deedplatState guides / California / San Francisco County
San Francisco County property data
Where San Francisco County's property records live, how its tax and foreclosure sales work, and what Deedplat puts on one map.
- 212,228Parcels
Where the records are
The county offices an investor deals with in San Francisco County, and what each one puts online.
Deeds and mortgages
San Francisco Assessor-Recorder (Recorder division). Records Manager searches documents from 1990 on by name, document number, type or parcel number (not by address); viewing is free after registering, and a downloaded copy costs $1.81.
Owners and values
San Francisco Assessor-Recorder. The secured assessment roll is a free download, but state law bars posting owner names online, so ownership is available free at City Hall Room 190 or by paid data request.
Tax sales
San Francisco Treasurer and Tax Collector. Auction notices, dates and rules are posted on the auction page, and bidding happens online.
Foreclosure sales
San Francisco Sheriff's Office Civil Section. The Civil Section handles court-ordered levies and writs; most home foreclosures are private trustee sales noticed through recorded documents.
Parcel maps
San Francisco Planning Property Information Map. Free map search by address or block and lot showing Assessor reports, zoning, permits and complaints.
How property is sold here
San Francisco County follows California's rules, with its own calendar and offices. Read the California guide for how the state works.
Tax sales
California does not sell tax liens. The Treasurer and Tax Collector sells the property itself by tax deed once taxes have gone unpaid for at least five years. San Francisco held its 2026 online auction April 20 to 23 at sanfrancisco.mytaxsale.com with a separate sealed bid sale in May, and a supplemental online auction is set for December 14 to 16, 2026; notices run in the local newspaper and on the Treasurer's auction page.
Foreclosure sales
Most foreclosures in San Francisco are nonjudicial trustee sales run by private trustees, with notices of default and notices of trustee sale recorded with the Assessor-Recorder and published in a local newspaper. The Sheriff's Civil Section handles the smaller number of court-ordered sales under writs of execution.
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, with the roll set each year as of the January 1 lien date.
Transfer tax
California has no state transfer tax, and San Francisco charges its own tiered city transfer tax that runs from 0.5% on sales up to $250,000 to 0.75% from $1 million to $5 million and up to 6% on sales of $25 million or more.
Worth knowing
San Francisco is a consolidated city and county, so one government runs the recorder, assessor, tax collector and sheriff.
Worth knowing
The Recorder's online search does not search by address; look up the block and lot number first on the Property Information Map.
Worth knowing
The Assessor-Recorder moved to a new system called SMART in 2025, and the 2026-2027 roll covers about 212,228 parcels worth about $361 billion.
Questions
Where are deeds recorded in San Francisco County?
Deeds are recorded by the San Francisco Assessor-Recorder at City Hall, Room 190. Records from 1990 on can be searched online in Records Manager, and older records are searched in person.
When is the San Francisco County tax sale?
The Treasurer and Tax Collector holds an online tax deed auction each spring, with a sealed bid sale after it. In 2026 the main auction ran April 20 to 23 and a supplemental auction is set for December 14 to 16. Dates are posted on sftreasurer.org.
How do I find who owns a property in San Francisco County?
State law keeps owner names off the Assessor's website. You can look them up free at the Assessor-Recorder's office in City Hall, or search recorded deeds by name or parcel number in Records Manager.
Are San Francisco County property records online?
Yes. Recorded documents from 1990 on, the assessment roll without owner names, and parcel, zoning and permit details on the Property Information Map are all online.
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.
- sf.gov/get-copies-recorded-documents
- sf.gov/departments--assessor-recorder
- sf.gov/resource--secured-property-tax-data/
- sf.gov/news-assessor-recorder-joaquin-torres-releases-2026-2027-assessment-roll/
- sf.gov/information--learn-about-real-property-assessments/
- sf.gov/transfer-tax/
- sftreasurer.org/property/auction
- sftreasurer.org/file/2026-public-and-sealed-bid-auction-publication/download
- sfplanninggis.org/pim/help.html
- sfsheriff.com/services/civil-section
Every parcel in San Francisco County, on one map
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