Orange County Deed Records
Orange County deed records are stored at the County Clerk-Recorder office in Santa Ana. This office handles all property documents for the third largest county in California by population. You can search deeds online using their RecorderWorks database or visit the office at 601 North Ross Street. The database lets you look up grantor and grantee names to find ownership transfers. More than 3 million people live in Orange County across 34 cities. The office has recorded over 11 million documents electronically since implementing their eRecording system, which shows how much they rely on modern technology for processing deeds and other land records.
Orange County Quick Facts
County Clerk-Recorder Office
The Orange County Clerk-Recorder maintains all deed records for the county. Their office is at 601 North Ross Street in Santa Ana. You can call them at 714-834-5043 or toll-free at 855-886-5400 for help with recording questions or document requests. Staff will answer basic questions about fees and procedures but cannot give legal advice.
For more details about their services and recording requirements, visit the main recorder page where you can access forms, fee schedules, and instructions for submitting documents to the Orange County Clerk-Recorder office.
This office processes a high volume of documents every day. Grant deeds, deeds of trust, reconveyances, liens, and other land records all go through here. When you submit a deed for recording, staff check that it meets formatting standards. Margins must be correct. Text must be legible. Names and signatures must be clear. Notarization must be proper. If anything is wrong, they reject the document and send it back.
Electronic recording is widely used in Orange County. Over 11 million documents have been recorded electronically since the program started. Title companies and law firms submit most deeds this way. It is faster than mail and more reliable than in-person filing. You get a confirmation email when your document is recorded. The system assigns a document number and date stamp just like with paper recordings.
Search Property Deeds Online
Orange County uses RecorderWorks software for their online database. You can search by grantor name, grantee name, document type, or document number. The system is free to use for basic searches. You type in a name and it shows all matching records. Click on a result to see more details like the recording date and book and page number.
To access the online grantor and grantee index, visit the RecorderWorks database where you can search Orange County property records and view document images after entering search criteria like names, dates, or document numbers.
Viewing full document images may cost a fee. You pay per page or per document depending on what you need. Some users buy subscription access if they search deeds regularly. Copy fees are lower here than in many counties. Plain copies cost $1 per page. Certified copies are $1 per page plus $1 for the certification itself.
The database goes back many years but not to the beginning of county records. For very old deeds, you may need to visit the office and search older indexes. Staff can help you locate documents from the 1800s if you have the legal description or know approximate dates. Microfilm and paper records are stored on site.
Fees and Costs
Recording a deed in Orange County costs $12 for the first page. The SB2 affordable housing fee adds $75, but this fee can go up to $225 for properties sold at higher prices. Each additional page costs $3. If your grant deed is two pages long, you pay $12 + $75 + $3 = $90.
Documentary transfer tax is 55 cents per $500 of the sale price or consideration. This is a county tax. None of the Orange County cities have their own city transfer taxes, so you only pay the standard county rate. Your escrow company will calculate this amount when they prepare your settlement statement.
Copy fees are among the lowest in California. A plain copy is $1 per page. Certification adds just $1 total, not per page. So a certified copy of a five-page deed would cost $5 for the pages plus $1 for certification, totaling $6. This is much cheaper than counties that charge $3 or more per page.
Types of Property Documents
Grant deeds are standard in California real estate sales. When you buy a home in Orange County, you receive a grant deed from the seller. This deed type includes implied warranties under state law. The seller promises they have not sold the property to anyone else and that there are no secret liens except those shown in the deed or in public records.
Quitclaim deeds have no warranties. The person signing it only transfers whatever interest they have, if any. People use quitclaim deeds for family transfers, divorce settlements, or to clear up title defects. If someone has a claim on your property and agrees to release it, they sign a quitclaim deed. You get no protection if they never actually had any interest or if other problems exist.
Deeds of trust are loan documents, not ownership deeds. When you get a mortgage to buy property, you sign a deed of trust. It gives the lender the right to foreclose if you do not pay. The deed of trust names a trustee who handles the foreclosure process if that becomes necessary. After you pay off the loan, the lender records a full reconveyance to release their security interest.
Other documents in the recorder database include easements, liens, covenants, and notices. Utility easements let power or water companies access parts of your land. CC&Rs from homeowner associations get recorded to put future buyers on notice of the rules. Lis pendens notices warn that a lawsuit affecting the property is pending. All these documents affect title and may show up in your deed search.
Major Orange County Cities
Orange County includes 34 cities. All deed recordings happen at the county office in Santa Ana. No city maintains its own deeds. Below are the largest cities:
Nearby Counties
If your property is not in Orange County, try these neighboring counties: