County recorders: notification.

Education Labor

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Seyarto
Last action: 2025-10-06
Official status: Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 351, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not specify an exact effective date for when counties must begin implementing these requirements.

County Recorders: Notification Requirements

This law requires county recorders to notify parties involved in real estate transactions within 30 days after the transaction is recorded and allows them to charge a fee for this service.

What This Bill Does

Requires each county recorder to establish a notification program by January 1, 2027.
Receives an authorizing resolution from the board of supervisors before implementing the program.
Notifies parties involved in real estate transactions (like deeds and mortgages) within 30 days after recording.
Allows recorders to charge a fee for notification services that covers their costs.
Exempts certain documents where state or local governments are involved.

Who It Names or Affects

County recorders who must implement the new program.
People and businesses involved in real estate transactions who will receive notifications.
Local government agencies, as they may be exempt from some requirements.

Terms To Know

Recorder Notification Program: A system set up by county recorders to inform parties about recorded documents within a specific timeframe.
Authorizing Resolution: A formal decision made by the board of supervisors that allows the recorder to start the notification program.

Limits and Unknowns

The law does not specify an effective date, so it is unclear when exactly counties must begin implementing these requirements.
Los Angeles County has special rules and may be exempt from some parts of this new requirement.

Bill History

2025-10-06 California Legislative Information
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 351, Statutes of 2025.
2025-10-06 California Legislative Information
Approved by the Governor.
2025-09-22 California Legislative Information
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11 a.m.
2025-09-11 California Legislative Information
Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2928.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
2025-09-09 California Legislative Information
Ordered to special consent calendar.
2025-09-03 California Legislative Information
In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
2025-09-02 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 77. Noes 0. Page 2818.) Ordered to the Senate.
2025-08-27 California Legislative Information
Ordered to third reading.
2025-08-27 California Legislative Information
Read third time and amended.
2025-08-21 California Legislative Information
Ordered to third reading.
2025-08-21 California Legislative Information
Action rescinded whereby bill was read third time, passed, and ordered to Senate.
2025-08-19 California Legislative Information
In Assembly. Held at Desk.
2025-08-18 California Legislative Information
Ordered to the Assembly.
2025-07-17 California Legislative Information
In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
2025-07-17 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 2595.) Ordered to the Senate.
2025-07-10 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar.
2025-07-09 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass. Ordered to consent calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (July 9).
2025-06-24 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (June 24). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-06-18 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (June 18). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
2025-06-09 California Legislative Information
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV.
2025-05-29 California Legislative Information
Referred to Coms. on L. GOV. and JUD.
2025-05-08 California Legislative Information
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
2025-05-08 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 1050.) Ordered to the Assembly.
2025-05-06 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar.
2025-05-05 California Legislative Information
From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to consent calendar.
2025-04-25 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing May 5.
2025-04-23 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 13. Noes 0. Page 833.) (April 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-04-04 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 22.
2025-04-03 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 637.) (April 2). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
2025-03-24 California Legislative Information
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV.
2025-03-24 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 2.
2025-03-13 California Legislative Information
March 19 hearing postponed by committee.
2025-03-04 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing March 19.
2025-02-14 California Legislative Information
Referred to Coms. on L. GOV. and JUD.
2025-02-04 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 6.
2025-02-03 California Legislative Information
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 255, Seyarto.
County recorders: notification.
Existing law establishes the office of county recorder and requires the county recorder to accept for recordation any instrument, paper, or notice that is authorized or required to be recorded, subject to the collection of specified fees. Existing law requires the county recorder to maintain various indices of specified documents and records.
Existing law authorizes the county recorder, following adoption of an authorizing resolution by the board of supervisors, within 30 days of recordation of a deed, quitclaim, or deed of trust, to notify by mail the party or parties executing the document. Existing law authorizes the recorder to require, as a condition of recording, that a deed, quitclaim, or deed of trust indicate the assessor’s identification number or numbers that fully contain the real property described in the
legal description, in accordance with a specified format. Existing law also authorizes the Los Angeles County Recorder, until January 1, 2030, and subject to authorization by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, to provide notice by mail to the party or parties subject to a notice of default or notice of sale of a property within a prescribed timeframe following recordation.
This bill would require, on or before January 1, 2027, each county within the state to establish a recorder notification
program and the board of supervisors of each county to adopt an authorizing resolution for these purposes. Pursuant to the
program and following the adoption of an authorizing resolution, the county recorder, or a designee authorized by the county board of supervisors, would be required, within 30 days of recordation of a deed, quitclaim deed, mortgage, or deed of trust, to notify the parties executing the document by mail in accordance with certain procedures. The bill would also authorize the county recorder, in addition to the mailed notice, to establish an electronic notification program. The bill would create an exemption from these requirements for the recordation of certain documents where a state or local government is the grantee. The bill would also authorize the county recorder to collect a fee from the party filing the deed, quitclaim deed, mortgage, or deed of trust in an amount that does not exceed the reasonable costs of services of the county to comply with these provisions. The bill would create an exception from these requirements for the above-described notification program
for the County of Los Angeles. By imposing new duties on county officials and employees, the bill would create a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Current Bill Text

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