Marin County Deed Records
Marin County deed records are maintained by the Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk office in San Rafael. You can search their online database to find property ownership documents, deeds, and other land records from 1973 to the present day. The office sits at 3501 Civic Center Drive and keeps hours from Monday through Friday, 9am to 4pm. Most people search by party name or document number to locate real estate transfers. This North Bay county has some of the highest property values in California with coastal communities and access to San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge.
Marin County Quick Facts
Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk Office
The Marin County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk handles all property document recordings for the county. Their office is at 3501 Civic Center Drive, Suite 232, in San Rafael. You can reach them at 415-473-6092. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm. This is where all deeds, deeds of trust, liens, and other real estate documents get filed.
When you buy or sell property in Marin County, the deed must be recorded here. The recorder stamps it with the date and time, assigns it a unique document number, and enters it into the public index. This creates a permanent record of who owns what land. The county has kept these files since the 1800s. Older records are on paper or microfiche. Newer ones are digital and searchable online.
Staff can help you locate documents or make copies. They cannot give legal advice or tell you what type of deed to use. For legal help, talk to an attorney or title company. The recorder office only accepts documents and puts them in the public record. They do not verify if a deed is valid or wise. That is up to you and your lawyer to figure out before recording.
Search Marin Deed Records Online
Marin County offers free online search of their deed records index from 1973 forward. The database sits at https://apps.marincounty.gov/RecordersIndexSearch and lets you search by grantor name, grantee name, or document number. Type in the last name first, then the first name. The system shows all matching records with dates and document numbers.
The index tells you when a deed was recorded and what type of document it is. You can see the parties involved and the book and page number where it was filed. To get a copy of the actual deed, you must visit the office or order one by mail. The online system shows the index only, not the full document images.
If you need records from before 1973, you have to visit the San Rafael office in person. Older files are stored on microfiche or in bound books. Staff can pull these for you to review at the counter. Bring the address or Assessor's Parcel Number if you have it. That speeds up the search.
Electronic recording is available in Marin County through certified vendors. Title companies and law firms use this service to submit deeds without visiting the office. The document gets reviewed and recorded faster than mail submissions. Most eRecordings process within a day or two depending on volume.
Recording Fees and Costs
Recording a deed in Marin County costs $14 for the first page plus $3 for each additional page. A standard two-page grant deed costs $17. If your deed has a transfer tax, add $75 for the SB2 housing fee. Some counties charge a fraud prevention fee but Marin does not appear to list that separately. The fee schedule can change so call ahead if you need exact numbers.
Copy fees are $4 for the first page and $2 for each additional page. A certified copy costs an extra $4 for the certification. The county seal and signed statement from the recorder make it a certified copy. You need certified copies for court cases or refinancing a mortgage. Plain copies are fine for your own reference.
Documentary transfer tax in Marin County is 55 cents per $500 of the purchase price or consideration. This is the standard county rate under California Revenue and Taxation Code Section 11911 which sets the documentary transfer tax at $0.55 for each $500 or fractional part thereof when consideration exceeds $100. Some California counties and cities charge more. Marin County does not have extra city transfer taxes that I can find.
Types of Recorded Documents
Grant deeds are the most common type of property transfer in Marin County. When you buy a home, you get a grant deed. Under California law, this type of deed implies certain warranties. The seller promises they have not sold the property to anyone else and that there are no hidden liens except those mentioned in the deed. These implied covenants are set by California Civil Code Section 1113 which states that the word "grant" carries specific legal promises about the property.
Quitclaim deeds have no warranties at all. People use these to transfer property between family members or to clear title defects. If you divorce and need to take your ex-spouse off the title, you might use a quitclaim deed. Or if there is a spelling error on an old deed, you can quitclaim the property to yourself with the correct spelling. These deeds just transfer whatever interest you have, if any.
Deeds of trust show up in the recorder index when you get a mortgage. These are not ownership deeds. They give the lender a security interest in your home. If you stop making payments, the lender can foreclose. When you pay off the loan, they file a reconveyance deed to release their claim. Both documents get recorded so the public index shows who has financial interests in your property.
Other recorded documents include mechanics liens from contractors who did not get paid, tax liens from the IRS or state, easements that let others cross your land, and covenants, conditions, and restrictions from homeowners associations. All of these affect your property title and show up when someone does a title search before buying your home.
California Property Law
All property transfers in California must be in writing. California Civil Code Section 1091 requires that an estate in real property can be transferred only by operation of law or by an instrument in writing subscribed by the party disposing of the same. You cannot transfer land with a handshake or verbal promise. It must be in a deed that is signed and recorded.
Recording your deed protects you from later claims. California has a race-notice statute at California Civil Code Sections 1213-1214 which provides that every conveyance recorded is constructive notice to subsequent purchasers and mortgagees. If you buy property and record your deed first, you beat any later buyer who also claims to own it. The first to record wins, assuming they had no notice of the other claim.
The county recorder must accept any document that meets the formatting rules. California Government Code Section 27201 says the recorder shall, upon payment of proper fees and taxes, accept for recordation any instrument authorized by statute. They check that margins are correct, signatures are present, and fees are paid. They do not judge whether the deed is a good idea or legally sound.
Nearby Counties
If the property you are looking for is not in Marin County, try these neighboring counties where deed records are maintained: