Solano County CA Recorder Office: Address & Records

Source: Solano County’s official department directory .

The Recorder’s Office is located inside the Solano County Government Center in downtown Fairfield.

The Assessor and Recorder divisions use the same Suite 2700 address, but their service counters and telephone numbers are different.

Before you visit

Nearby downtown Fairfield parking options include public garages and street parking. Confirm local parking rules before visiting.

Solano County provides an online Official Records Index for recorded documents.

The index lets you identify deeds, liens, deeds of trust, reconveyances and other records without visiting the Fairfield office.

Step-by-step: search for a deed

1. Open the Official Records Index.

   Start at the county’s online document-search website.

2. Accept the public-access disclaimer.

   Read the notice and select the available agreement option to continue.

3. Enter the party name or document details.

   Use a grantor or grantee name, recording number or approximate recording date.

4. Use Advanced Search if needed.

   Narrow broad results using the available names, dates and document-type fields.

5. Compare the matching records.

   Check the document title, recording date, document number and recorded parties.

6. Save the document reference.

   Keep the document number and page count for an in-person or mail copy request.

Using Simple Search

The county’s search help describes a simple search that accepts combinations of names and years.

For example, if you are researching documents involving John Doe recorded in 2021, try searching for JOHN DOE 2021.

If that produces too many results, use Advanced Search to separate the relevant names and date fields.

Searching by document number

A document number is especially useful when you already have an older deed, escrow paperwork or title report.

Search for that specific reference and verify the parties and document type before ordering a copy.

What types of records can you find?

The presence of a recorded deed does not prove that the property has clear title. A complete title examination may require additional public records and professional research.

Many property owners know the address but not the document number or grantor’s name.

The Recorder’s online index is not a normal address-search directory. Use the Solano County Assessor’s property system first.

After opening: find the parcel first

1. Enter the property address.

   Use the search field shown on the Assessor’s property-search page.

2. Try a shorter street name if needed.

   The county recommends omitting street suffixes such as Street or Avenue when a search returns no matches.

3. Identify the correct parcel.

   Compare the street address and property information shown in the results.

4. Save the parcel number.

   Note the Assessor’s Parcel Number, also called the APN or PIN.

5. Continue with the Recorder index.

   Use the available name, document-number or property-reference search fields.

Can the Recorder search by APN?

Solano County’s Recording Notification Program instructions describe an APN/PIN search in the Official Records system.

Search options can change because of privacy requirements and portal updates. If the live index does not provide APN searching, use the grantor/grantee name or document number.

Need a parcel map?

The Assessor publishes parcel maps and links to filed maps, surveys and subdivision records.

These resources help with land identification. They are not a substitute for a boundary survey or the legal description in a recorded deed.

Solano County’s current copy-request page identifies 1955 as the starting year for records searchable on its public computers and online Official Records Search.

The county directs researchers seeking records from 1954 or earlier to its in-office historical research area.

How to research an older deed

If the instrument is not in the online index, first gather the names of the parties and the approximate year of the transaction.

Bring any book-and-page reference, previous deed or historical property description that might help identify the record.

Contact the Recorder before visiting if you need an unusually old document or a certified historical copy.

The Solano County Recorder provides plain and certified copies of recorded real-estate documents.

You can request copies in person or by mail. A certified copy includes the Recorder’s official certification.

Current recorded-document copy fees

Illustrative certified-copy calculation

Request a deed copy in person

1. Find the document in the online index.

   Save the document number, date, type and recorded party names.

2. Visit the Fairfield Recorder Office.

   Go to 675 Texas Street, Suite 2700, during public-counter hours.

3. Request a plain or certified copy.

   Tell staff whether the copy is for general research or formal use.

4. Pay the applicable fee.

   The amount depends on the number of pages and whether certification is required.

Request a deed copy by mail

Include a written request identifying the document. The document number and recording date are especially helpful.

Include the appropriate copy payment and contact information. The county’s older detailed instructions also ask for a self-addressed stamped envelope.

The Recorder accepts instruments authorized or required to be recorded under California law.

A document must meet recording requirements and include the correct fees and taxes. The office cannot prepare deeds or choose the correct legal instrument for you.

1. Prepare the deed correctly

Confirm the grantor, grantee, legal description, signature and acknowledgment requirements.

A grant deed, quitclaim deed or deed involving a trust may have different legal and assessment consequences.

For ownership questions, estate transfers or complex transactions, use a qualified California attorney or title professional.

2. Check recording-space and legibility requirements

California recording law generally requires sufficient space at the top of the first page for the Recorder’s endorsement.

