San Bernardino County Recorder: Search Deeds, Liens and Official Property Records
The San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk maintains the county’s official recorded-document index for deeds, deeds of trust, reconveyances, liens, releases, easements, notices, maps and many other recordable instruments.
The biggest thing a first-time researcher should understand is that San Bernardino County’s online Recorder system is primarily an index. It tells you which document was recorded, its document number, date, title and indexed grantor/grantee names. It does not provide unrestricted online viewing of the actual recorded deed image through the public index.
What Are You Trying to Do?
Address → APN → Owner → Recorder Index → Document Number → Copy
Which San Bernardino County Website Should You Open?
The Online Recorder Search Is an Index — Not a Free Deed Image Viewer
The county’s Official Public Records page currently says the online Document Search covers 1925 to the present.
Indexed entries include:
How to Search the San Bernardino County Recorder Index
How to Find a Deed When You Only Know the Property Address
San Bernardino County explicitly says the Recorder-County Clerk does not maintain its official-records index as an ownership search by street address.
Use the Assessor first to identify the parcel/APN and owner carried for assessment purposes.
How to Trace Prior Owners Using Grantor and Grantee Records
San Bernardino County’s Property Research guide provides a useful method for tracing a property backward through recorded ownership.
How to Research San Bernardino County Records Before 1958
San Bernardino County Historical Archives maintains historically significant county records, including materials predating 1958.
The county also says Assessor Lot/Parcel Books survive from 1895 to approximately 1950. These can show taxpayer names, legal-description information and historic land/improvement values.
How to Order a San Bernardino County Deed Copy
How to Record a Deed in San Bernardino County
Recording a deed is more than paying the first-page recording charge. The document can involve notary requirements, a Preliminary Change of Ownership Report, documentary transfer tax, Building Homes and Jobs Act fees, restrictive-covenant modification fees or exemptions, fraud fees, multiple-title charges and other statutory fees.
Preliminary Change of Ownership Report (PCOR)
California law generally requires the buyer/transferee to file a Preliminary Change of Ownership Report with the Recorder when recording a document that results in a change in ownership of real property.
San Bernardino County Documentary Transfer Tax
The Recorder currently states that Documentary Transfer Tax is due on taxable conveyances exceeding $100 at a rate of $0.55 per $500 or fractional portion of real-property value, excluding liens and encumbrances already of record.
San Bernardino Recorder Notary Acknowledgment Checklist
Recorder Page and Cover-Sheet Requirements
San Bernardino County Recording Fees: Why the Final Amount Varies
Those numbers are only the starting point. A real deed or other document can also be affected by:
- Documentary Transfer Tax;
- Building Homes and Jobs Act fees or exemptions;
- Restrictive Covenant Modification fees or exemptions;
- Real Estate Fraud fee;
- Survey Monument fee;
- multiple document titles;
- PCOR-related additional fee;
- involuntary lien notice charges;
- nonconforming pages or cover sheets; and
- other document-specific statutory charges.
Recording a Document at the Hall of Records
How to Record by Mail
- Mailing address
-
San Bernardino County Recorder
222 W. Hospitality Lane, 1st Floor
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0022
What Is a Conformed Copy?
A conformed copy is a photocopy you prepare from the completed document and present at recording.
For the applicable fee, the Recorder examiner adds the recording information, including the document number and recording date, to the customer’s copy.
Paid Off a Deed of Trust? Search for a Full Reconveyance
Paying off financing does not normally create a new ownership deed. In California, a deed of trust is commonly released through a Full Reconveyance or related recorded instrument.
How to Check a San Bernardino County Lien
A lien-search result should be treated as the beginning of the research, not as an instruction to immediately send money.
What Happens When Certain Documents Are Recorded Against Your Property?
San Bernardino County operates a Real Estate Fraud Prevention Courtesy Notification Program with the District Attorney.
For certain types of property recordings, including deeds and other transaction-related instruments, the county can mail an informational letter to the prior property owner with the first two pages of the newly recorded document.
Recorder Forms Available from San Bernardino County
The county’s Forms & Fees library currently includes many Recorder-specific templates. Examples include:
San Bernardino County Map Recording
Tract, parcel and official map recording uses a specialized Recorder workflow rather than the ordinary deed counter.
- appointment required at the Hall of Records main office;
- map questions: MapDesk@arc.sbcounty.gov;
- first recorded map page: $11;
- each additional page: $2;
- conformed map copy: $10 per map.
Recorder Image & Index Subscription Service
San Bernardino County also offers a paid image/index data subscription intended for recurring users who need bulk or professional access.
Recorder vs Assessor vs Tax Collector vs Court
San Bernardino County Recorder Offices
Hall of Records — Recorder-Clerk
- Address
-
222 W. Hospitality Lane
1st Floor
San Bernardino, CA 92415 - Phone
- 909-387-8306
- Toll Free
- 855-732-2575
- Hours
- 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
- Services
- Document recording, official records, vital records, marriage and other Recorder-Clerk services.
