Feature

 

San Mateo County Base Recording Fees - Updated for the First Time Since 1985

December 14, 2009

 

The San Mateo County Recorder’s Office will increase its recording fees effective January 1, 2010. The current standard recording fee of $9 to record the first page of a document will increase to $15 while the $3 for each additional page recorded will remain the same (no increase).  The current base recording fee was established in 1985, nearly 25 years ago, and it has not been raised since that time.

 

The increase was established as part of a new state law, SB 676 that the Governor signed on October 11. Counties may increase their recording fees, consistent with this legislation, if the local Board of Supervisors approves an increase by a 4/5ths vote of their body. The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors approved this conforming legislation at their December 1, 2009 meeting.

 

This new fee will help the office recover the cost of conducting business. Government is not allowed to make a profit or charge fees that exceed the cost of providing a service. An independent consultant conducted a fee study in 2008 and determined in a preliminary evaluation that the recording fee in San Mateo County was well below the cost of providing the service.

 

View flyer