Alameda County, California Recording Fees
Recording a deed in Alameda County costs about $92 and a mortgage about $144 (a 2-page deed ($89 + $3 = $92, a grant deed is not on the Real Estate Fraud Prosecution list and is exempt from SB2 as subject to Documentary Transfer Tax) and a 16-page deed of trust ($89 + 15 x $3 = $134, plus the $10 Real Estate Fraud Prosecution fee since a Deed of Trust is on that list = $144; assumed SB2-exempt as recorded concurrently with the DTT-subject deed)), per the Alameda County Clerk-Recorder (Auditor-Controller/Clerk-Recorder)'s fee schedule, effective 2024-01-01. Alameda's base first-page fee is unusually high at $89 (versus $12-$20 in most other California counties), reflecting local add-on fees layered onto the Gov. Code Sec. 27361 base under Alameda County Resolution 93-929 and Ordinance 2005-51.
Fee schedule
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Deed, first page | $89 |
| Deed, each additional page | $3 |
| Mortgage, first page | $89 |
| Mortgage, each additional page | $3 |
| SB 2 Building Homes and Jobs Act Fee per title, capped at $225 per transaction; unless exempted by statute (standard concurrent-DTT-transfer exemption) | $75 |
| Real Estate Fraud Prosecution fee per title, in addition to recording fees, on a listed set of documents including a Deed of Trust, Quitclaim Deed, Reconveyance, Notice of Default, etc.; the county's schedule does not state a concurrent-recording exemption for this fee the way some other CA counties do, so it is treated here as applying to the deed of trust | $10 |
| Survey Monument Preservation Fund only for certain grant deeds; excluded from the typical total | $10 |
Alameda County closing costs → California transfer tax → Alameda County home buyer guide →
County transfer tax
Alameda County levies only the base countywide Documentary Transfer Tax. A home inside the City of Oakland or the City of Berkeley owes that city's own transfer tax in addition. There is no countywide Alameda County surtax. California transfer tax →
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to record a deed in Alameda County?
$89 for the first page and $3 for each additional page, about $92 for a typical deed, per the Alameda County Clerk-Recorder (Auditor-Controller/Clerk-Recorder)'s fee schedule.
And the mortgage?
$89 for the first page and $3 per additional page, about $144 for a typical mortgage or deed of trust. The buyer pays this at closing.
Sources
Figures are computed from the documents above and rounded to the dollar. All sources.
Alameda County closing costs → Alameda County home buyer guide →
Fees as published by the recorder; e-recording and courier charges may apply. General information, not legal advice.
Alameda County overview