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Real Estate Records
Los Angeles County

Homes in Venice, Los Angeles, California. Photo courtesy of Skeeze via Pixabay.com.


NOTE: Information that follows is from the Los Angeles County Register-Recorder/County Clerk.
All questions, not answered here, should be directed to the Register-Recorder/County Clerk.

Los Angeles County Real Estate Records Information: (800) 201-8999


Real estate records for Los Angeles County are available from as far back as 1850 (when California achieved statehood) through the present-day. The records must have been filed with the Property Document Recording Services of the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. Anyone may search for and purchase copies of real estate records in the files of the county recorder. All records may be freely viewed in person and copies may be purchased at the offices of the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. Copies may also be purchased online, by mail, and by fax.

Los Angeles County maintains its real estate records in alphabetical indexes by name and year in which the document was recorded.

VIEW & OBTAIN REAL ESTATE RECORDS IN PERSON

Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Office, Norwalk

Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Office in Norwalk. Photo from Google Maps, Copyright 2017 Google.

You may freely view real estate records in person at the offices of the Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk in Norwalk, located at:

12400 Imperial Highway
Room 2207
Norwalk, CA 90650

For records dating from 1958 through present-day, visit Room 2207. Office hours are Monday–Friday (except holidays) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On the third Thursday of every month, the Norwalk office remains open until 7 p.m. for real property searches and copy requests only. Document recording services are not available during these extended hours.

For older records dating from 1850 through 1957, visit Room LL001. Office hours are Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Fees charged for copies of records are listed below. Each page in a copied record incurs a charge.

VIEW & OBTAIN REAL ESTATE RECORDS ONLINE

Online Request

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Because California law prohibits public agencies from posting online the home addresses of elected or appointed officials without their written permission (California Government Code, Section 6254.21) and the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk cannot guarantee that such information would not be inadvertently posted online, the office does not make real estate records available for viewing on its website.

Nevertheless, Los Angeles County real estate records may be searched online for a fee through independent, privately-operated information provider LexisNexis. Real estate records from 1850 through present-day are available. Their fees are non-refundable.

Do an Online Search in Lexis-Nexis.

Lexis-Nexis Gateway Webpage

Online requests for copies of real estate records recorded with the Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk are accepted through VitalChek Network, Inc., also an independent company. VitalChek charges their own fee for this service in additional to fees charged by the county recorder. All major credit cards are accepted. Fees charged for copies of records are listed below. Each page in a copied record incurs a charge.

Orders made online with a credit card are returned by regular mail, unless requested via UPS Expedited Mail. An additional fee of $18.50 is charged for expedited delivery.

All pages in any real estate record requested are included with the request. Individual pages may not be requested separately.

If there is no record found for a requested real estate record, a "No Record Statement" is issued.

Place a Request Online.

VitalChek Website

OBTAIN REAL ESTATE RECORDS BY MAIL

Request by Mail

Los Angeles Almanac Photo.

Real Estate records recorded with the county may be obtained directly from the Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk through a mail request. The request should be mailed to:

Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
Real Estate Records
P.O. Box 1130
Norwalk, CA 90651-1130

Include the following information in your written request:

  • Title of the document
  • Names listed on the document
  • Year the document was recorded
  • Daytime phone number where you may be reached
  • Check made payable to the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk

NOTE: May we suggest here that, before sending in a mail request, it may be worthwhile to first determine, if not already known, what specific record(s) exists to request (including names listed and recording year), either in person (see section above, "View & Obtain Real Estate Records In Person") or online through Lexis-Nexis (see section above, "View & Obtain Real Estate Records Online").


Fees charged for copies of records are listed below and each page in a copied record incurs a charge. If you do not know how many pages are in the document, submit a blank check with the statement "NOT TO EXCEED $20" (or whatever amount is your absolute limit), written on the front of the check.

Payment for mail requests are accepted only by check or money order, payable to the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. Do not send cash. Checks from U.S. banks outside California are accepted. Most requests are processed in five working-days after the county recorder's office receives your request. Processing time does not include delivery time to and from the office or weekend days or holidays.

All pages in any real estate record requested are included with the request. Individual pages may not be requested separately.

OBTAIN REAL ESTATE RECORDS BY FAX

Request by Fax

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You may also request real estate documents by fax. Fax your request to: (562) 864-1250.

Include the following information:

  • Title of the document
  • Names listed on the document
  • Year the document was recorded
  • Credit card payment information including:
  • Name on the credit card
  • Credit card number
  • Credit card expiration date
  • The address where you would like the record mailed
  • Whether you would like it sent by regular mail or Expedited Delivery (UPS)
  • Daytime phone number including area code

NOTE: May we suggest here that, before sending in a fax request, it may be worthwhile to first determine, if not already known, what specific record(s) exists to request (including names listed and recording year), either in person (see section above, "View & Obtain Real Estate Records in Person") or online through Lexis-Nexis (see section above, "View & Obtain Real Estate Records Online").


Fees charged for copies of records are listed below. Each page in a copied record incurs a charge.

Requested documents will be mailed to you within five business days after your request is received by the county recorder's office. If no record is found, a "No Record Statement" will be issued.

All pages in any real estate record requested are included with the request. Individual pages may not be requested separately.

TELEPHONE REQUESTS

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The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk does not take requests by telephone for index searches or copies.

Fees for Copies of Real Estate Records

Fees

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Document or Service Offered Fee
Certified Copy (first page)* $6.00
Certified Copy (each additional page)* $3.00
Non-Certified Copy (first page) $5.00
Non-Certified Copy (each additional page) $3.00
Name Search Fee via Lexis-Nexis (per name/per year), non-refundable $0.50 per name, per year searched ($1 minimum)
Expedited Mail (UPS) $18.50
Handling Fee (charged for all credit card orders made online) $1.75

* Fees for certified copies are also charged for online requests.


FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Please call (800) 201-8999 or visit Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.


Source: Los Angeles County Register-Recorder/County Clerk