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
If you are unsure if your document meets all requirements, you are more than welcome to email us a copy of your document to review before you mail your document in, to make sure it meets recording requirements and provide a fee estimate upon request. Email us at clerkrecorder@mono.ca.gov.
Re-recording Requirements
Pursuant to GC 27201(c)(1) through (c)(2), effective January 1, 2017, each instrument, paper, or notice that is rerecorded shall be executed and acknowledged or verified as a new document, in addition to any previous execution and acknowledgment or verification, unless any of the following apply:
A. The instrument, paper, or notice is otherwise exempted by Section 27287 or any other law.
B. The instrument, paper, or notice is presented solely to correct a recording sequence. The intent of the parties with regard to the priority of recorded documents shall be controlling regardless of the sequence of recording by a county recorder or the sequence of recording specified in instructions given by a submitter to a county recorder. This subparagraph is declaratory of existing law, and any rerecording of documents to change the sequential numbers assigned to a document by the recorder shall not require the document to be executed and acknowledged or verified as a new document.
C. The instrument, paper, or notice is presented solely to make a minor correction with a corrective affidavit. The corrective affidavit shall satisfy all of the following:
- Be attached to the original recorded instrument, paper, or notice.
- Set out the information corrected.
- Be certified by the party submitting the affidavit under penalty of perjury.
- Be acknowledged pursuant to Section 27287.
For purposes of item C, “minor correction” includes any of the following:
- An incorrect or missing address of the party to which the instrument, paper, or notice is to be returned following recording pursuant to Section 27361.6.
- A clarification of illegible text pursuant to Section 27361.7.
- An incorrect or missing printed or typed name of an individual or entity near the signature pursuant to Section 27280.5.
- An incorrect or missing documentary transfer tax amount due pursuant to Section 11932 of the Revenue and Taxation Code. Each rerecorded instrument, paper, or notice shall include a cover sheet that complies with Section 27361.6 and shall state the reason for rerecording on the cover sheet.
