San Joaquin County Recorder Mechanics Lien Filing

You can file your mechanic liens in person at the San Joaquin County Recorder’s office located at:

44 North San Joaquin Street
Suite 260
Stockton, CA 95202

Telephone: (209) 468-3939
Fax: (209) 468-8040
E-mail: recorder@sjgov.org

Office Hours:
Document Recording: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

San Joaquin office does not publicly disclose information on recording backlog but you can give them a call at (209) 468-3939 to see how long it would take to process your lien filing.

If the project is located in San Joaquin county, then yes, you will want to record your lien in San Joaquin County.

Generally, to file a mechanics lien in San Joaquin County you should 1) Meet all California Mechanics Lien requirements including having sent a 20-day notice. 2) Meet all county document filing requirements, which include printing your lien on 8.5 x 11 inch paper using .5 inch margins, except at the top of the first page where you should use a 1.5inch margin. 3) Pay all appropriate and required filing fees for the county to record your document. Not meeting these general requirements could delay your lien filing or invalidate your lien filing altogether.

All documents must comply with the 8 1/2” X 11” standard page size. The Margin requirements for filing a lien in San Joaquin County are: 1.5 inches at the top of the first page and .5 inch margins on all other sides. Additionally, all other pages should have .5 inch margins on all sides.

You can make payment to the San Joaquin County Recorder in person. The office accepts cash, check, and most major credit cards.

The San Joaquin County Recorder’s regular recording fee is $14.00 for the first page and $3.00 for each additional page.

Additional Recording Fees

Non-conforming page size: $3.00 for each page other than 8 1/2 x 11

Indexing fee: $1.00 for each additional reference indexed

$1.00 for each additional name indexed (each group of 10 names after the 1st)

Copy Fees

Official Copy: $3.00 for each page if staff assisted

$1.00 for each page if self-assisted

Certification: $2.00 per document

Conformed Copy: $1.00

You can obtain a recorded copy of your lien in person at the San Joaquin County Recorder’s office between 8am and 4:30pm.

A photocopy can be made of the desired document, and, if necessary, the photocopy can be certified. Certified copies can be submitted in place of original documents for all court proceedings and legal purposes.

You can research a property’s legal description by visiting the San Joaquin County Recorder’s office. The Recorder’s Office offers the public the opportunity to research different types of recorded documents. Documents can only be viewed, however, by coming into the office. The Recorder’s Grantor/Grantee Index provides information as of January 1, 1968. Deeds and other official documents dating back to 1851 are available on computer and film. You can also do an online search of property descriptions in San Joaquin County here.

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 San Joaquin 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 San Joaquin County is $40.00.