Property Title Searches in California
With nearly 40 million residents, California is the country’s most populous state and the third
largest by area. The economy of the Golden State is the largest in the United States, and is the largest sub-national economy in the world.
What Title Services are Included in a California Title Search?
A residential or commercial title search in California will include information such as:
- Tax and assessment using the property’s parcel number
- Ownership records via title deeds
- Open deeds of trust and associated documents (including foreclosure documents, if applicable)
- Active judgments and liens that are filed in the county’s property records
- Any document filed within the scope of the search that affects the property
How Much is a Title Search in California?
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Type of Search
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Cost
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O&E Report (Residential)
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$87.95
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Two Owner Search (Residential)
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$137.95
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30-Year Search (Residential)
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$175.00
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Title Update
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$40.00
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Township Search for Unrecorded Liens with Demolition Check
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$75.00
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Mortgage Search
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$50.00
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PACE Loans and Assessment Liens in California
Documents called PACE, Assessment Lien, Notice of Assessment or Notice of Special Assessment can be seen almost anywhere, but they’re most common
in California. The title of the document can be deceiving and make one think there is a lien on the property for delinquent assessments, but that’s usually not the case.
Typically, the assessment is collected with the property taxes, and when they are (as long as the taxes are current), there is not a lien.
Here are two ways to verify if the assessment is collected through the property taxes.
- Read the document to see if it states how the fee is collected. Here is a snippet from an Assessment Lien which states it’s collected “in
the same installments as the general taxes.”
- Look at the tax breakdown to see if a portion of the taxes are going towards the party on the Notice of Assessment. Here is
a Notice of Assessment that was for Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District. You’ll notice the tax bill in the second
snippet shows $92.91 being allocated to HV ASMT DIST. As long as the taxes are current, we can surmise that this is not a true lien on the property.
California Counties Served
Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt,
Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Monterey,
Napa, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Plumas, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin,
San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter,
Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo, and Yuba.
Frequently Asked Questions
From Customers in California
How do I identify the owner of a property in California?
The first step in any property title search is to look up the property on the assessor’s page to verify who owns it. Unfortunately, most county assessors in California will not reveal the property owner’s name to the public. Sometimes the owner’s name may be found on the tax bill if it hasn’t already been redacted. The best way to identify the owner of the property is by searching the parcel number and reading the most recent deed. The grantee on that deed will be the current owner of the property.
How long does a title search take in California?
A property search in California can be completed within 48 business hours. Expedited orders can be accomodated if the report is needed within four business hours.
