How to Search for San Jose Property Records

San Jose property records are public; you can search for them and get copies legally for any reason. The key is finding what you need as quickly and efficiently as possible. Most property records are accessible online through government offices and third-party commercial sites. You can find things like deeds, liens, foreclosures, mortgages, ownership history, and much more. Use the resources below to find what you need.

Santa Clara County Clerk-Recorder's Office

Deeds, liens, and other property-related documents are recorded, filed, and maintained by the Santa Clara County Clerk-Recorder's Office. They have a helpful website with a search portal where you can search for records by property address.

City of San Jose Search Portal

The City of San Jose has a search portal, which makes finding property-related records easy. You can search by address, parcel number, building permit number, or tract number.

County Assessor's Office

Santa Clara's County Assessor offers a real property search tool to find records. You can search by property address or APN or perform an advanced search by street type, unit, and city.

County Planning Department

The Santa Clara County Department of Planning and Development also has a search tool for property records, such as maps, plats, surveys, zoning, jurisdiction, etc. You can search by street number, name, and type or by APN.

San Jose Courts

San Jose's Superior Court of California is another place to find helpful property records like property dispute cases, bankruptcies, liens, foreclosures, probate issues, and other cases involving property.

San Jose calls property taxes for real property "secured property tax". Santa Clara County has a lookup tool where you can find information about property values, assessments, taxes, and liens. San Jose property taxes are considered high when compared to the U.S. median of 0.99%. These taxes are a major source of funding for local government; they pay for road maintenance, schools, police, fire, and emergency services.

Assessments

The Santa Clara Assessor's Office conducts annual property assessments to determine the value of each property for tax purposes. If a homeowner has an issue with the annual assessment, they can appeal it through the Office of the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors. Learn more about the appeals process and download forms on their website.

Appraisals

Property appraisals are another method of valuing property, usually by comparing recent sales of similar homes. In the case of annual assessments, if the building is new construction or something different, the assessor may call on an appraiser to help value it for taxes. Estate planners, probate courts, and lenders also use appraisals to value property for various reasons.

Tax Rates

The median tax rate in San Jose is 1.46% of the property's assessed value. The average homeowner pays roughly $8,329 a year in property taxes, which is very high compared to the national average of $2,690. Other counties in California have much lower rates, for example:

• Lassen County 0.75%
• Los Angeles County 0.82%
• Madera County 0.92%
• Marin County 0.95%
• Orange County 0.79%
• Santa Cruz County 0.76%
• Yuba County 1.00%

Exemptions

San Jose offers specific individuals special property tax exemptions to help them save money, especially since taxes are so high in the city. The Office of the Assessor, County of Santa Clara, is the agency to contact to apply for an exemption. The available discounts include:

• Homeowner's Property Tax Exemption - Provides a reduction in assessed value of up to $7,000.
• Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption - This exemption reduces assessed value up to $100,000. For low-income veterans, this amount may increase to $150,000.
• Non-Profit Organization Property Tax Exemption - This provides 100% tax-exempt status for non-profit organizations or religious buildings, such as churches, schools, and libraries.

You must have a building permit before building a new structure, demolishing an old one, or renovating a building structure. You can get one by visiting the San Jose City Hall Permit Center in person, filling out the application, and paying the fee. You can also apply online using San Jose's SJPERMITS.ORG website. They make it easy to apply, upload supporting documentation (blueprints, material lists, contractor licenses, etc.) and pay the fee. You can also schedule your inspection through the website.

• New Construction
• Electrical
• Plumbing
• Mechanical
• Structural Changes to Walls and Windows
• Roofs

Part of the permitting process is building inspections. Every construction job that requires a permit must also be inspected throughout the project to ensure the work complies with local building and safety codes.

Situated in Silicon Valley, the sunny city of San Jose, California, is home to 969,655 people. The city has a total of 345,798 housing units, of which 276,598 are occupied. Of that total, 170,950 are owner-occupied, another 105,648 are renter-occupied, and 5,243 are vacant. The Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) plans to build another 62,200 affordable housing units by 2031. The types of housing units you will find in San Jose include single-family homes, multi-family units (apartments), accessory dwelling units (ADUs), junior accessory dwelling units (JADUs), and tiny homes on wheels (THOWs). However, there is a disproportionate number of single-family homes as opposed to multi-family units. Approximately 94% of the land is designated for single-family homes. More than 50% of homes in San Jose are single-family detached homes, and 9.9% are single-family attached homes. The median home price in San Jose is $1.4-$1.5 million. However, it depends on where you live in the city. For example:

• Willow Glen South (95125) $2.1 million
• Santa Teresa Foothills (95119) $1.6 million
• Cambrian (95124) $1.8 million
• East San Jose (95122) $1,104,420
• Downtown (95110) $1,089,606
• Seven Trees (95111) $1,060,599
• Fairgrounds (95111) $1,025,830
• Buena Vista (95126) $914,674
• Edenvale (95123) $1,154,911
• Burbank (95128) $1,211,833
• Almaden Lake (95120) $759.5K
• Oak Ridge (95123) $1.5M

San Jose is considered one of the most expensive cities in the U.S. to live in. Even renters pay an average of $3,331 per month.