County recorders: notification.

Senator Seyarto's proposal to standardize property document recording notifications across California counties would establish mandatory notification programs to alert parties when deeds, mortgages, and related documents are recorded. Under the measure, county recorders must mail notices to document signers within 30 days of recording, using tax bill mailing addresses established before the recording.

The legislation requires all California counties to implement these notification programs by January 1, 2027, while allowing them to add optional electronic notification systems. County recorders may require property documents to display assessor identification numbers on the first page and can collect fees from filing parties to cover reasonable program costs. The measure exempts recordings where government entities are the grantee and counties already operating notification programs under existing law.

To implement the programs, counties must obtain board of supervisors approval and follow competitive bidding requirements when contracting notification services. While the measure shields county recorders from liability for undelivered notices, it requires the state to reimburse local agencies for any state-mandated costs as determined by the Commission on State Mandates. Counties cannot begin charging notification fees until 120 days after establishing and publicly announcing them.