San Diego County, California Recording Fees
Recording a deed in San Diego County costs about $17 and a mortgage about $62 (a 2-page deed at San Diego's standard first-page rate ($14 + $3 = $17, a deed is not one of the titles associated with the higher fraud-fee rate) and a 16-page deed of trust at the 'fraud fee' first-page rate ($17 + 15 x $3 = $62; a Deed of Trust is one of the titles subject to the higher first-page fee under Gov. Code Sec. 27388(a)(1)). Both are assumed SB2-exempt as part of a routine purchase-money closing.), per the San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk's fee schedule, effective 2025-07-01. San Diego builds its real-estate-fraud fee (Gov. Code Sec. 27388) directly into a higher first-page rate rather than a separate line item: $14 first page for titles NOT associated with the fraud fee, $17 first page for titles that ARE (Deed of Trust, Notice of Trustee Sale, Assignment of Deed of Trust, Reconveyance, Notice of Default, Substitution of Trustee, Request for Notice, Notice of Rescission of Declaration of Default); $3 for each additional page either way.
Fee schedule
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Deed, first page | $14 |
| Deed, each additional page | $3 |
| Mortgage, first page | $17 |
| Mortgage, each additional page | $3 |
| SB 2 Building Homes and Jobs Act Fee per transaction, capped at $225; exempt for documents excluded under Gov. Code Sec. 27388.1, including a deed subject to Documentary Transfer Tax and documents recorded concurrently with such a transfer | $75 |
County transfer tax
San Diego County levies only the base countywide Documentary Transfer Tax ($0.55 per $500, listed in the county's own fee schedule under RTC 11911; Ordinance 9889), which is the same state-uniform base rate already captured in data/transfer/california.json's state block. No separate San Diego County surtax was found; unincorporated-area sales pay only the base rate, and any city-level add-on inside San Diego County (e.g., the City of San Diego) would be a city, not a county, tax and is not covered by this county file. California transfer tax →
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to record a deed in San Diego County?
$14 for the first page and $3 for each additional page, about $17 for a typical deed, per the San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk's fee schedule.
And the mortgage?
$17 for the first page and $3 per additional page, about $62 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.
San Diego County closing costs → San Diego County home buyer guide →
Fees as published by the recorder; e-recording and courier charges may apply. General information, not legal advice.
San Diego County overview