Monterey County Property Search
A Monterey County property record is a document that includes specific information regarding a property. Customarily, residents submit property documents that are required by law to be registered to the Recorder Monterey County Who in turn records them. Only by performing a Monterey County property search can a person access property records and related Monterey County Public Records. A property record contains information regarding the legal description of a property, its ownership, and tax history. If an individual intends to purchase a property or resolve a contention involving property, doing a property record search would prove worthwhile.
Is Monterey County Property Records Public?
According to the Public Record Act of California and as per Monterey County decree, individuals who are interested in viewing the county’s property records have the right to do so. The provisions in the law also cover the distribution of these property documents to interested members of the public by the Recorder and Assessor Monterey County.
Despite this, certain property information by law is classified, hence not open for public access.
Where to Perform a Monterey County Property Lookup
Requesters can perform a Monterey County property lookup online, via mail, and in person with the Recorder of the county.
Requests for property records can be done online, via the approved third-party vendor. One would need to provide the document number and number of pages. Individuals who want to purchase a property record online should note that there is no preview available for viewing before the document is purchased. The fees charged for copies are $2.00 per page of the document and $2.00 for certified copies.
In-person requests can be done at the office of the Monterey County Recorder, located at:
Office of the Recorder
168 West Alisal Street, 1st Floor
Salinas, CA 93901
While mail requests are to be sent to the address below. Please note that the mail should include the payment of the required fee, either as a check or money order.
The Monterey County Recorder
P.O. Box 29
Salinas, CA 93902
Persons who wish to request a copy of a document via mail or in person would need to provide the following information:
- The document number or page and reel number (where applicable)
- Name of the guarantor or guarantee as recorded
- The year the document was recorded
- The type of document
How to Perform a Property Owner Lookup in Monterey County
As provided by the status of California, details regarding the owner of a property are not available online, except with the permission of such an individual. However, interested individuals can carry out a property owner search at the Monterey County Recorder’s public area in the office during office hours.
How to Find Monterey County Property Records Online
The government agencies that store and maintain property records in the county make these records available online to interested members of the public.
Notwithstanding, those looking to find a Monterey property record online can as well check third-party sites. The majority of these sites offer a level of free searches, howbeit, one may need to open an account on some or even pay a fee depending on the scope of the search to be carried out. Generally, property record searches on private sites can be done using the address of the property or its parcel number.
How to Find Property Owner by Address for Free
Addresses and telephone numbers are not considered public information and, hence, are not available online without written permission from a property owner. As a result of this, inquirers can only carry out a property search by parcel identification number and not by address.
Therefore, to find the owner of a property by address for free, the requester would need to contact the Office of the Assessor via the contact form provided on the site, by mail, or via a phone call.
Monterey County Property Tax Lookup
To perform a Monterey property tax look-up, interested persons can find records on the Treasurer-Tax Collector | Monterey County web page. A property tax search tool that interested persons can use is provided on the site. One can search by ‘fee parcel or assessment. Inquirers can also fill out and submit the contact form online.
Another option is to send mail to the office. The mail should be addressed to,
Monterey County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office
P.O. Box 891
Salinas, CA 93902-0891
Phone: (831) 755-5057
Fax: (831) 759-6623
taxcollector@co.monterey.ca.us
Researchers should bear in mind that staff members of the office are only available to answer phone calls.
How to Find Monterey County Property Appraiser
Members of the public interested in finding a Monterey County appraiser can check the website of the California Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers. One can search for an appraiser by clicking the ‘online service’ option on the home page. The researcher can then select the ‘search for an appraiser’ option from the list displayed. The inquirer can then conduct a search by filling out the information required. This includes the first and last name of the appraiser/company name, the license number, county (in this case Monterey), mail city, and zip code, to mention a few. Monterey County Appraisers are responsible for the evaluation of properties within the county for taxation purposes.
Monterey County Property Assessor
Below are some of the responsibilities of the Monterey County Property Assessor,
- Finding and mapping properties that are taxable
- Establishing ownership of properties within the county
- Assessment of properties that are deemed taxable
- Determination of legal property tax exemptions
- Ascertaining if a property should be reassessed after alterations
The location of the Assessor’s office is as follows:
Monterey County Government Center Administration Building
Assessor’s Office
168 West Alisal Street, 1st Floor
Salinas, CA 93901
Phone: (831) 755-5035
Fax: (831) 755-5435
