deedplatState guides / California / Sonoma County
Sonoma County property data
Where Sonoma County's property records live, how its tax and foreclosure sales work, and what Deedplat puts on one map, including Santa Rosa.
- 9Cities and towns
- 193,500Parcels
Where the records are
The county offices an investor deals with in Sonoma County, and what each one puts online.
Deeds and mortgages
Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder. The index of official records from 1964 on can be searched free online, but document images cannot be shown online under California law, so copies are viewed free or bought at the Recorder's office in Santa Rosa.
Owners and values
Sonoma County Assessor. The Assessor's free parcel search gives parcel numbers, roll values, value notices and parcel maps; owner names are not in the free parcel data and come from roll data requests by email, phone or in person, or from the paid ParcelQuest service.
Tax sales
Sonoma County Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector. Auction lists, terms, results and excess proceeds forms are posted free on the Tax-Defaulted Property Auctions page, and bidding is online at bid4assets.com/sonoma.
Foreclosure sales
Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, Civil Bureau. Upcoming sheriff's execution sales are listed on the Civil Bureau page, and notices are posted at the Superior Court in Santa Rosa.
Parcel maps
County of Sonoma GIS. Parcel GIS data (without owner names) can be downloaded free from the county GIS data hub, and Assessor parcel maps can be viewed online.
How property is sold here
Sonoma 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; Sonoma County says it does not sell tax lien certificates. Once property is tax-defaulted for five years (three for some commercial property) the Tax Collector can sell it at a tax deed auction, which Sonoma County holds online at bid4assets.com/sonoma about every year or two, most recently November 7 to 10, 2025. Lists and terms for each sale are posted on the Tax-Defaulted Property Auctions page, and owners can redeem until 5 p.m. on the last business day before the sale.
Foreclosure sales
Most California home foreclosures are non-judicial trustee's sales run by private trustees and noticed in recorded notices of sale. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Civil Bureau holds execution sales of property seized for court judgments, with notices posted on the public notice board at the Superior Court, 600 Administration Drive in Santa Rosa, and listed on its website.
Assessed values
Under Proposition 13 the Sonoma County Assessor values property at its purchase price or new construction value, raised by no more than 2% a year, and reassesses it when it sells or is newly built; values can be lowered temporarily under Proposition 8 when the market drops.
Transfer tax
Sonoma County charges a documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 of value ($1.10 per $1,000), and Santa Rosa and Petaluma each add a city tax of $2.00 per $1,000 on top of it, for $3.10 per $1,000 in Santa Rosa.
Worth knowing
Sonoma County does not hold a tax deed auction every year; sales were held in May 2022, September 2022, November 2023 and November 2025, and bidders can sign up on the auction page for email notices.
Worth knowing
The Assessor's mapping section assigns new parcel numbers about 18 months after a lot line change, merger or subdivision is recorded, so recent splits may not show yet in parcel data.
Worth knowing
Of the 57 parcels on the November 2025 tax sale list, most were redeemed before the sale; 18 sold, some far above the minimum bid.
Every town in Sonoma County
The cities, towns and townships inside the county line.
- Cloverdale city
- Cotati city
- Healdsburg city
- Petaluma city
- Rohnert Park city
- Santa Rosa city
- Sebastopol city
- Sonoma city
- Windsor town
Questions
Where are deeds recorded in Sonoma County?
Deeds are recorded by the Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder in Santa Rosa. The record index from 1964 on is free online, but copies must be viewed or bought at the office because California law keeps document images offline.
When is the Sonoma County tax sale?
Sonoma County sells tax-defaulted property, not tax liens, at an online auction on Bid4Assets about every year or two. The most recent ran November 7 to 10, 2025. New sales are posted on the Tax Collector's Tax-Defaulted Property Auctions page.
How do I find who owns a property in Sonoma County?
The Assessor's free parcel search shows values and maps by parcel number or address, and the Assessor gives owner details from the assessment roll by email, phone or at its Santa Rosa office. The Recorder's free index lets you search deeds by name.
Are Sonoma County property records online?
Partly. The deed index, Assessor parcel data, value notices, parcel maps and tax sale lists are free online. Images of recorded documents are not online and must be viewed or ordered from the Recorder.
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.
- sonomacounty.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/clerk-recorder-assessor/clerk-
- sonomacounty.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/clerk-recorder-assessor/clerk-
- sonomacounty.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/clerk-recorder-assessor/assess
- sonomacounty.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/clerk-recorder-assessor/assess
- sonomacounty.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/clerk-recorder-assessor/assess
- sonomacounty.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/auditor-controller-treasurer-t
- sonomacounty.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/auditor-controller-treasurer-t
- sonomacounty.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/auditor-controller-treasurer-t
- sonomasheriff.org/about-civil-bureau
- gis-sonomacounty.hub.arcgis.com/pages/data
Every parcel in Sonoma County, on one map
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