deedplatState guides / California / San Diego County
San Diego County property data
Where San Diego County's property records live, how its tax and foreclosure sales work, and what Deedplat puts on one map, including Chula Vista, Oceanside and Escondido.
- 18Cities and towns
- 1,018,000Parcels
Where the records are
The county offices an investor deals with in San Diego County, and what each one puts online.
Deeds and mortgages
San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk, Office of the Recorder. The Official Records Index from 1970 on can be searched free online by grantor or grantee name, but document images cannot be viewed online; copies cost $2 for the first page and $0.05 per added page and are mailed, or images can be viewed free on kiosks at county offices.
Owners and values
San Diego County Assessor. Assessed values can be searched by parcel number or address on the Assessor's site, parcel numbers, property details and Assessor maps are online through ParcelQuest, and owner names are given by phone at 619-236-3771 or on office kiosks.
Tax sales
San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector. Tax-defaulted property is sold in an online auction at sdttc.mytaxsale.com, with a $1,000 bid deposit and $35 fee; bidder dates, terms and past results are posted on the Tax Collector's site.
Foreclosure sales
Private trustees (notices recorded with the County Recorder) and San Diego County Sheriff for court-ordered sales. Notices of default and notices of trustee sale are recorded documents that can be found by name in the Recorder's free Official Records Index.
Parcel maps
San Diego County Assessor, Mapping Services. Assessor parcel maps can be viewed through ParcelQuest or bought online, by mail or in person for $13 for the first large page.
How property is sold here
San Diego 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; after taxes go unpaid for five years (three years for some commercial property) the Treasurer-Tax Collector can auction the parcel. San Diego County holds its tax sale online at sdttc.mytaxsale.com, usually in March with a follow-up sale in May; in 2026 the main sale ran March 13 to 18 and a second sale ran May 8 to 13. Dates for the next sale are posted on the Tax Collector's Property Tax Auction page, and bidders can sign up there for email notices.
Foreclosure sales
Most San Diego County home foreclosures are private trustee sales held under a deed of trust, with the notice of default and notice of trustee sale recorded with the County Recorder. Court-ordered Sheriff's sales of real property are held by the San Diego County Sheriff, recently at 1409 4th Ave. in downtown San Diego, and require payment in cash.
Assessed values
Under Proposition 13 the 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; new values for all parcels are posted on June 30.
Transfer tax
California counties charge a documentary transfer tax, and the San Diego County Recorder collects it for the county and cities at $0.55 per $500 of value (about $1.10 per $1,000), excluding existing liens, at the time the deed is recorded.
Worth knowing
Since December 9, 2024, state law (AB 1785) bars parcel number searches in the online Official Records Index; you must search by name online or go to a county office kiosk to search by parcel number.
Worth knowing
The 2026 tax sale offered 715 properties and sold 383 for $10.2 million, with 8,617 registered bidders.
Worth knowing
The county's 2024 tax roll held about 950,000 residential parcels and about 68,000 commercial, industrial, farm and other parcels, worth $768 billion in assessed value.
Every town in San Diego County
The cities, towns and townships inside the county line.
- Carlsbad city
- Chula Vista city
- Coronado city
- Del Mar city
- El Cajon city
- Encinitas city
- Escondido city
- Imperial Beach city
- La Mesa city
- Lemon Grove city
- National City city
- Oceanside city
- Poway city
- San Diego city
- San Marcos city
- Santee city
- Solana Beach city
- Vista city
Questions
Where are deeds recorded in San Diego County?
Deeds are recorded by the San Diego County Recorder at offices in downtown San Diego, Chula Vista, Santee and San Marcos, or by mail. The documentary transfer tax is paid when the deed is recorded.
When is the San Diego County tax sale?
The Treasurer-Tax Collector usually holds an online tax sale in March and a second sale in May at sdttc.mytaxsale.com. The next dates are announced on the Tax Collector's Property Tax Auction page.
How do I find who owns a property in San Diego County?
Call the Assessor's public information line at 619-236-3771, use the kiosks at any Assessor office, or look up the parcel through ParcelQuest. Recorded deeds can be searched by name in the Recorder's Official Records Index.
Are San Diego County property records online?
Partly. The deed index, assessed values, tax bills, parcel maps and the tax sale are online, but deed images must be bought or viewed at a county office, and parcel number searches of deeds are only allowed in person.
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.
- sdarcc.gov/
- sdarcc.gov/content/arcc/home/divisions/recorder-clerk/recording.html
- sdarcc.gov/content/arcc/home/divisions/assessor/property-records.html
- sdarcc.gov/content/arcc/home/divisions/assessor/mapping-services.html
- sdarcc.gov/content/arcc/home/divisions/assessor/realty-assessment.html
- sdarcc.gov/content/arcc/home/about/by-the-numbers.html
- sdttc.com/content/ttc/en/tax-collection/property-tax-sales.html
- sdttc.com/content/ttc/en/tax-collection/property-tax-sales/prior-sales-results.html
- sdttc.com/content/ttc/en/tax-collection/property-tax-sales/bidder-registration.html
- sdsheriff.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/9592/638960275278470000
Every parcel in San Diego County, on one map
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