Before you read on: this page only gives information about updating ownership on property owned by a living owner.

If the person whose name appears as an owner on the home/land that you want to update has passed away, you may want to review:

Simplified Probate Procedures (CLICK LINK TO ACCESS PAGE)

I Want to Change the Name(s) on My Home.
Where Do I Start?

The best self-help resource that describes how living owners can add or remove names on real property in the State of California was prepared by the Sacramento County Law Library.

The guide below contains step-by-step instructions that walk you through how you would add an owner or change owners on real property.  It even features detailed illustrated guides that show how to complete deeds, line by line.

REVIEW SACRAMENTO COUNTY LAW LIBRARY’S EXCELLENT SELF-HELP GUIDE ON HOW TO USE DEEDS TO CHANGE TITLE TO REAL PROPERTY (CLICK LINK TO ACCESS PAGE).

Why Make This Page if You Are Just Linking
Us to Sacramento County Law Library?

Sacramento County Law Library does incredible work preparing its self-help materials, but their materials are (understandably) written for residents of Sacramento County, above all.   If you are a Kern County resident, you will need some information that is not included in the guide we posted above.

What Information Will I Need For My Property
in Kern County, Specifically?

Where Do I Get a Copy of My Current Deed?

Before you begin writing a new deed, you will need to get a copy of your current deed, so that you can retrieve key information from it.  The staff of the Kern County Hall of Records can assist you in getting a copy of your current deed – The staff of the Kern County Law Library cannot.

If you want to visit the Kern County Law Library to work on your deed in person, your first stop should be at the Kern County Hall of Records to retrieve the most recently recorded deed for your parcel of property.

It would be helpful if you take along your property tax bill to use the APN to find your parcel of property.  If you do not have that, you can ask a staff member of the Hall of Records to help use one of their computer kiosks to search with other information.

Where Will I Record My New Deed?

The most important difference from Sacramento County to Kern is that if your piece of property is located in Kern County, you will be recording your deed with the Kern County Recorder’s Office (Click link to access Recorder’s web page).  

The Kern County Recorder is located at 1530 Truxtun Ave., Bakersfield, CA, 93301.
 

What Will I Take to Kern County Recorder’s Office?

Your new deed, and a preliminary change of ownership report.

In all 58 counties in California, deeds can be used to add or change names on real property.  A grant deed or quitclaim deed you use in Kern County can be used in Sacramento County, San Diego County, etc.

However, every county has its own Preliminary Change of Ownership Report that you will complete alongside the deed you select to update the title to your property.  You can access a Preliminary Change of Ownership Report for Kern County below.

Preliminary Change of Ownership Report (click link to access) 

Where Can I Get a Blank Deed?

If you visit the Kern County Law Library, you can print a blank deed you may use to change names on your piece of property (for fifteen cents per page, cash only).

You can also download them from this page.

FILLABLE GRANT DEED (click link to access)

FILLABLE QUITCLAIM DEED (click link to access) 

FILLABLE INTERSPOUSAL TRANSFER DEED (click link to access)

What Else Should I Know?

Changes to ownership of real property are extremely significant, and often deal with some of the most valuable assets a person will ever own.

The kinds of complications which can come from errors in changes to title of real property can be substantial, can cost money to fix, and may not even be apparent until many years have elapsed.

If you are at all uncomfortable drafting your own deed, you should at least consider a consultation with an attorney who works in the area of real property.  The laws around real property are some of the most complex there are, and there is good reason to consider a consultation with an attorney who can help you understand the full significance of this process.

If you visit www.kernbar.org (click link to access), you can find a listing of attorneys who work in Kern County with whom you may consult if you want specialized assistance drafting your legal paperwork.