Browse Marin County Recorder Records

About the Marin County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk

This office combines three jobs under one elected official, Shelly Scott. The mission is to value taxable real and business property, record and maintain documents about property ownership, keep birth, death, and marriage records, perform civil ceremonies, process marriage licenses and fictitious business names, and preserve historic and current records. The general office line is 415-473-7215, and the divisions sit in their own rooms at the Civic Center, the same Frank Lloyd Wright campus that houses the courts.

The key thing to remember is what this office does not hold. It does not keep court case files, and it does not have divorce decrees. Those are court records, handled by the Clerk of the Superior Court.

The Three Marin County Divisions

Each part of the office does a different job, and people often go to the wrong room. The Assessor values property for tax purposes. The Recorder records and copies official documents like deeds. The County Clerk handles marriage licenses, fictitious business names, and similar filings. Matching your need to the right division saves a trip across the Civic Center.

Recording hours are shorter than office hours. Documents are recorded from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and license and certificate applications are accepted until 3:30 p.m. because they take time to process.

Searching the Recorder's Official Records

Recorded documents are searched through the Recorder's official records index. The office keeps a Grantor and Grantee index covering documents from 1973 to the present. The grantor is the party transferring an interest, and the grantee is the party receiving it, so a name search turns up the deeds, deeds of trust, and liens tied to a person or property.

A recorded document is not a court record. A deed sits with the Recorder, while a lawsuit over that property sits with the court. For older documents before the 1973 index start, the office holds historic records that may need an in-person or staff-assisted search.

The index covers a wide range of instruments. Beyond deeds, it includes deeds of trust, reconveyances, liens, notices, and maps tied to property. A title search reads these in order to trace who has held an interest in a parcel and what claims have attached to it over time. The Recorder keeps the documents but does not give legal advice about what they mean.

Recording a Document in Marin County

Recording is how a document becomes part of the public land record. When a deed, lien, or similar instrument is recorded, the Recorder time-stamps it, indexes it by name, and returns the original. Once recorded, the document is searchable in the Grantor and Grantee index and available for copies. Recording protects the parties by putting the transaction on the public record in date order.

Recording carries more than the base page fee. Many document titles add a $75 Building Homes and Jobs Act fee, with limited exemptions, and a $10 real estate fraud prosecution fee. Because recording hours run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., shorter than the office day, plan to bring a document in well before the cutoff. A document handed in late is processed the next business day.

Property and Assessor Records

The Assessor is the third part of the office, and its job is valuation, not recording. The Assessor values taxable real property and business personal property for the county tax roll. That work generates parcel data tied to each property, which pairs with the Recorder's deed index when someone researches ownership and value together.

People often need both sides at once. A title question may start with the recorded deed and end with the assessed value, and the same office holds both, even though they sit in different rooms and serve different purposes. A change in ownership recorded with the Recorder can trigger a reassessment by the Assessor, so the two functions feed each other even though the staff and the windows are separate.

Vital Records at the Marin County Recorder

The Recorder keeps birth, death, and public marriage records for Marin. Access is limited by state law to protect against identity theft. An authorized certified copy goes to the people named on the record and a short list of others, such as a parent, a child, or a person with a court order. Everyone else can get an informational copy, which is stamped to show it is not valid to establish identity.

Divorce records are the big exception. The Recorder does not have divorce decrees and sends those requests to the Superior Court. For the marriage license process and copy rules, see the marriage and divorce records page.

Marriage Licenses and Business Filings

The County Clerk in Room 234 issues marriage licenses and performs civil ceremonies by appointment. Both applicants appear together, show valid photo ID, and pay the fee. The same office files fictitious business name statements for people starting a business under a name other than their own. These are agency filings, separate from any court case.

A public marriage license becomes part of the Recorder's records once the signed license is returned and registered, which is what makes a certified copy available later. A confidential license stays private and is limited to the couple or a court order. The public license costs $85 and the confidential license costs $93, and payment can be cash, a check to the Marin County Clerk, or a card with a small processing fee.

A fictitious business name statement is a different filing in the same office. Anyone doing business under a name other than their own legal name files it here, and the statement becomes a public record. It is the document a bank often asks for before opening a business account, which is why the County Clerk window sees a steady stream of new business owners. The County Clerk also performs civil marriage ceremonies by appointment, so the same office can both issue the license and solemnize the marriage for couples who want a simple civil service.

Marin County Recorder and Clerk Fees

Recording, copy, and vital record fees are set by statute and posted by the office. The figures below cover common requests. Recording a new document title can also add state and county fees on top of the base charge.

Note: county recording and vital record fees changed on January 1, 2026 under a new state law, so confirm the current amount before you pay.

How to Request Copies

The Recorder recommends its online webstore for copies, and it accepts a mail copy request form. It does not take copy requests by email. The clearer the request, the faster the answer, so include the document reference or the names on the record.

1. Identify the document, with a book and page or document number if known.
2. Choose an official copy or a certified copy under seal.
3. Order through the online webstore or the mail copy request form.
4. Pay the copy and certification fees.
5. For a vital record, confirm whether you qualify for an authorized copy.

For broader agency records beyond this office, see the public records page and the California Public Records Act framework.

One more tip on vital records. If you only need to confirm a fact for research, the informational copy is cheaper to qualify for and answers the question, while the authorized copy is the one that proves identity for legal use. Asking for the right type up front avoids a second request, since the office cannot upgrade an informational copy to an authorized one after the fact without a new qualifying request.

Related Marin County Resources

For court case files, see the Clerk of the Superior Court and court records. For marriage and divorce, see marriage and divorce records. For agency records under the Public Records Act, see public records.