High Desert Government Center — Recorder-Clerk
- Address
-
15900 Smoke Tree Street
1st Floor
Hesperia, CA 92345 - Phone
- 909-387-8306
- Hours
-
8:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
12:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. - Midday closure
- 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Local Tips That Save Time and Avoid Bad Searches
Buying Property in San Bernardino County? Check More Than the Latest Deed
County-CAD.us Research Standards
See how official county and state sources are verified.
Read Sources & MethodologyReview verification, correction and update standards.
Read Editorial PolicyTell us when an official portal, fee or office detail changes.
Contact County-CAD.usUnderstand the limits of independent public-record guidance.
Read DisclaimerOfficial Sources Used for This Guide
Used for 1925-present index coverage, document fields, copy workflow, copy fees and in-person viewing rules.
Open Official RecordsUsed for index limitations and spelling-variation search guidance.
Open Self-ServiceUsed for grantor/grantee chain-of-title research and the 1958-present workflow.
Open Property ResearchUsed for address/APN starting workflow and assessment-record limitations.
Open Assessor Property InformationUsed for PCOR, notary acknowledgment, DTT, filing, appointment and payment instructions.
Open Document RecordingUsed for page formatting, fraud fee, survey monument, DTT, SB2, restrictive-covenant fees and PCOR logic.
Open Fee CalculatorUsed to verify current Recorder form availability.
Open Forms & FeesUsed for pre-1958 historical-record routing and archive service status.
Open Historical ArchivesUsed for San Bernardino and Hesperia office addresses and hours.
Open Hall of RecordsUsed for the courtesy-notification program and fraud complaint route.
Open DA Fraud ResourcesSan Bernardino County Recorder FAQs
1. How do I search San Bernardino County deeds online?
Open the San Bernardino County Recorder-Clerk Self-Service Portal through the official ARC website. Accept the disclaimer, then search using grantor/grantee names, document number, document title and date information. Try spelling variations when necessary. The public online system is an index, so save the document number and obtain the actual record when you need to review its contents.
2. Can I search the San Bernardino County Recorder by property address?
The Recorder states that its official-record index does not provide property ownership searching by street address. Start with the San Bernardino County Assessor Property Information service, identify the APN and owner carried for assessment purposes, then search that owner in the Recorder’s grantor/grantee index and verify the legal description.
3. How far back does the San Bernardino County Recorder online index go?
The county’s Official Public Records page currently states that its broad Document Search covers 1925 to the present. A separate Property Research guide describes grantor/grantee chain research from 1958 to the present. For earlier or more complex historical research, contact San Bernardino County Historical Archives.
4. Can I view San Bernardino County deed images online for free?
The county states that the public Official Records search is an index only and does not provide unrestricted online viewing of the actual document images. Document contents can be reviewed at the San Bernardino or Hesperia Recorder-Clerk offices, or copies can be ordered through the official copy service.
5. How much does a San Bernardino County deed copy cost?
The current public Official Records page lists $4 for the first page and $1.50 for each subsequent page. A Certificate Under Seal is listed at $1.50 per page. Online card orders currently include a 3.5% surcharge, and mail charges may also apply.
6. How much does it cost to record a deed in San Bernardino County?
There is no single reliable total for every deed. The county currently publishes a $14 first-page title charge, $24 where the Real Estate Fraud fee applies, and $3 for additional pages, but documentary transfer tax, Building Homes and Jobs Act fees, restrictive-covenant fees, survey monument fees, PCOR charges and other statutory items can change the total. Use the official Recorder Fee Calculator before filing.
7. What is the Preliminary Change of Ownership Report and do I need it?
The Preliminary Change of Ownership Report, or PCOR, is generally filed by the buyer/transferee when recording a document that changes ownership of real property. San Bernardino County states that failing to submit a required PCOR with the recording adds a $20 fee. The Assessor uses the information to evaluate the ownership change and reassessment.
8. What should I search after paying off a San Bernardino County mortgage?
Search the Recorder’s later records for a Full Reconveyance, release, Substitution of Trustee and Full Reconveyance or another instrument connected to the original Deed of Trust. Paying off a mortgage does not normally create a new ownership deed.
9. What should I do if I receive a suspicious lien or deed notice?
Do not send money or personal information immediately. Search the recording independently through the official ARC Recorder index, obtain the actual document when necessary, and verify the sender. San Bernardino County has warned about deceptive lien-payment letters and operates a Real Estate Fraud Unit through the District Attorney for suspected fraudulent property transactions.
10. Where is the San Bernardino County Recorder’s Office?
The main Hall of Records Recorder-Clerk office is at 222 W. Hospitality Lane, 1st Floor, San Bernardino, CA 92415. The main phone number is 909-387-8306 and the toll-free number is 855-732-2575. The office currently lists public hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The High Desert Government Center Recorder-Clerk is at 15900 Smoke Tree Street, 1st Floor, Hesperia, CA 92345.
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