Record fees
Standard fees
$25.00 for the first page (this fee includes the $10.00 Real Estate Fraud Prevention Fee per GC 27388)
+ $3.00 for each additional page
+ any applicable additional fees
Calculation instructions for standard fee documents appear below.
Exceptions to to the standard fee include:
- state, county, and municipal lien releases
- maps
- builder's contracts (filed)
- preliminary 20-day notices (filed)
Additional fees
| FEE TYPE | APPLIES TO | AMOUNT |
|---|---|---|
| Combined documents | Two or more documents incorporated into one physical document are recorded and charged as two or more separate documents; e.g. Substitution of Trustee AND Reconveyance, Deed of Trust and Assignment of Rents and Fixture Filing | $15.00 for each additional document (not subject to Real Estate Instrument Fee) or $25.00 for each additional document subject to the Real Estate Instrument Fee as shown below |
| Conformed copy | For the return of a conformed copy | $5.00 |
| Real Estate Instrument (REI) | Real Estate Fraud Fee Per Instrument (Govt. Code 27388) | $10.00 |
| Affordable Housing and Jobs Act Fee (Senate Bill 2) | All documents unless exempted. | $75.00 per Title of documents. |
| Lien notice fee | Involuntary liens | $4.00 for each named defendant or lienee (husband and wife with a common address count as one) |
| Page size penalty | Documents with any pages that are smaller or larger than 8 1/2" by 11" (Over 14" long not accepted) | $3.00 for each page of the document (not just the off-size pages) |
| Preliminary Change of Ownership (PCOR) | Any document presented with an incomplete or missing PCOR report that it is required to have one by law | $20.00 |
| Survey monument preservation fund | Grant deeds with a property description that refers to a portion of a lot created by a recorded Tract Map, a lot or parcel created by recording of a Survey or Parcel Map, U.S. Government Survey (Township and Range), Metes and Bounds, or street address. | $10.00 |
| Previous document reference | Documents referring to more than one previously recorded document, if the reference requires indexing | $1.00 for each reference after the first |
| Penalty print | Documents containing printing which is spaced with more than 9 lines per vertical inch or more than 22 characters and spaces per horizontal inch, for not less than 3 inches in one sentence. | $1.00 for each page containing penalty print |
| Additional indexing fee | Documents requiring indexing of more than 10 names in order to give the required notice | $1.00 for each 10 names after the first 10 |
| County transfer tax | Property transfers anywhere in the county | 0.55 per $500.00 (computed on equity or full value of transfer) |
| Conveyance tax | Property transfers within the cities of San Jose, Mountain View, and Palo Alto | $1.65 per $500.00 (computed on full value) |
Exceptions to standard fees
| FEE TYPE | APPLIES TO | AMOUNT |
|---|---|---|
| Government lien release recording fee | State, county, and municipal lien releases (Federal lien releases are subject to the standard recording fee.) | $23.00 (includes REI) |
| Map filing fee | Subdivision, parcel, survey, assessment and cemetery maps | $8.00 first page +$2.00 each additional page |
| Filing fee | Builder's Contracts | $15.00 |
| Preliminary 20-day notice fee | Preliminary 20-day notices (Notices are only filed for private work) | $50.00 |
| UCC filling fee | Uniform Commercial Code Fillings | $20.00 for 1-2 pages $30.00 for 3 or more pages (includes REI) |
How to calculate fees for documents subject to the standard fees
- Calculate the standard fee of $25.00 (this fee includes the $10.00 Real Estate Fraud Prevention Fee per GC 27388) for the first page and $3.00 for each additional fee.
- Review the additional fees to determine which additional fees and taxes apply.
- Add the amount for each and every applicable additional fee to the standard fee.
For example, you are recording a 2-page grant deed. You determine that it is subject to the Survey Monument Preservation Fund and that it is subject to county transfer tax of $30.25 and San Jose city conveyance tax of $90.75. The pricing would be:
| Standard fee for 2 pages: | $25.00 |
| SMPF fee: | $10.00 |
| County Transfer Tax: | $30.25 |
| San Jose Conveyance Tax: | $90.75 |
| Total owed: | $149.00 |
If you record a document in person, the Clerk-Recorder's Office will compute all fees for you. If you record by mail and are unsure of the total amount owed, you may send a check with a not to exceed amount (NTE $) amount on the memo line. The Clerk-Recorder's Office will enter the correct amount owed and process the payment.
If you wish to record a document by mail, mail your document and payment to this address:
Santa Clara County Clerk-Recorder's Office
ATTN: Recording
110 West Tasman Drive, First floor
San Jose, CA 95134