Frequently Asked Questions

It is not required to have an attorney to record documents. However, if you are unsure of what documents you need to record or how they may affect your property, it may be in your best interest to have the assistance of an attorney, paralegal, or document preparer to ensure you are recording the correct documents.

We do not have any divorce records. Those records are kept by the Shasta County Superior Courts. You can visit their website by clicking the previous link to find more information on how you can obtain those records.

You must obtain a marriage license before the ceremony. We do not issue the marriage licenses, but you can obtain a marriage license from the Shasta County Clerk before your marriage ceremony. They are located at 1643 Market Street, Redding, CA and you can call them at 530-225-5730 or visit the County Clerk page.

We do not supply any blank recording forms except for Restrictive Covenant Modifications which is provided per Government Code 12956.2.

Come into our office and do an official record search under your name and find all the documents recorded in which you were a grantor or grantee. Also search under any other names, forms of your name, or business names that the liens could be recorded under. You may view the documents to determine which are liens and which are releases of liens.

Wills are not recorded with the Recorder’s office. Please contact the Shasta County Superior Courts to see if they can assist you.

If you were born in Shasta County, we can get your adopted birth certificate only. Original (pre-adoption) certificates are sealed and you must petition the court to have it unsealed.

The Shasta County District Attorney’s Office can assist you with any questions or concerns about your property and real estate fraud. Please click on the previous link to access their page regarding real estate fraud and how they can be of assistance.

Our records only reflect documents submitted for recording by other people, companies, and agencies. If you paid off a lien and no release has been recorded, you have to contact that person, company, or agency who placed the lien against you to get them to record a release.

A document titled Reconveyance or Substitution of Trustee and Reconveyance is the document typically recorded when the property has been paid in full. It is uncommon for a new deed to be issued or recorded.

While they are providing a service, the price they are charging is much greater than if you bought a copy directly from our office. For example, a two-page deed is $5 for a regular copy and $7.50 for a certified copy. View our copy fees. You may also have the original document in your possession if it was returned to you after recording.

We do not maintain property files. We deal with recorded documents which are maintained by document number and grantor-grantee name. You can usually trace ownership history by viewing deeds as described in Searching Information. There is no specific county agency that would have all types of records (deeds, easements, etc.) in one file per property. Title companies may be used to search this type of information, if appropriate.

Due to conflicts of interest, we do not have notary services in our office.

We do not report to credit agencies, nor can we intervene on the behalf of an individual disputing their credit profile. You may dispute errors in your credit record with the credit bureau that is reporting them. Contact the bureau involved to initiate the dispute process. The three largest bureaus are: Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union. Documents recorded in our office are public record and are available for search by any interested parties.

We are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm excluding holidays. Please view our annual holiday schedule

What are the hours for recording documents?

We record documents daily during our regular business hours, but we do need you to be here by 4:30 pm so we have enough time to thoroughly examine the document(s) before it can be recorded.

Does the Recorder's office close during lunch?

We do not close for the lunch hour.

No, we only have records for births and deaths that occurred in Shasta County and marriage licenses issued in Shasta County. For marriages issued outside Shasta County, you must contact the county in which the license was issued. Call the Recorder in the county in which the birth or death occurred or where the marriage license was issued to find out how you can get your record. In most cases, you have options that do not require a visit.

Deeds are used to transfer title of real property. This is typically done at the time of purchase. There may be other instances where a deed is also recorded. Deeds are “title” document and do not look like the title you get with a motor vehicle. Deeds of Trust are loan documents (mortgages) recorded to secure the promissory note.

Yes. Please reach out to Shasta County Public Health-Vital Statistics at 530-225-5063 for more information or click on the previous link to visit their webpage.

1450 Court Street, Suite 208, Redding, CA. We are directly north of the courthouse.

Government Code Section 6254.21 prohibits state and local agencies from posting documents with addresses of government officials on the Internet without the official's express written permission. If you wish this law to be changed, please contact your state legislator.

After all processing is complete, the Recorder's Office sends recorded documents back to the party listed in the upper left corner of the document. By law, we must send it to the name and address listed on that area of the document. If you are expecting a recorded document to be returned to you, and have not received it yet, it may be for the following reasons:

  • We are still processing it. After recording, we undertake many steps to ensure the integrity of our records and to be sure that all records are properly stored for archival purposes. Documents are being mailed back approximately two weeks after recording. 
  • It was never recorded. If another party was supposed to record the document for you, it is possible there was a problem, and it was never recorded. You may go to the Online Official Records Index and enter your name in the Grantor/Grantee search to make sure the document was recorded. If you do not find it, check with the party that should have recorded it for you.
  • Your name and address was not in the upper left corner. By law, we may only mail to that address. If someone else prepared the document, they may have put a different name and address on the document in that spot. Please check with that party.
  • You moved during the processing time or the address was incorrect. We do keep returned mail here for a period of time, so if you have checked the other items mentioned, we may have it here. You may call our main office number to inquire.
  • The document was recorded electronically. When a document is recorded electronically versus in paper, the burden of returning that document is on the submitter. Please reach out to this party to find the status of your document.

The Shasta County Recorder does not create liens. Various taxing agencies prepare and record liens and releases with our department which is why our name appears on your credit report. You will need to view or obtain a copy of the lien to locate the agency placing the lien against you. You may then speak to the agency about the lien. It is important that you review our records for a recorded release of lien, as credit reporting agencies sometimes fail to include them on your credit report. If you locate a release, you may wish to provide a certified copy to the credit bureau to have it reported as released.

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