Documents must also be legible and photographically reproducible. A cover page may be needed when the instrument lacks the required recording space.

Extra formatting or nonstandard-page charges can apply.

3. Complete the Preliminary Change of Ownership Report

A Preliminary Change of Ownership Report (PCOR), Form BOE-502-A, is generally required when property changes ownership.

The PCOR provides transaction information to the Assessor for assessment purposes.

Solano County lists a $20 fee for qualifying transfers recorded without the required completed and signed PCOR.

4. Determine documentary transfer tax

Solano County’s documentary transfer tax ordinance generally imposes tax on taxable conveyances exceeding $100.

The published county rate is $0.55 for each $500, or fractional part, of taxable consideration or value.

The property location matters. For a transfer involving land in Fairfield, Vallejo, Vacaville, Benicia, Dixon, Suisun City or Rio Vista, confirm whether city-specific tax rules affect the transaction.

An exempt transaction should identify the appropriate legal basis for its exemption.

5. Review the SB 2 recording fee

California’s Building Homes and Jobs Act may add $75 per qualifying recorded real-estate instrument, subject to a $225 statutory transaction cap.

Important exemptions apply, including certain transactions subject to documentary transfer tax.

Do not automatically add $75 to every deed or claim an exemption without confirming that the statutory conditions are met.

6. Submit the original document

The Recorder gives recording priority to documents submitted at the counter, followed by express or overnight deliveries and then regular USPS mail.

Submit the instrument with the complete payment and required supporting documents.

If recording in person, arrive before the 3:30 PM document-recording cutoff.

7. Save the recording number

Once accepted, the document is recorded and indexed as part of Solano County’s permanent Official Records.

Save its recording number, document date and party names for future research or copy requests.

Solano County’s Recorder fee page identifies a fee schedule beginning July 1, 2026.

The basic page rates are only the starting charges. Certain instruments have additional fees or qualifying exemptions.

Why your deed may cost more than $13

The first-page charge does not include additional pages, documentary transfer tax, or all possible fraud-prevention and housing fees.

The document type, transfer circumstances and applicable exemptions determine the complete amount.

Survey Monument Preservation Fee

The county lists a $10 fee for certain deeds transferring property that is not described as a complete lot created by a recorded tract map.

Some deed types, including quitclaim deeds and deeds of trust, are excluded from that specific fee category.

Conformed copy after recording

The county states that one conformed copy can be returned without an additional conformed-copy charge when the required self-addressed stamped envelope is provided.

This is different from ordering a separately certified copy.

Solano County introduced a Recording Notification Program in summer 2025.

The program automatically mails a notice to the current owner of record when certain deeds or property-loan documents are recorded against the property.

What types of recordings may trigger a notice?

How to check an unexpected notice

1. Read the recording details.

   Identify the document type, date and property information in the notice.

2. Search the Official Records Index.

   Use the relevant owner name, APN if supported, or document reference.

3. Confirm the actual document.

   Request a copy if the index entry does not provide enough information.

4. Investigate suspicious activity.

   Contact the Recorder and seek appropriate legal or law-enforcement assistance if the recording appears unauthorized.

Mortgage paid off but the deed of trust still appears?

Paying off a mortgage or deed of trust does not automatically delete the original security instrument from the public record.

In California, a reconveyance may be recorded to show that the relevant secured interest has been released.

Search the Recorder’s index for a reconveyance or related release. Contact the lender or trustee if the expected document has not been recorded.

Removing unlawful restrictive covenants

Some historical property documents contain discriminatory restrictions that are unlawful under California law.

Solano County provides a Restrictive Covenant Modification process under California’s AB 1466 framework.

The process allows qualifying discriminatory language to be addressed without altering the historical original record improperly.

Birth, death and marriage certificates

The Recorder Division also provides certain Solano County vital-record certificates.

However, vital-record requests have different application, eligibility and certification requirements from deed copies.

Marriage licenses are handled through the County Clerk under the Treasurer-Tax Collector-County Clerk department, not through the land-record search.

Solano County’s property-related offices have different responsibilities, even when they share the same government building.

Use this directory to reach the department handling your question.

Need to pay property taxes?

Use the Solano County Tax Collector’s online property-tax search instead of the Recorder’s Official Records Index.

You can search tax information using a parcel number or property-address fields supported by the live system.

Recording fees and document-search rules differ across California counties.

These related guides explain how other California Recorder offices handle deeds, document copies and public access.

Use these county-operated resources for current office information, forms, recording fees and public-record searches.