California Attorney Service

The L.A. County Recorder - An Overview

Forms

All pre-printed forms to be recorded such as Deeds, Power of Attorney, etc. are obtained from a legal stationary store. The County Recorder does not provide forms.

Requirements

All documents presented for recording must be on 8-1/2" x 11" paper and must have a space in the upper right corner of no less than 2-1/2" x 5" for the recording stamp.

Any document not on 8-1/2" x 11" paper or any document which contains at least one page that is not 8-1/2" x 11", all pages will be penalized an additional $3.00 per page. Any document which does not have the required space in the upper right corner must have a "Title Page". You will NOT be penalized for a County Provided Death Certificate that is more than 8 1/2 by 11 inches.

Preliminary Change of Ownership Report (PCOR)

This form is required on all documents in which there is a change of title with the exception of certified copies of Probate Orders. Only the new owner or corporate representative may sign the PCOR.

Documentary Transfer Tax

All deeds and long term leases require a signed transfer tax declaration. Transfer tax is computed on either the full value (or selling price) or the full value less liens and/or encumbrances. Transfer tax is due on all deeds in which there is a change of title unless the face of the deed contains an acceptable reason for no transfer tax. We have attached the Recorder's list of exemptions from transfer tax. If the tax is being paid, it is calculated as follows:

County tax: $1.10 per thousand dollars.
City tax: $4.50 per thousand dollars.

These amounts must be listed individually on the document. DO NOT PUT A TOTAL. One check may be used for both the recording fee and the transfer tax.

Fees

The fee for all non-deeds is $9.00 ($7.00 Recorder fee + 2.00 D.A. fee) for the first page and $3.00 for each additional page. Remember, a Deed of Trust is not a deed. The fee for deeds is $7.00 for the first page and $3.00 for each additional page. These fees as stated are correct only if the documents meet the previously stated requirements and are not penalized. Combined documents (two titled documents) such as Deed of Trust and Assignment of Rents, Substitution of Trustee and Full Reconveyance, or Power of Attorney which includes a Nomination of Conservator are $9.00 ($7.00 Recorder fee per title + 2.00 D.A. fee) per title for the first page ($18.00) and $3.00 for each additional page. All deeds are also subject to $4.00 notification fee when Grantor and Grantee are not identical.

Abstracts

The fee for recording an Abstract of Judgment is $18.00 if there is only one debtor and the back side is blank. For $21.00, you can have a debtor on the front and up to three more at the same address on the back. Then, for $2.00 more ($23.00 total) you can have up to four more debtors at the same address. In other words, add $2.00 for each multiple of four at the same address. If there are two debtors, one on the front and one on the back, and they are at different addresses, the total fee is $23.00 ($18.00 for the first page + $3.00 for the back side + $2.00 for the second address). Add $2.00 for each different address remembering that the $2.00 is good for each multiple of four. Abstracts of Judgment always require a title page which adds an additional $3.00 to the final recording fee.

Survey Monument Fees

This is an additional $10.00 fee which is assessed based on the legal description. The standard legal description is Lot_____ of Tract_____ as recorded in Book_____ Pages_____ through_____ of Maps........ There would not be a Survey Monument Fee here. Examples of words to watch for in legal descriptions which would cause a Survey Monument Fee to be assessed are Official Plat, Licensed Surveyors Map, Record of Surveys, Miscellaneous Records, etc.

Final Note

Fees are subject to change and often do. Also many times, fees are miscalculated. We therefore suggest that you assume the maximum possible fee, add $10.00, and send a check "Not to Exceed" and we will indicate amount of your check on returned invoice. As always, we at California Attorney Service are here to help clarify and answer any questions you may have.