copy of anything you don't recognize, and confirm what the Assessor has on file.
- Open the index. Start on the Recorder's index page, choose the search and agree to the disclaimer9.
- Search your name. In Advanced Search, pick "Grantor or Grantee." The grantor signs a property away, and the grantee receives it.
- Read the list. It shows names, dates and document types, but not the pages9. New filings usually appear within 2 business days10.
- Order a copy of anything new. Certified copies cost $9 for the first page and $1 for each extra page, by mail, by fax or at either office11.
- Confirm the owner on file. Email the Assessor or call (916) 875-0700 with your address or parcel number12.
- Fix your mailing address in writing. The Assessor takes changes on its form or by signed letter, not by phone13. Tax bills go out by November 1 to the address on file14.
What does it cost to record or copy a deed in Sacramento County?
The first page of a document costs $14 to $95 to record, depending on what it is. Each extra page is $3.
Recording a first page costs $14 to $95 in Sacramento County
First-page recording fee by type of document
Show the numbers
| Exempt from the fraud prosecution fee | $14 |
|---|---|
| Standard first page | $20 |
| With the $75 Building Homes and Jobs Act fee | $95 |
Source: Sacramento County Clerk/Recorder fee schedule16, checked October 25, 2026.
Sales deeds usually get the $14 rate, because they pay the documentary transfer tax, $0.55 per $500 of value. The City of Sacramento adds its own transfer tax for property inside the city16.
The $75 charge is the SB 2 fee, from the state's 2017 Building Homes and Jobs Act. It hits many documents that don't pay transfer tax, up to $225, but not a home going to an owner who will live there16,24.
No SB 255 fee is listed yet. The board may add one, paid by whoever files the document2.
What have fake deeds and fake sellers looked like in Sacramento County?
Two local cases show both kinds: a forged deed that got recorded, and a fake sale caught before any deed existed. State lawmakers' own analysis calls real estate fraud "rare, but significant"5.
SB 255 covers a deed like his 2016 filing. A letter would go to the tax-bill address on file before it was recorded.
No letter would have come here. Title never moved, so no deed was recorded, and people caught it rather than paperwork. Learn the signs of a fake seller selling land they don't own.
Knowingly recording a forged deed is a felony in California. After a conviction, the prosecutor can ask the court to void the document from the start, and the order is recorded17.
Who should you call about a suspicious deed in Sacramento County?
Call the District Attorney's Real Estate Fraud Unit at 916.874.9045, then get a certified copy of the document from the Recorder. Our guide to what to do after a fraudulent deed is filed covers the rest.
| Office | What it does for you | How to reach it |
|---|---|---|
| District Attorney, Real Estate Fraud Unit | Takes reports, investigates and prosecutes real estate fraud | 916.874.9045, or the online Suspected Fraud Report |
| Clerk/Recorder, Main Office | Records deeds, sells copies, runs the index | 3636 American River Drive, Suite 110. (916) 874-6334. Same-day recording until 3 p.m. |
| Assessor | Owner of record and your tax-bill mailing address | 3636 American River Drive, Suite 200. (916) 875-0700 |
| Public Law Library | Free 20-minute remote talks with volunteer lawyers, by lottery, for county residents or people with a local court case | Lawyers In The Library sign-up at saclaw.org |
Sources: DA Real Estate Fraud page18, Clerk/Recorder hours19, Assessor12, Law Library20. Addresses, phone numbers and links on this page were checked on October 25, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a copy of my property deed in Sacramento County?
Find it in the Recorder's online index, then order it by mail, by fax or at either office. Certified copies cost $9 for the first page and $1 for each extra page.
Who is the Sacramento County Clerk Recorder?
The county's organization chart lists Florence Evans as County Clerk/Recorder. You can reach the office at (916) 874-6334.
How do I find out who owns a property in Sacramento County?
Ask the Assessor by email or at (916) 875-0700, with the address or parcel number. Staff look up the owner of up to 2 parcels a day, but not by name alone.
Is property fraud alert a free service?
Sacramento County has no alert yet. Its SB 255 letters will be free to owners, since any fee falls on whoever files a document. Our map of free county alerts shows which counties run one now.
Where is the Sacramento County Recorder's Office located?
The Main Office is at 3636 American River Drive, Suite 110, Sacramento, CA 95864. The Satellite Office - South is at 8239 East Stockton Boulevard, with no same-day recording. Both use (916) 874-6334.
Look yourself up before the letters start
A name search is free and takes minutes. If something you don't recognize shows up, order a certified copy and call the DA's fraud unit.
Open the Recorder's indexSources
- Public Index Search, disclaimer page, Sacramento County Clerk/Recorder, checked October 25, 2026
- SB 255 (Seyarto), County recorders: notification, Chapter 351, Statutes of 2025, California Legislature, approved October 6, 2025
- County Recorder Property Owner Alert Program, California Department of Real Estate, checked October 25, 2026
- Senate Judiciary Committee analysis of SB 255, California State Senate, hearing of April 22, 2025
- Assembly Committee on Local Government analysis of SB 255, California State Assembly, hearing of June 18, 2025
- Tips to reduce your risk of being a victim of real estate fraud, identity theft, KCRA 3, November 22, 2024
- SB 255 bill history, California Legislature, chaptered October 6, 2025
- Request for Information 2026-RFI-0105, County Clerk Recorder (CCR) Notification System, County of Sacramento, released September 25, 2026 (copy of the document posted on the county's procurement portal)
- Index of Recorded Documents, Sacramento County Clerk/Recorder, checked October 25, 2026
- Legal Disclaimer for the online index, Sacramento County Clerk/Recorder, checked October 25, 2026
- Recorded Documents (copies and fees), Sacramento County Clerk/Recorder, checked October 25, 2026
- Ownership Information, Sacramento County Assessor, checked October 25, 2026
- Mailing Address Change, Sacramento County Assessor, checked October 25, 2026
- Secured Taxes, Sacramento County Department of Finance, checked October 25, 2026
- Sacramento County Assessor's Office: Fraud Alert, County of Sacramento, October 1, 2024
- Fees, Sacramento County Clerk/Recorder, checked October 25, 2026
- Penal Code section 115, California Legislature, as amended in 2014
- Real Estate Fraud, Sacramento County District Attorney's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Location, Hours, and Holidays, Sacramento County Clerk/Recorder, checked October 25, 2026
- Free Legal Consultation (Lawyers In The Library), Sacramento County Public Law Library, checked October 25, 2026
- Man convicted on seven counts of real estate fraud, The Sacramento Bee, March 21, 2019
- How a California homeowner, real estate agent unraveled a scam, KCRA 3, November 21, 2024
- Sacramento County Organizational Chart, County of Sacramento, checked October 25, 2026
- SB 2 (Atkins), Building Homes and Jobs Act, Chapter 364, Statutes of 2017, California Legislature, approved September 29, 2017
