Clerk's Office | Assessor's Office | Recorder's Office | Elections Office
The Recorder preserves the official archive of documents relating to legally recordable transactions of events. The Recorder collects documentary transfer tax and conveyance taxes on property sales. Documents are recorded, indexed, digitally archived, and made available to the public. The Recorder’s Office is responsible for the recording of various documents, such as:
By recording a document, the document becomes part of the public records of the County Recorder. The Recorder’s Office will assist the public with accessing this information. Copying and certification costs may apply.
Note: Please note that the Recorder’s Office is unable to give legal advice, such as, what type of document you need or how to complete a document. We recommend that you seek advice from an attorney or real estate professional before you record documents that affect title to property...
CARE Press Release, June 29, 2009
San Mateo County Base Recording Fees - Updated for the First Time Since 1985
December 14, 2009
San Mateo Catholic Archdiocese Battling SF Over Property Tax
CBS5.com, October 7, 2009
County Recorders can unwitting accept fraudulent property documents
One of the growing concerns for county recorders throughout the United States is the increase in property fraud. To prove the point about how easy it is to perpetrate this kind of property fraud, the Daily News in New York stole the Empire State Building as a prank last December. They did return it.
2008 Calendar Year Recording Activity
Top 5 Types of Recorded Documents
Reconveyance: 30,257
Deed of Trust: 28,855
Deed: 21,805
Substitution of Trustee Documents: 18,626
Official Recording Copy: 12,651
TOTAL Number of Documents Recorded: 139,944
The Recorder's office is located at 555 County Center, 1st Floor, Redwood City.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m