Butte County Recorder Mechanics Lien Filing

You can file your mechanic liens in person at the Butte County Recorder’s Office located at:

Butte County Hall of Records
155 Nelson Avenue
Oroville, CA 95965-3411
Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Recording Hours: Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

If you need more information, you can call them at (530) 538-7691.

You can also mail your lien documents to:

Butte County Clerk-Recorder’s Office
155 Nelson Avenue
Oroville, CA 95965-3411

Butte County does not publicly disclose their recording backlog, but you can give them a call at (530) 538-7691 to ask about how long it would take to record your document.

The Butte County Recorder’s Office is required to make a permanent record of all documents. After all documents are scanned into the computer system, stored on microfilm for archival purposes and checked for accuracy, the original documents are returned to you in approximately three to four weeks.

If work was performed on a property in Butte County, your mechanics lien should be filed in Butte County.

Butte County lists the following basic recording requirements for any document affecting title to real property, such as a mechanics lien:

1. Original signatures are required except as otherwise required by law (Government Code 27201(b)
2. A California all-purpose acknowledgment is required (Civil Code 1188 and Civil Code 1189)
3. Documents, including notary seals and attachments, must be sufficiently legible to reproduce a readable photographic copy (Government Code 27361.7)
4. The title of the document must be indicated on the first page directly below the space reserved for the Recorder (Government Code 27324)
5. A recording reference is required on any document that modifies, releases, or cancels the provisions of a previously recorded document (Government Code 27361.6)

Paper Size: All documents must be on regular letter-sized paper: 8 1/2″ x 11″. Non-conforming page size incur additional recording fees.

Margin: margins on each vertical side must be at least 1/2″.

First Page: the top 2.5″ of the first page must be reserved for the recording information.

The left 3.5″ of this space must include the name of the party requesting recording and the address where the document is to be mailed after recording.

You can download a sample cover sheet for Butte County property recordings here.

The title of the document must be listed at the top of the first page directly below the space reserved for the Recorder (Government Code 27324).

You can make online payment to the Butte County Recorder through a partner service. All major credit cards are accepted such as American Express, Discover, Visa, and Mastercard. Note that Butte County does not accept payment for specific pages, only complete documents.

Credit card orders are returned by mail unless Expeditated (using UPS), which will cost an additional $19 fee.

The Butte County Recorder’s basic recording fee to file a mechanics lien is $15.00 for the first page and $3.00 for each additional page of the same document.

Non-conforming Page Size:

For non-conforming page size, penalty for each page of the entire document is $3.00. Page size required is limited to 8 1/2” x 11” with 1/2” margins.

Penalty Print:

If your document fails to comply with the print requirements, you will be charged a penalty of $1.00 for each page.

Indexing Fee:

If your document requires additional indexing, you will charged $1.00 for each reference.

If your document requires indexing of more than ten index items, you will be charged $10.00 or fractional portion thereof after the initial group of ten index items.

Copy and Certification Fees

There are also fees charged to obtain a copy from the recorder. These are the following:

Copy of official record: $3.50 first page, $1.50 each additional page
Certified Copy: $3.00, first page, $1.00 each additional page
Conformed Copy: $1.00

You can a request a copy from the recorder for a fee. To obtain a copy of official record, you will be charged $3.50 for the first page and $1.50 for each additional page. You can have the copy certified for $3.00, for the first page and $1.00 each additional page. If you want to get a conformed copy, you will be charged $1.00.

You can request a copy in person by visiting the Recorder’s office location at:

Butte County Hall of Records
155 Nelson Avenue
Oroville, CA 95965-3411
Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Recording Hours: Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

You can also request a copy of official records online. Note that online requests will be processed through LexisNexis, Inc. An additional fee is charged by LexisNexis for using this service, and all major credit cards are accepted, including American Express ®, Discover ®, MasterCard ® or Visa ®.

Official Records Request Fees
Document or Service: Fee:
Certified Copy (first page) $6.50
Certified Copy (each additional page) $2.50
Regular Copy (first page) $3.50
Regular Copy (each additional page) $1.50
Expedited Mail (UPS) $19.00
Handling Fee (charged on all credit card orders) $6.00

To look up Butte County’s official records, you can  look up real estate records here. You will need to enter the party name and document ID for an order. Otherwise, you can use the county’s research room, which is open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday – Friday (legal holidays excluded). Note that the records are indexed under the property owner’s name.

Determining whether you do or do not have a mechanics lien right can be tricky. Generally speaking, every state gives those who have furnished labor and/or materials to a construction project the right to file a mechanics lien if unpaid for the furnishing. The same is true in California. However, there are some state-specific limitations as to who is qualified to file a mechanics lien that is important when considering whether you have the right to file a mechanics lien in Butte County, California.

Great and detailed information about this is available on our California Mechanics Lien Resources Page.

The fee to file a California Preliminary Notice in Butte County is $35.00. Note that filing a preliminary notice is not statutorily required.