deedplatState guides / California / Alameda County
Alameda County property data
Where Alameda County's property records live, how its tax and foreclosure sales work, and what Deedplat puts on one map, including Oakland, Fremont, Hayward and Berkeley.
- 14Cities and towns
Where the records are
The county offices an investor deals with in Alameda County, and what each one puts online.
Deeds and mortgages
Alameda County Auditor-Controller/Clerk-Recorder. Recorded documents from 1969 on can be searched online at rechart1.acgov.org, and copies of deeds and other records can be ordered online and picked up in Oakland or Dublin; records before 1969 are on microfilm at the office.
Owners and values
Alameda County Assessor. Assessed values, parcel maps and tax amounts can be looked up free online, but owner names are not posted; they are given free at the kiosk at 1221 Oak Street in Oakland, by email, or by phone at (510) 272-3787 for a few parcels.
Tax sales
Alameda County Treasurer-Tax Collector. Tax-defaulted property is sold in public internet auctions on Bid4Assets, and past auction results are posted on the Tax Collector's site.
Foreclosure sales
Private trustees (notices recorded with the Clerk-Recorder). Notices of default and notices of trustee sale are recorded documents that can be found in the Clerk-Recorder's online records search.
Parcel maps
Alameda County Assessor Parcel Viewer. The Assessor's online Parcel Viewer shows parcel maps, boundaries and assessment data.
How property is sold here
Alameda County follows California's rules, with its own calendar and offices. Read the California guide for how the state works.
Tax sales
California sells the property itself, not tax liens, once taxes have gone unpaid for at least five years. The Alameda County Treasurer-Tax Collector holds tax-defaulted land auctions online on Bid4Assets; in 2026 the main auction ran March 20 to 21 with a second auction May 15 to 16. Owners can pay off the taxes until 5:00 p.m. on the last business day before the sale, and the sale notice is published three times in a local newspaper.
Foreclosure sales
Most Alameda County foreclosures are private trustee sales under a deed of trust, with the notice of default and notice of trustee sale recorded with the Clerk-Recorder before the auction. These notices can be found in the Clerk-Recorder's online records search.
Assessed values
Under Proposition 13 the Alameda County Assessor resets a property's value to market only when it sells or has new construction, and otherwise raises it by no more than 2% a year, with values set as of January 1.
Transfer tax
Alameda County charges a documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 ($1.10 per $1,000), and several cities add their own tax on full value: Oakland $10 to $25 per $1,000 by price tier, Berkeley $15 per $1,000 up to $1.7 million and $25 above, Hayward $8.50 per $1,000, plus Alameda, Albany, Emeryville, Piedmont and San Leandro; Fremont is not on the county's list of cities with an added tax.
Worth knowing
City transfer taxes can be far larger than the county tax: an Oakland sale between $300,001 and $2 million pays $15 per $1,000 to the city on top of the county's $1.10.
Worth knowing
The Assessor does not post owner names online; get them free at the Oakland office kiosk or by email request.
Worth knowing
Most parcels offered at the 2026 tax auction drew no bid, according to the Tax Collector's posted results, which list each parcel's minimum bid and outcome.
Every town in Alameda County
The cities, towns and townships inside the county line.
- Alameda city
- Albany city
- Berkeley city
- Dublin city
- Emeryville city
- Fremont city
- Hayward city
- Livermore city
- Newark city
- Oakland city
- Piedmont city
- Pleasanton city
- San Leandro city
- Union City city
Questions
Where are deeds recorded in Alameda County?
Deeds are recorded by the Alameda County Clerk-Recorder, part of the Auditor-Controller's office, at 1106 Madison Street in Oakland, at the Tri-Valley office in Dublin, or by electronic recording. County and city transfer taxes are paid when the deed is recorded.
When is the Alameda County tax sale?
The Treasurer-Tax Collector holds tax-defaulted land auctions online on Bid4Assets, usually in the spring. In 2026 they ran March 20 to 21 and May 15 to 16.
How do I find who owns a property in Alameda County?
Owner names are not on the Assessor's website. Use the free kiosk at the Assessor's office at 1221 Oak Street in Oakland, email assessorwebresponse@acgov.org, or search recorded deeds in the Clerk-Recorder's online records.
Are Alameda County property records online?
Mostly. Recorded documents from 1969 on, assessed values, parcel maps, tax bills and tax sale results are online, but owner names must be requested from the Assessor.
Sources for this guide
Office hours, fees and sale dates change. We checked these sources in October 2026; confirm with the county before you act.
- auditor.alamedacountyca.gov/clerk-recorder/
- auditor.alamedacountyca.gov/clerk-recorder-real-property-tax/
- auditor.alamedacountyca.gov/clerk-recorder-real-property-research-requests/
- rechart1.acgov.org/
- acassessor.org/
- acassessor.org/homeowners/property-ownership-information/
- acassessor.org/homeowners/assessment-resources/parcel-viewer/
- acassessor.org/homeowners/assessed-value-look-up/
- treasurer.acgov.org/
- treasurer.acgov.org/tax-defaulted-land/
- treasurer.acgov.org/tax-defaulted-land-faqs/
- treasurer.acgov.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/TDLAuctionResultsReport-2026.pdf
Every parcel in Alameda County, on one map
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