How to Search for San Diego Property Records

San Diego property records are public, and anyone can obtain them for any reason without special permission. Some information contained within property records are deeds, property ownership history, liens, mortgages, foreclosures, building permits, and more. You can find San Diego property records through several sources and request copies (usually for a small fee). The available search options include:

San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk

San Diego combines its assessor, recorder, and county clerk services in one department where public property records are filed, stored, and maintained. Search criteria include parcel number, property address, or owner name. You can try searching the county website for information, or if you have trouble, you can always visit them in person to request records. The office is located at 1600 Pacific Highway, Suite 103, San Diego, CA 92101. The office also takes information requests by phone. Call them at (619) 236-3771.

San Diego County Survey Records System

The city also has another county search resource where you can find information on plans, surveys, and land-related records by searching a map or using the property address, intersection, or record number.

San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector

If you are interested in property tax records and assessment values regarding a San Diego property, you can find them with the San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector. You can also find liens, foreclosure properties, and unsecured property taxes on the website.

Superior Court of California, County of San Diego

The Superior Court of California, County of San Diego's website has a helpful search area where you can look for case files and records related to property like liens, property disputes, foreclosures, bankruptcies, divorces, and other court cases with property involved.

San Diego collects roughly $6 billion in property taxes to pay for schools, county services (road maintenance, bridges, etc.), fire, police, and emergency services. Unpaid property taxes incur a 10% penalty. The San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector's office is responsible for sending bills and collecting payments. You can find your tax bill through their website and pay it online.

San Diego is the fifth-largest assessment district in the U.S., with over one million parcels. Proposition 13 protects 929,663 of those, capping their property tax increase at 2%.

Assessments

Property in San Diego is subject to both Proposition 8 and Proposition 13, which limit property values and taxes. The tax assessor/recorder/county clerk assesses all real property annually. Anyone who disagrees with their property assessment can file an appeal application with the Clerk of the Assessment Appeals Board.

Appraisals

The county tax assessor/recorder/county clerk handles annual assessments, but in cases where it isn't easy to value property like new construction, commercial properties, or complex structures, the county will hire a certified appraiser to help out. They may use special calculations to formulate a reasonable value for the property. Others, like probate courts, estate planners, and lenders, use appraisals to value property.

Tax Rates

San Diego's average effective property tax rate is 0.87%, which is much lower than the national average of 0.99% and that of other states. Due to Prop 8 and Prop 13, tax rates throughout California are relatively similar without too much variance. For example, the average in Los Angeles is 0.700%.

Exemptions

Property tax exemptions help to lower a homeowner's tax bill. In San Diego, some available tax exemptions include the following:

• Homeowners Exemption - A reduction in value up to $7,000.
• Disabled Veteran Exemption - For vets with a 100 disabled rating.
• Senior Exclusions - Adults 55 years old or older.
• Intergenerational Exclusions - Assessed value passes onto heirs.
• Institutional Exemptions - For religious organizations.
• Disaster and Calamity Tax Relief - After damage to the home.
• Property Taken By Government Action - eminent domain properties.

San Diego's Building Development Services agency is the government office where you must apply for building permits before doing any work. Building permits are required when building new structures, improving old ones, remodeling, and adding on or reconfiguring buildings (e.g., going from a single-family to a multi-family). The website is well laid out, with helpful tools to assist you with planning your project, applying for your permit online, and following up. When applying, you must attach supporting documents like blueprints, material lists, and contractor licenses and pay the fee. The types of building permits available in San Diego include:

• Building Permit
• Construction Noise Permit
• Construction Change to Building Permit
• Demolition Permit
• Electrical Permit
• Fire Permit
• Grading Permit
• Mechanical Permit
• Plumbing/Gas Permit
• Simple Permits
• Temporary Use Permit

Another aspect of building permits is periodic inspections to ensure the work complies with all local building and safety codes. You can even schedule your inspection online through the Development Services website.

San Diego, located on California's Pacific coast, is home to 1.388 million people. The city has roughly 530,000 housing units. The disconnect between the number of residents and available housing units means the city is struggling to meet the demands. There is a shortage of about 90,000 homes because home building has not kept up with population growth. The largest shortage is for middle-income housing. San Diego has a few different types of housing units, such as single-family homes, multi-family homes, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), junior ADUs, and public housing.

The average cost of a home in San Diego is $950,000, which is not that affordable to many. The listing price per square foot is $720. That's about 123% higher than the national average. Where you live matters; prices vary, for example:

• Oceanside (92003) $850,000
• Carlsbad (92008) $1.6 million
• Ramona (92065) $808,923
• Santa Ysabel (92070) $799,240
• Alpine (91901) $979,408
• Popway (92064) $1,247,739
• Santee (92071) $811,883
• Escondido (92025) $897,000
• Lakeside (92025) $814,574
• Descanso (91916) $664,034
• El Cajon (92019) $825,426

Houses in San Diego stay on the market for an average of 32 days. Although inventory is low, the number of listings has risen by 16.8% annually. The median sale-to-list ratio is 1.000.