Kern County Property Records

Kern County Property Search

The Office of the Assessor-Recorder is the custodian of Kern County property records. They require all property owners in the County to record their property documents at the Main Office. In Kern County, California, recorded property documents must meet the following standards and requirements:

• The documents must be on white paper and written in black ink. The size of the document should be 8 ½" × 11", but no larger than 8 ½" × 14".
• The document should have a ½" margin on the vertical sides and 2 ½" for the recorder's label.
• The top left of the document should be for the name of the requester(s) and their mailing address.
• It should be readable and suitable for electronic documentation (Scans).
• The titles of labels should be below the recorder label.
• Land documents are mandated to have a legal description.
• Exhibits and riders are to be labeled accurately and submitted.
• Signatures made on documents must be original, if not the original, a certified copy of the original, and there should be no alterations in these documents.
• Names of parties in the document are to be written clearly and close to the signature holder, and it should be constant throughout the document.
• A notary acknowledgment for the property should be duly signed
• The document that transfers the title must have the assessor's parcel number, the tax rate area, and a complete Documentary Transfer Tax statement. Also, a signed Preliminary Change of Ownership should be part of the document.

A Kern County property search is usually requested by lawyers, property sellers and buyers, agents, relations of owners, and credit-reporting agencies.

• Lawyers use the property search record to ascertain the authenticity of available property and then use it as a guide to buyers and sellers on the property.
• Sellers and Buyers use property search information to get the full cash value of the property they want to purchase or put on the market, as the case may be.
• Property agents gain information from property searches to learn about Kern County properties and use this information to reach the right market of potential buyers.
• Creditworthiness is integral in a property purchase. Thus, credit report agencies use reports from property searches to gain knowledge about buyers and their credit reports.

Are Kern County Property Records Public?

Per the California Public Records Act, property records are part of Kern County Public Records. Therefore, anyone can inspect or obtain copies of property records from record custodians in Kern County. However, certain property records or portions may be exempted from public disclosure. For example, the following property records are deemed confidential in Kern County:

• Property Statement (Revenue and Taxation Code Section 451)
• Preliminary and Change in Ownership (Revenue and Taxation Code Section 481)
• Homeowner Exemption Claim (Property Tax Rule 135(e) (3))
• Social Security Number

What Do Kern County Property Records Contain?

Requesters of property information from Kern County property records documents may find the following results:

• General property information (ATN, parcel number, site address, legal description, acres, use code, prior APN(s), supervisorial district, parcel map, and GIS map).
• Recorded documents (number, type, and date recorded)
• Permits (Permit Number, Date Issued, Permit Type, Status, and Date Completed)
• Property Characteristics (Year Built, Square Feet, and Bed/Bath)
• Tax roll Values (Land Value, Mineral Value, Improvement Value, Other Improvements, Personal Property value)
• Tax bills and information related to property taxes (Lien Date Bill, Net Billed Value, Tax Rate Area, Proration Period).

Where to Perform a Kern County Property Lookup

Kern County property lookup can be done in person or by mail at the County's Recorder's Office. Requesters should note that the Kern County Assessor office does not receive requests for Recorded Real Property Documents by phone, fax, email, or online. However, individuals can retrieve property information online by self-search. The search criteria are by grantor/grantee name, document number, document date, or document class.

In-person requests should be made at the recorder's Office during business hours (Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.). Mail and in-person requesters must provide the following information when conducting property lookup:

• The number of the document (including page and book number)
• The year the recording was made
• The name of at least one of the persons mentioned in the document
• The document type
• The number of pages in the document
• The name and address of where the documents will be returned to

The required fees must accompany all mail and in-person requests. The Kern County Assessor-Recorder charges the following fees:

• $3.00 for the first 8 ½" × 11" page per document
• $0.50 for each 8 ½" × 11" page after the first page of a document
• $0.50 to get certification and seal.

In-person requesters can pay for property records by cash, while mail requesters should pay through check or money order payable to Kern County Recorder. If requests are made for a document, and that document is not found, no refunds will be made to the requester. The fee is retained as a search fee as recommended by California statutes.

The address to request the documents is:

Hall of Records
1655 Chester Avenue
Bakersfield, CA 93301
Phone: (661) 868-6400
Fax: (661) 327-3241
Email: response@kerncounty.com

How to Perform a Property Owner Lookup in Kern County

The Assessor-Recorders Office protects the information of property owners in Kern County in compliance with California privacy law. Thus, property search tools do not return results that include the property owner's name. However, requesters can conduct a property owner lookup by mail or in person. Requesters would have to provide some information on the property records, like document number, recording year, and document type, to facilitate the search. Once the necessary fees have been paid, the staff will provide a copy of the desired property record. The record will contain information about the property owner.

How to Find Kern County Property Records Online

Kern County records can be found online by accessing the Assesor's property search. The following steps can be used to access the records.

• Go to the County's Assessor-Recorder website
• Click on property, and a drop-down interface will pop up
• Click the Property Search handle
• Scroll down and search by address
• In the address search box, type in the desired address and click the Search button
• The website will load, revealing information about properties in that address
• Click the ATN/APN number link to view property details.

How to Find Property Owner by Address Free

Individuals cannot find property owners by address for free on Kern County's record database. California prohibits the publishing of a property owner's name on a website. Hence, the best bet would be to visit the record custodian offices for such a search. The record seeker should request to view property records and provide the property's address. The staff will allow the requester to inspect property records for free, but copies of such records usually attract a small nominal fee. The record seeker will see the ownership information in the property records.

Kern County Property Tax Lookup

Tax lookups are necessary for property searches because they provide true value of the property. Requesters of this information use the knowledge to know the market value of a property.

The Kern County Treasurer-Tax Collector has an online portal that can be used to conduct property tax lookups.

Locate the online portal by clicking the "Taxpayer Services" menu on the Collector's website. Then select the "Pay Your Taxes Online" link from the drop down. A search can be conducted by assessor tax number, file number, bill number, or address. Alternatively, individuals can personally conduct property tax lookup at the Treasurer-Tax Collector's Office. All in-person requests should be during Office hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Pacific Time). The Office is located at:
Kern County Treasurer-Tax Collector
1115 Truxtun Avenue
2nd Floor
Bakersfield, CA 93301
Phone: (661) 868-3490
Fax: (661) 868-3409
Email: TTC@KernCounty.com

How to Find Kern County Property Appraiser

Property appraisers perform some tasks that aid property search, such as:

• They conduct an in-person visit to a property site and document key information about the property.
• They compare other properties to know the current value of an evaluated property.
• They make sure they have updated information on a property and its value.

Kern County property appraisers can be found on the California Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers (BREA) website. Click the "Find an Appraiser?" link under the "How Do I…" section to locate the search tool.

The search parameters are by first name, last name, company name, mail city, mail zip, County, license level, license number, license status, current license valid search range, and license renewal valid search range.

Alternatively, requesters can review the list of property appraisers beneath the search area to find those working in Kern County.

Kern County Property Assessor

Kern County property assessor is in charge of valuing taxable property in compliance with California's constitutional, legislative, and administrative provisions. The assessor's duties include:

• Identify, classify, and value all taxable property in Kern County
• Manage tax exemption programs
• Prepare and distribute the annual assessment roll
• They form and manage assessment maps for properties in the County.
• Keep track and provide updates on property ownership records.
• Grant the public answers to questions that emanate from assessment, exemptions, and taxes in the County.

Contact the Kern County Property Assessor office at:

Kern County Assessor Office
1115 Truxtun Avenue
Bakersfield, CA 93301
Phone: (661) 868-3485
Fax: (661) 868-3303
Email: assessor@kerncounty.com