How to Search California Property Records (Start Here)
Property records in California are maintained at the county level. The County Assessor handles property valuations and assessment data. The Tax Collector-Treasurer handles tax bills and payments. These are separate offices with separate databases.
What this page covers: California property assessment lookups, tax record searches, and parcel/ownership data. What it does not cover: Recorded documents like deeds and mortgages (those are on the Recorded Documents page) or property transfer history.
Where to start: For property values and tax assessments, start with the County Assessor. For tax payment history and bills, go to the Tax Collector-Treasurer. For ownership verification, you may need both the assessment records and the recorded documents.
Common mistake: Property assessment records (values and taxes) and recorded documents (deeds and liens) are maintained by different offices in California. The County Assessor handles assessments; the County Recorder handles recordings. Search both if you need the full picture.
Recorder of deeds
Statewide deed index?
Standard recording fee
Property tax oversight
Number of counties
58 counties
Population
39,431,263
Households
13,548,091
Median Income
$95,521
Median Home Value
$734,700
SearchSystems Editorial
Edited by Sam Rokni — Editor & Owner, SearchSystems.net. Public records professional since 1999. NAPBS founding member. Full bio & credentials.
Last reviewed: June 04, 2026 · Methodology: California property records URL verified against the official state publisher at www.boe.ca.gov on the review date. 7 primary .gov sources cited below.
California Property Records — Key Facts (2026)
Deeds, mortgages, taxes, and assessments for property in California — where each record lives and who maintains it in 2026.
County
Where records live
Not federal, not state
Assessor
Official value
Not Zillow estimate
Recorder
Deed & mortgage
Permanent record
Treasurer
Tax amount
Current bill & history
UCC
Business filings
Usually Secretary of State
Deed
100%
Mortgage
100%
Tax bill
100%
Lien (county)
100%
Lien (federal IRS)
50%
UCC (business)
10%
Unit: % kept at the COUNTY level.
What Changed in 2026 — California Property Records
2026
California property records portal active
The official California portal at www.boe.ca.gov continues to serve as the canonical entry point for property records in 2026.
2026
Latest federal complement for property records
The BLM General Land Office Records at glorecords.blm.gov provides federal-level context that complements California state records.
2026
California access in 2026
For 2026, California continues to publish property records information through state-authorized portals; check www.boe.ca.gov for current fees and processing times.
2026
Federal records framework refresh
Federal record types (federal liens, federal land, federal vital statistics) continue to live OUTSIDE California's state portal — see the Primary Sources below for additional official portals.
The 5-Tier California Property Records Stack
1
Tier 1 — Deed / title
California County Recorder or Register of Deeds. The legal record of ownership.
2
Tier 2 — Assessment
California County Assessor. Taxable value (NOT market value).
3
Tier 3 — Tax
California County Treasurer or Tax Collector. Amount owed and paid.
4
Tier 4 — Liens
Most liens at the county; federal tax liens (IRS) and UCC filings often at the Secretary of State.
5
Tier 5 — Federal land
BLM General Land Office (glorecords.blm.gov) for federally administered land.
Five Things People Get Wrong About California Property Records
MYTH"All liens show up in the county records."
FACTMostly, not all. Federal tax liens and UCC filings often live in separate indexes — check the Secretary of State's records too before calling a title clean.
MYTH"The assessor and the recorder are the same office."
FACTTwo different jobs: the recorder files deeds and mortgages; the assessor sets taxable values. Which office you need depends on which question you're asking.
MYTH"Assessed value equals market value."
FACTDifferent numbers for different jobs. Assessed value exists for taxation and in most places sits below what the house would sell for.
MYTH"There's a national property database."
FACTThere isn't. No federal registry of who owns what exists — California property records are kept county by county, office by office.
MYTH"Zillow shows the official California value."
FACTNo. A Zestimate is an algorithm's guess. The official value is set by the county assessor, and that's the number property taxes are built on.
