deedplatState guides / California / Monterey County
Monterey County property data
Where Monterey County's property records live, how its tax and foreclosure sales work, and what Deedplat puts on one map, including Salinas.
- 12Cities and towns
Where the records are
The county offices an investor deals with in Monterey County, and what each one puts online.
Deeds and mortgages
Monterey County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder, Recorder Division. Recorded real property documents can be viewed free in the Recorder's public access area in Salinas, and copies cost $2 per page plus $2 per document to certify; the county page does not offer an online document search.
Owners and values
Monterey County Assessor. The Assessor's online Property Inquiry shows ownership, parcel status, tax rate area, assessed values, exemptions and map pages, searched by fee parcel or assessment number only, not by name or address.
Tax sales
Monterey County Treasurer-Tax Collector. The Property Tax Auction page posts the next sale date when one is set, and notices of tax-defaulted property and of the power to sell are posted as public notices.
Foreclosure sales
Private trustees (notices recorded with the Monterey County Recorder). Notices of default and notices of trustee sale are recorded documents that can be looked up at the Recorder's public access area.
Parcel maps
Monterey County GIS / Maps (Housing and Community Development). The county offers a Parcel Report web app searched by parcel number, zoning and hazard maps, and Assessor maps through ParcelQuest.
How property is sold here
Monterey 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. The Monterey County Treasurer-Tax Collector holds tax-defaulted property auctions about every two years; the most recent was online at Bid4Assets in March 2026, and the Property Tax Auction page says the next auction has not been scheduled yet. Parcels become subject to the power to sell five years after they go tax-defaulted, and owners can redeem until the close of business on the last business day before the sale.
Foreclosure sales
Most Monterey County home foreclosures are private trustee sales under a deed of trust, with the notice of default and notice of trustee sale recorded with the County Recorder.
Assessed values
Under Proposition 13 values reset to market only on a sale or new construction and otherwise rise no more than 2% a year, and the Monterey County Assessor mails a property value notice with the current assessed value.
Transfer tax
California counties charge a documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 of value (about $1.10 per $1,000) when a deed is recorded; no separate Salinas city transfer tax was found on an official page.
Worth knowing
The Assessor's online search works only by parcel or assessment number; name and address searches are blocked to protect officials' home addresses under state law.
Worth knowing
Tax sales in Monterey County are infrequent: the March 2026 online auction started with 36 parcels and dropped to 15 after owners paid.
Worth knowing
A $75 SB 2 housing fee applies to many recorded real estate documents, up to $225 per transaction, unless the transfer pays transfer tax or goes to an owner-occupant.
Every town in Monterey County
The cities, towns and townships inside the county line.
- Carmel-by-the-Sea city
- Del Rey Oaks city
- Gonzales city
- Greenfield city
- King City city
- Marina city
- Monterey city
- Pacific Grove city
- Salinas city
- Sand City city
- Seaside city
- Soledad city
Questions
Where are deeds recorded in Monterey County?
Deeds are recorded by the Monterey County Recorder at 168 W. Alisal Street, 1st Floor, in Salinas. Recorded documents can be viewed there weekdays from 8 AM to 5 PM.
When is the Monterey County tax sale?
Monterey County holds tax-defaulted property auctions about every two years; the last one was online at Bid4Assets in March 2026. The next date will be posted on the Treasurer-Tax Collector's Property Tax Auction page.
How do I find who owns a property in Monterey County?
Use the Assessor's online Property Inquiry with the parcel number to see ownership and values, or look up recorded deeds at the Recorder's office in Salinas.
Are Monterey County property records online?
Partly. Assessor ownership and value data, parcel reports and tax sale notices are online, but recorded documents are viewed and copied at the Recorder's office.
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.
- countyofmonterey.gov/government/departments-a-h/assessor/record-searches
- countyofmonterey.gov/government/departments-a-h/assessor/assessor/real-property/on-line-pa
- countyofmonterey.gov/government/departments-i-z/treasurer-tax-collector/property-tax-aucti
- countyofmonterey.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/140494/638841139855300000
- countyofmonterey.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/142236/638918793315600000
- countyofmonterey.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/59163/638452372532830000
- countyofmonterey.gov/government/departments-a-h/housing-community-development/monterey-cou
- montereycountynow.com/news/local_news/county-tax-collector-lists-delinquent-properties-for
Every parcel in Monterey County, on one map
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