Office of the Assessor-Recorder Announces Updated Fees For Purchasing Copies of Recorded Documents

For Immediate Release
Date: Thursday, May 9, 2024
Contact: assessor@sfgov.org

OFFICE OF THE ASSESSOR-RECORDER ANNOUNCES UPDATED FEES FOR PURCHASING COPIES OF RECORDED DOCUMENTS

***Public Service Announcement***

San Francisco, CA – Beginning on May 12, 2024, the Office of the Assessor-Recorder will implement an updated fee structure for purchasing copies of recorded documents.

The Office of the Assessor-Recorder last updated fees for purchasing records in 1998. Since that time the systems and practices used to provide copies of recorded documents have changed significantly. The updates reflect current business practices and the costs of a modern system that provides copies of recorded documents to the public. This results in lower fees for online, self-service purchases and a modest increase in charge for requests that are processed by Assessor-Recorder staff.

The updates to our Office’s fee structure are as follows:

• A self-service fee of $1.76 per document for those purchasing records from the Office’s online database consisting of all recorded documents from 1990-present.
• A fee of $9.44 for the first page of a document and $0.38 for each additional page for those purchasing records with assistance from the Office’s staff.

The majority of constituents who purchase official records will now pay less under the updated fee structure, as two-thirds of all copy requestors, more than 5,200 constituents, utilize the self-service online portal. The lower cost represents the Office’s continued efforts to increase accessibility of recorded documents for public benefit as one of the only county recorders in California that provides the option for immediate purchase and download of recorded documents online. In the last few years, the Office has digitized over 7 million records for access via the online portal, with 1.5 million additional records in progress.

The updated fee structure is informed by an analysis conducted by the Controller’s Office on behalf of and in partnership with the Office of the Assessor-Recorder, which included best practices research, a time and motion study and a fee model based on the actual costs to provide copies of recorded documents.

State law allows county recorders to set fees for copies of recorded documents. The legislation updating the Office’s copy fees was approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and signed into law by Mayor London N. Breed.

About the Office of the Assessor-Recorder
The Office of the Assessor-Recorder's mission is to fairly and accurately identify and assess all taxable property in San Francisco, and record, secure, and provide access to property, marriage and other records.