Primary Sources and Official Record Portals
- www.boe.ca.gov — Official California Property Records — State portal for California property records
- BLM General Land Office Records — Federal land records (patents, GLO)
- FEMA Flood Map Service Center — Federal flood-zone maps
- HUD Buying a Home — Federal housing programs & property data
- IRS Federal Tax Liens — IRS lien procedures
- USA Spending — Federal Real Property — Federal property spending portal
- National Archives — Land Records — Historical federal land records (RG 49)
Related Property Records Resources
📍 Other California records:
- California Court Records →
- California Criminal Records →
- California Vital Records →
- California Voter Records →
- California Wants & Warrants →
- California Licenses →
- California Recorded Documents →
🇺🇸 Property Records in other states:
- Alaska
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- District of Columbia
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Iowa
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Maryland
- Maine
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Mississippi
- Montana
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- Nevada
- New York
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Vermont
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
National: U.S. Property Records hub →
Related Public Records
More California records: Court records · Criminal records · Wants & warrants · Vital records · Voter records · Licenses · Recorded docs
National view of this topic: All states: Property records
Property Records Databases
In California, recording is handled by the County Recorder.
Property Records
Geographic Info Systems (GIS) – City of Antioch, California
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Assessment and tax records covering California are published through this system. Searching the official side is free.
Survey | Lodi, CA
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One property corner of the surveyed property shall be tied to a minimum of two (2) found City G.P.S. Control Network Monuments of RS 37-50, SJCR. Maps shall include the following information:. Rotation of bearings relative to the City of Lodi G.P.S.
🌐 lodi.gov
California State Geoportal
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Discover, analyze and download data from California State Geoportal. Download in CSV, KML, Zip, GeoJSON, GeoTIFF or PNG. Find API links for GeoServices, WMS, and WFS. Analyze with charts and thematic maps. Take the next step and create StoryMaps and Web Maps.
City of Malibu - PublicAccess
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As the compliance officer for the Public Records Act, the City Clerk manages access to public records. The City of Malibu utilizes OnBase, a specialized software product that allows for the scanning and storage of City documents, as well as easy access to those documents by City staff and the public
Oakmead Tentative Parcel Map - City of Petaluma
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Assessment and tax records covering California are published through this system. If a link breaks, start from cityofpetaluma.org directly.
Map Gallery | Richmond, CA - Official Website
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Official public records resource for California. The office's own search beats aggregators for currency, if not always for convenience. The information comes straight from the office that creates the record, not a reseller.
Map Gallery - Information Services
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Property research in California starts here: parcels, assessments, and tax detail. It is an official government source.
Cart | Contra Costa County Treasurer and Tax Collector
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Assessment and tax records covering Contra Costa County are published through this system. It is an official government source.
Building Permits
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This map is a 'mashup' of Google Maps and building permit locations from the Building Permit module of the City of Davis SunGard Public Sector AS400 database. The data displayed on this map are from a copy of data on the AS400 and therefore not a live snapshot of current building permit records.
ArcGIS Enterprise - Fresno County Surveyor's Office Public
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The requested URL was rejected. Please consult with your administrator. Your support ID is: 14689880259426464802 [Go Back]
COUNTY OF FRESNO
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www2.co.fresno.ca.us - /0440/BidDocuments/ · [To Parent Directory] 4/23/2013 9:39 AM <dir> 020-4892 4/23/2013 9:47 AM <dir> 020-5095 4/23/2013 9:49 AM <dir> 020-5129 5/2/2013 7:52 AM <dir> 020-5154 6/5/2013 8:18 AM <dir> 020-5220 4/23/2013 9:15 AM <dir> 020-5225 6/19/2014 7:47 AM <dir> 020-5285.
Contact Us - Imperial County Assessor's Office
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Property assessment records for California. Records show assessed values, property characteristics, and several years of history. Values follow the reassessment cycle, so a recent sale may not show immediately.
Maps / Geographic Information System (GIS) | Lake County, CA
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You can check the zoning of your parcel or see your location's flood zone, soil type, natural hazards, and more on our Lake County Map Viewer.
Grantor/Grantee Search - web2 | Merced County
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Merced County Tax Collector records. Search for property and property tax bills, pay taxes online, or verify taxes paid.
Layer: County Boundary (ID: 5)
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View In: ArcGIS Online Map Viewer Name: County Boundary Display Field: OBJECTID Type: Feature Layer Geometry Type: esriGeometryPolygon Description: Boundary of the County of Napa developed using the California Government Code 23128 descriptions.
Geographic Information Systems | Nevada County, CA
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This portal provides many ways. our GIS data before you download it. Use the My Neighborhood app to explore property-related information such as address, valuation, and districts. Explore aerial imagery, data layers and more! More information and a Help Guide are available on this webpage.
Residents | Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
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View the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) interactive mapping to learn more about the location of the City. Future Plans Building upon the City’s history and upon the vision statement for the original Rancho Santa Margarita Planned Community, the Vision for the Future provides the foundation for the City’s long range land use plan.
