Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Santa Clara County, California, has about 1.9 million residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). The title to a parcel in Santa Clara County is in the deed records of the County Recorder and its taxable value is set by the County Assessor; what is built on it is a matter for the city or the county. This guide says who keeps each record and where the page for each office is.
This guide covers deeds, assessed values, city permits, evictions and court cases, records requests and common questions.
Related guides: Santa Clara County public records, Santa Clara County arrest records, Santa Clara County warrants, Santa Clara County inmate search, Santa Clara County criminal records, California arrest records and California inmate search.
Deeds, Mortgages and Liens in Santa Clara County
Deeds, mortgages, liens and easements that affect title to land in Santa Clara County are recorded by the County Recorder, which indexes them by name and sells copies.
SearchSystems opened and checked the County Recorder's page at clerkrecorder.santaclaracounty.gov/official-records (page title: Official records | Office of the County Clerk-Recorder | County of Santa Clara), a site that blocks automated checks (HTTP 403), so open it in a browser.
Assessed Values and the Tax Roll in Santa Clara County
What a parcel in Santa Clara County is taxed on is the business of the County Assessor, which also keeps the parcel maps. Under Proposition 13 a property's assessed value is set when it changes hands and can rise no more than 2 percent a year after that, so a home owned for decades is often assessed far below its market value.
SearchSystems opened and checked the County Assessor's page at asr.santaclaracounty.gov/online-services/property-search/searching-... (page title: Property Maps and Records | Office of the Assessor | County of Santa Clara), a site that blocks automated checks (HTTP 403), so open it in a browser.
Permits and City Records in the Cities of Santa Clara County
Building permits, zoning and code cases inside a city are the city's own records. The cities in Santa Clara County with a SearchSystems guide to their offices, with the city page SearchSystems verified:
- San Jose: the city hall page SearchSystems verified is at sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/office-of-the-cit..., phone (408) 321-2300 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Sunnyvale: the city hall page SearchSystems verified is at sunnyvale.ca.gov/your-government/about/addresses-and-hours, phone 408-730-7464 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Mountain View: the city clerk's page SearchSystems verified is at mountainview.gov/our-city/departments/city-clerks-office/city-records (verified September 25, 2026).
- Milpitas: the city hall page SearchSystems verified is at milpitas.gov/Facilities/Facility/Details/Milpitas-City-Hall-95, phone 408-586-3000 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Palo Alto: the city hall page SearchSystems verified is at paloalto.gov/City-Hall, phone (650) 329-2100 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Gilroy: the city hall page SearchSystems verified is at cityofgilroy.org/867/City-Hall, phone 408-710-7991 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Cupertino: the city hall page SearchSystems verified is at cupertino.gov/Your-City/Departments/City-Hall, phone 408.777.3200 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Morgan Hill: the city hall page SearchSystems verified is at morganhill.ca.gov/1623/Morgan-Hill-City-Hall (verified September 25, 2026).
- Campbell: the city hall page SearchSystems verified is at campbellca.gov/1482/Contact-Us, phone (408)866-2125 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Los Gatos: the city hall page SearchSystems verified is at losgatosca.gov/229/LocateContact-Us, phone 408-354-6834 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Los Altos: the city hall page SearchSystems verified is at losaltosca.gov/Facilities/Facility/Details/City-Hall-18, phone 650-947-2700 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Saratoga: the city hall page SearchSystems verified is at saratoga.ca.us/m/directory/department?did=28, phone 408.868.1200 (verified September 25, 2026).
Evictions and Court Cases About Land in Santa Clara County
Court cases about land from Santa Clara County, evictions among them, are filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at santaclara.courts.ca.gov/online-services/case-information-online.
Asking a County Office for a Record
Under the California Public Records Act a county office must answer a request within 10 days, with up to 14 more days in unusual circumstances, and it may charge the direct cost of copying only, not staff time. The county records request page SearchSystems verified is at santaclara.nextrequest.com (page title: Public RecordsNextRequest | Modern FOIA & Public Records Request Software).
Frequently Asked Questions
Who records deeds in Santa Clara County?
The County Recorder.
Who sets the assessed value of a property in Santa Clara County?
The County Assessor.
Where are evictions from Santa Clara County filed?
In the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara. The file is public unless the court seals it.
How is property assessed in California?
Under Proposition 13 a property's assessed value is set when it changes hands and can rise no more than 2 percent a year after that, so a home owned for decades is often assessed far below its market value.
Is this the official Santa Clara County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.