County Clerk Recorder 

Recorder Announcement

Collection of Senate Bill 2 - Building Homes and Jobs Act

$75 fee

The California Legislature passed and the Governor signed Senate Bill 2, Chapter 2.5 of the Statutes of 2017 changing that effective January 1, 2018, recordable documents may be charged a fee to support the Building Homes and Jobs Act.

The bill imposes a mandate on County Recorders to charge an additional $75 at the time of recording every real estate instrument, paper, or notice required or permitted by law to be recorded, except those expressly exempt from payment of recording fees, per each transaction per parcel of real property, not to exceed $225.

Documents believed to be exempt from paying the $75 Building Homes and Jobs Act fee must have an exemption on the face of the document when submitted for recording. The following exemptions which may apply include:

• Govt Code 27388.1 (a) (2) - documents recorded concurrently "in connection with" a transfer subject to the documentary transfer tax (DTT);
• Govt Code 27388.1 (a) (2) - documents recorded concurrently "in connection with" a transfer of real property that is an owner occupied residential dwelling;
• Govt Code 27388.1 (a) (1) - documents recorded concurrently "in connection with" a transfer in which fee cap of $225 has been already reached; or,
• Govt Code 27388.1 (a) (1) - documents not related to real property.
• Govt Code 27388.1 (a) (1) - document is "expressly exempt from payment of recording fees."

Failure to declare an exemption before the document is submitted for recording will result in the imposition of the $75 Building Homes and Jobs Act fee.  Fees collected are deposited to the state and may not be available for refund.

If you would like to add an exemption to a prepared document, we will provide upon request an SB2 exemption cover-sheet listing the applicable exemptions which may be added to the face of your document. Please be aware, an additional page recording fee of $3 will apply. Exemption cover-sheets must be completed and attached to documents requesting an exemption before the document is submitted for recording in order to avoid the imposition of the $75 Building Homes and Jobs Act fee.

We've prepared and made available a fee grid describing w the fee will be implemented in Humboldt County. The fee grid does not include the usual existing recording fees. The notes at the bottom of the fee grid further define how the Recorder's Office will interpret "parcel" and "transaction."

We will provide further updates when possible but we would like to offer this information for those that need to prepare closing disclosures for transactions following December 31, 2017.

Kelly Sanders, Humboldt County Clerk Recorder

SB2 Building Homes and Jobs Act forms:

SB2 fee grid

SB2 exemption cover-sheet

SB2 Frequently asked questions

Building homes & jobs act parcel declaration form
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Clerk Recorder Fee Change Notice

Various Clerk Recorder fees will be changing on January 1st, 2018.  If your documents will be arriving in the office on or after January 1st, they are subject to 2018 Clerk Recorder fees.  To assure your documents are recorded or filed in a timely manner, please calculate your fees accordingly. 

2018 Clerk Recorder fee schedule

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Responsibilities

The Clerk-Recorder's Office records or files various authorized documents and maps, collects transfer tax and other fees, and registers all births, deaths, and public marriages occurring within Humboldt County. Once recorded or filed, the documents and certificates are made available for examination within the office for interested parties.  Exact copies are issued, upon payment of proper fees, by mail or in person in the office.  
   

• 2018 clerk recorder fee schedule 
• Record a document 
• Recording process time and return
• Basic recording requirements 
• Documentary transfer tax table
• Recording tips
• Apply for a marriage license
• Obtain a certified copy of birth, death, or marriage
• Clerk functions
• Real estate forms   
• SB2 fee grid
• SB2 exemption cover-sheet
• SB2 frequently asked questions
• Building homes and jobs act parcel declaration