Cityofredding
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{ "currentVersion": 10.81, "id":. "latestWkid": 2225 }, "copyrightText": "City of Redding GIS - \n\nPlease Contact:\nGIS Manager\n530.225.4391,\n 777 Cypress Ave ,\nRedding, California 96001", "parentLayer": { "id": 0, "name": "Water Distribution System" }, "subLayers": [],.
GIS Division
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The GIS program at the City of Redding was started in 1989. Utilizing a grant from the Office of Traffic Safety, a contract was issued by the Public Works Department to digitize and convert to GIS, the parcel base map and Traffic Control Device Inventory. In 1991, this two-year, two-phase project.
Parcel Maps
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The first step in the assessment process is to locate and identify all parcels of property. This is done through the use of assessor’s parcel maps. In Sacramento County, there are more than 9,500 assessor’s maps, representing almost 475,000 parcels of land. These maps cover the entire county, including all the cities as well as the unincorporated areas.
Planning Division | San Bernardino, CA
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The Planning Division is responsible for the implementation of the City's General Plan and Development Code. This division is also responsible for managing all Land Use Entitlements in accordance with the Subdivision Act, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and Planning, Zoning, and Development Laws.
Help Center | Treasurer & Tax Collector
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Don't forget to also file a FBN statement with the County Clerk. The Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector provides public access to Department public records as permitted by the San Francisco Sunshine Ordinance and the California Public Records Act.
SJC Assessment Map Viewer
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DISCLAIMER The sole purpose of the attached documents is for the assessment and collection of County property taxes. County makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability or authenticity of the information set forth in these documents.
Property Information Search - County of San Luis Obispo
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County of San Luis Obispo · The Assessor has many instructive pamphlets to provide property owners with information on all subjects related to property assessment. The office also has building record and appraisal information for current property owners
Free Parcel Report with Permit History
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PARCEL INFORMATION REPORT Enter Assessor's Parcel Number. View Report Parcel History Reports are FREE to print from your home or available for $30 at the Planning Department. The reports include permit history from 1985 to present. Enter the 8 - 11 digit parcel number (APN) without dashes or spaces.
Property Tax Information | Sierra County, CA - Official Website
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Call or email us for a copy if you have not received your tax bill by August 10. Late payments accrue 10% late penalty if paid through October 31st. If paid after October 31st, additional 1.5% per month plus cost of collection accrue. (Homes, Real Estate, Commercial Property, Mobile Homes, etc.)
Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Secured Annual Property Tax Bills | Solano County, California
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Assessment and tax records covering Solano County are published through this system. If a link breaks, the office homepage at solanocounty.gov carries the new path.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) - City of Vallejo, CA
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The City of Vallejo's Geographic Information System (GIS) is a computer-based tool that provides spatial data and maps to the public and City staff for mapping and analysis purposes.
Property Search
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Property assessment records for California. Researchers use these records to trace ownership when deed indexes are thin. Records show assessed values, property characteristics, and several years of history.
Ventura County Tax
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https://taxpayment.venturacounty.gov. Supplemental or Unsecured bills may not. Home. Cart (0). Payer Information. Tax Bill. Receipt. Payment History. Search.
GIS & Maps | City of West Sacramento
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The City's GIS program goals are. applications, and provide data to venders for citywide projects. This site is designed to allow the user to explore maps and information about the City of West Sacramento. Users will be able to locate information regarding parcels, zoning,.
Property Tax Delinquent if Not Paid by April 10 | News | Yolo County
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Property research in Yolo County starts here: parcels, assessments, and tax detail. Searching the official side is free.
Welcome to Yuba County, CA
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The Assessor's Office establishes and updates over 1100 maps for assessment purposes which delineate all locally assessed parcels of land in the county. Staff also maintains ownership information, mailing addresses, and taxable values. This and other information is available for review, and may be purchased through the Assessor's Office. This information is a synopsis of property tax rules and services offered by the Assessor's Office. You may call the Assessor's Office for more specific information. The information on this page reflects California assessment/taxation laws in effect.
🌐 yuba.gov
Search Assessor and Recorder Information | Alpine County, CA - Official Website
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The Assessor's Office does not publish property information such as values or ownership on this website due to the restraints of Government Code 6254.21. Some information is available from third party websites or you can search and view information at our public kiosk in the Administration building.
