Recording Requirements

Important Notice

Under California law, members of the Mono County Clerk - Recorder’s Office staff are prohibited from providing legal advice.  This prohibition includes offering any guidance as to what processes must be undertaken, how to complete the forms, or determining what forms are required in order to make any change in the title to real property.

General Information

Certain requirements apply to almost any document(s) you want to record.

Please make sure to take these requirements into consideration as you prepare your document(s) for recording in order to facilitate timely recording of your document(s) and to avoid unnecessary penalties at recording time.

Please Note: Depending on the type of document, additional requirements may apply.

The Recorder's Office does not have forms and cannot provide advice on how a document should be completed.
The Sacramento Law Library is a free resource for many forms

Not all documents can be recorded. Only those that are authorized by law can be recorded. Examples of typical documents that can be recorded are:

• Real Property Records (deeds, leases, notice of completion)
• Maps (subdivisions, parcel maps, surveys)
• Mining Claim Records (notice of location, proof of labor, affidavit of annual assessment)
• Military Discharge Records
• Declarations of Homestead
• Mechanic's Liens
• Federal, State and County Tax Liens
• Financing Documents (trust deeds, notice of default, reconveyances, financing statements)

Examples of documents that cannot be recorded:

• Negotiable Instruments
• Stocks & Bonds
• Money
• Wills
• Vital Records
• Passports
• Copyrights
• Citizenship Papers
• Trademarks

General Recording Requirements

Each document presented for recording must include or comply with the following general requirements:

• The property must be located in Mono County (Civil Code Section 1169).
• The document must be authorized or required by law to be recorded (Government Code Section 27201).
• Documents transferring title must contain the Assessor's Parcel Number (APN) and must be accompanied by a Preliminary Change of Ownership Report (Revenue & Taxation Code Section 11911.1). 
• The entire document, including the notary seal, must be legible enough to produce a readable photographic record. (Government Code Sections 27201, 27361.6, 27361.7, and 8207)
• Names must be printed or typed under all signatures and business names. (Government Code Section 27280.5)
• Documents shall be identified as to type. (Government Code Section 27324)
• Names of parties to be indexed must be contained in the document. (Government Code Section 27280.5)
• The document must be submitted with the proper fees and taxes. (Government Code Sections 6103, 27201, 27261)
• The document must be in compliance with state and local laws. (Government Code Section 27201)
• The document should name the person requesting recording. (Government Code Section 27361.6)
• Document should state the name and address to whom the document should be returned. Fill in "Recording Requested By and Mail To". (Government Code Section 27361.6)
• Signatures must be original unless the document is a certified copy issued by the appropriate custodian of the public record. (Government Code Section 27201(b))
• Documents affecting title to real property must be properly acknowledged, unless exempt. (California requires an all-purpose acknowledgment). (Government Code Section 27201, 27285, 27287, 27288, 27289, and Civil Code Section 1189)

Be advised the following documents require an Assessor's Parcel Number (APN)(Revenue & Taxation Code Section 11911.1):

• Affidavit of Death
• All Deeds
• Deeds of Trust
• Notice of Default
• Notice of Trustee's Sale
• Trustee's Deed Upon Sale
• Notice of Rescission of Notice of Default