Search Page | Butte County | MBC
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On the right side, the Important. a date range for the tax bill, County website, phone number, and other relevant messages. You may have difficulty searching for your tax bill because your address on the deed may have been recorded with abbreviations.
Search Page | Calaveras County | MBC
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Please provide your search criteria and click the Search button. Review the Help section below for more information on how to locate your Assessment or Fee Parcel · To view a "specific" assessment, please enter the assessment number. This feature may not display all outstanding assessments.
Public Records Request | Diamond Bar, CA
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There is no fee for making a public records request. The City may, however, charge for the cost of duplication if a requester wishes to have a physical copy of records. To submit a public records request, complete the online form at http://edocs.diamondbarca.gov/Forms/PRR.
County Tax Retriever | Glenn County
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To view your bill online or for a copy of your secured or supplemental taxes, enter the Fee Number in the box above in the format shown above. You may view prior year information by clicking on the PREVIOUS BILLS button. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact our office. If you have questions about your bill please contact your local County's Tax Office.
Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor Public Portal
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Property assessment records for California. Pair it with the recorder's index — values here, the deeds themselves there. Values follow the reassessment cycle, so a recent sale may not show immediately.
Treasurer and Tax Collector – Los Angeles County
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Please note, for security purposes, we cannot disclose your PIN over the telephone, via email or fax. The PIN is found on the upper left-hand corner of Secured Property Tax Bills.” X. You are now leaving the County of Los Angeles Treasurer and Tax Collector website and linking to a website that may contain commercial advertising.
Traffic Counts | Los Angeles Department of Transportation
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LADOT’s traffic count data dates back to the early 1990’s. These counts are stored electronically on NavigateLA. See tutorial for accessing traffic counts on NavigateLA. Some pedestrian and bicycle count data can also be accessed on the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Active Transportation Database.
cityofmerced.gov
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Merced County GIS Maps https://geostack-mercedcounty.opendata.arcgis.com/ Find Merced County GIS maps, tax maps, and parcel viewers to search for and identify land and property records. Merced County Government GIS Maps https://www.countyofmerced.com/441/GIS-Services-and-Mapping Search Merced.
County Tax Retriever | Modoc County
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To change the mailing address on your tax bill(s), please email your fee parcel number(s) and new address to: Assessor@co.modoc.ca.us If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact our office. Cheryl Knoch Treasurer-Tax Collector. If you have questions about your bill please contact your local County's Tax Office.
Main Page | MBC
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ATTENTION! This is for historical purposes only and is not current data. Please select current roll year for current payment information. Search for current year taxes. ATTENTION! Payment hold exists on this Assessment, Please contact County Tax Collector Office for more details.
Search | napa County - MBAP
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To search by address, enter the. - for example "895 Howell Mountain Road" can be entered as "895 Howell". For questions about assessor parcel data please contact the Napa County Assessor assessor@countyofnapa.org.
Assessor - Sutter County, California
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Property assessment records for California. This office sets the values that property taxes are billed on, and its data is public in every state. Tax amounts and payment status typically link from the same record.
Sign in to City of Riverside, CA
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Official source for property records (sanjuancap.maps.arcgis.com).
Riverside County Assessor - County Clerk - Recorder
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Property assessment records for California. This office sets the values that property taxes are billed on, and its data is public in every state. Search by owner, address, or parcel number; nearby sales are usually a click away.
Assessor | San Benito County, CA
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The Assessor’s primary task is. the county and for preparing the regular and supplemental property tax rolls with integrity and fairness in accordance with the California Constitution and laws and regulations of the State of California and State Board of Equalization. The Assessor’s Office serves the taxpayers of San Benito County with.
SF PIM | Property Information Map | SF Planning
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Search for a San Francisco property and display a range of government held information about the property, e.g. parcel number, permit history, zoning, official address, zip code, taxable values, build date. Created by the San Francisco Planning Department.
Search Page | San Joaquin County | MBC
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On the right side, the Important. a date range for the tax bill, County website, phone number, and other relevant messages. You may have difficulty searching for your tax bill because your address on the deed may have been recorded with abbreviations.
ArcGIS Web Application
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Parcel mapping for California with ownership and assessment layers. Click any parcel for the ownership and assessment record tied to it. Printable map exports are standard for title and permit work.
Self-Service: Document Search
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Court case information for California. Juvenile, adoption, and sealed matters are excluded by rule everywhere. Try surname-only searches when a full name returns nothing; spelling variations are common.
County Tax Retriever | Tehama County | Parcel:001050002000
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Official public records resource for California. Staff at offices like this handle lookup questions daily — asking is normal. It is the authoritative source for this record type in its jurisdiction.
Thousand Oaks, CA
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Official public records resource for California. The information comes straight from the office that creates the record, not a reseller. Staff at offices like this handle lookup questions daily — asking is normal.
Public_Works/Curb_Ramps_FS (MapServer) - Dublin
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Parcel and valuation data for California — ownership, assessed values, and property characteristics. If a link breaks, the office homepage at gis.dublin.ca.gov carries the new path.
Hayward Web Map
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Find optimal business locations using powerful real estate search, demographic analysis, industry reports, and dynamic mapping tools.
General Plan & Zoning Information | The Los Gatos CA Official Site!
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Official public records resource for California. Older material may require an in-person visit or a mailed request. The jurisdiction's own terminology matters — use their record-type names when you ask.
Mapping Palmdale — Geographic Information Systems (GIS) | Palmdale, CA
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Palmdale’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provides the public access to a mapping system so that questions about property and the City can be answered quickly and efficiently. Geographical data in the form of maps, datasets, and reports can be used to make the decision-making process.
Maps of Santa Barbara | City of Santa Barbara
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Maps of parks, construction, historical properties, and more throughout the City of Santa Barbara.
Login > Login
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Official public records resource for California. Start here before paying any commercial site for the same information. Older material may require an in-person visit or a mailed request.
Property Information - City of Santa Ana
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By clicking on the property information button located below, you can check: Plan check status Permit history search For copies of permits, documents, and/or any public records requests Disclaimer This application is a public resource that provides a visual display of general information data for your convenience.
Property Info - City of Anaheim Planning Dept.
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This application was built by the GIS Division of the Finance Department.
COI GIS
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The City of Irvine GIS section is a team of geospatial professionals located in the Administrative Services department of the City. Composed of full and part time staff, our goal is to collect, analyze, and disseminate city-wide GIS.
ArcGIS Web Application
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Please note that creating presentations is not supported in Internet Explorer versions 6, 7. We recommend upgrading to the latest Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, or Firefox. If you are using IE 8 or later, make sure you turn off "Compatibility View"
California Counties
58 California counties are indexed on SearchSystems.net — top 28 counties shown below. Browse the full directory or click any county for local court, sheriff, recorder and assessor links.
Which California counties publish parcel and property data online
42 of California's 58 counties run their own online source for parcel and property data, based on what this directory indexes. Every other county is covered by the statewide systems listed above — click a county for its full records page.
Alameda Alpine Amador Calaveras Colusa Contra Costa Del Norte El Dorado Fresno Humboldt Inyo Kern Kings Lake Lassen Marin Mariposa Mendocino Merced Modoc Mono Monterey Napa Nevada Placer Plumas San Benito San Bernardino San Diego Santa Barbara Santa Clara Santa Cruz Shasta Sierra Siskiyou Solano Sonoma Sutter Tulare Tuolumne Yolo Yuba
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I search California property records?▼
In California, property records — including parcel data, assessed value, deeds, and tax history — are primarily maintained at the county level by each county's Assessor and Recorder. Statewide oversight and reporting are provided by the Official California Property Records at www.boe.ca.gov. See the cards below or the county page for direct local search links.
Is there a free statewide California property search?▼
California does not have a single statewide free property search; deed and assessment data are searched at the county level. The Official California Property Records publishes statewide property-tax rules and aggregate data at www.boe.ca.gov; for individual parcels, use the county assessor or recorder.
What's the difference between the Assessor and the Recorder in California?▼
The county Assessor determines property values for tax purposes and maintains the parcel roll. The county Recorder (sometimes Clerk-Recorder) records deeds, mortgages, liens, and other instruments affecting title. In some California countys these are combined offices; in others they're separate. The Official California Property Records at www.boe.ca.gov publishes the full list.
How do I find a California parcel ID (APN/PIN)?▼
Parcel identification numbers (APN, PIN, or parcel number depending on the county) are assigned by the county assessor. They appear on every tax bill and on the county's online property-search interface. Once you have the parcel ID you can look up assessed value, ownership history, and recorded documents through the county site; the statewide overview is at www.boe.ca.gov.
How do I challenge a California property assessment?▼
Assessment appeals in California are filed at the county level with the local assessment appeals board, typically within a deadline set after annual valuation notices are mailed. The Official California Property Records publishes the statewide rules, deadlines, and appeal forms at www.boe.ca.gov.