Sutter County Recorder Mechanics Lien Filing

You can file your mechanic liens in person or by mail.

In Person

Documents for recording may be presented over the counter at the Sutter County Recorder’s office located at:

433 Second Street
Yuba City, CA 95991
Tel: (530) 822-7134
Fax: (530) 822-7214

Documents are recorded at the Clerk-Recorder’s office Monday through Friday.

By Mail

Documents can also be mailed to:

Donna M. Johnston
Sutter County Clerk-Recorder
433 Second Street
Yuba City, CA 95991

The Sutter County Recorder does not publicly disclose information on recording backlog.

If the project is located in Sutter county, then yes, you will want to record your lien with the Sutter County Recorder’s office.

Each document presented for recording must include or comply with the Sutter County Recorder’s general requirements. They are as follows:

1. Original Signature Required GC 27201(c) – Requires original signatures on all instruments, papers or notices presented for recording except as otherwise provided by law. A certified copy is also acceptable.

2. All-Purpose Acknowledgment CC 1188 & CC 1189 – Any California notary public or other officer taking acknowledgments in California must complete a current California all-purpose notary acknowledgment.

3. Legibility GC 27361.7 – Documents presented for recording must be sufficiently legible to reproduce a readable photographic copy. This includes notary seals and any attachments or exhibits.

4. Page Size GC 27361.5 – A page is defined as one printed side of a single piece of paper measuring 8 1/2″ X 11″. A sheet is defined as one printed side of a single piece of paper that is not exactly 8 1/2″ X 11″, but is no larger than 8 1/2″ X 14″.

5. Page Margins GC 27361.6 – All documents submitted for recording must have at least a 1/2″ margin along each vertical side. In addition, the top 2 1/2″ of the first page or sheet must be reserved for recording information. The left 3 1/2″ of this space is used to show the name of the party requesting the recording and where to mail the document after it is recorded.

6. Cover Page GC 27361.6 – If the first page of the document does not have required space for the recording information, a separate page or cover sheet must be attached to the front of the document. This cover sheet must show the name of the party requesting the recording, where to mail the document after it is recorded and the title or titles of the document. Recording fees will be charged for this page.

7. Document Titles GC 27324 – All documents submitted for recording must indicate the title or titles of the documents contained therein. Titles should appear on the first page, directly below the space reserved for the Recorder.

8. Additional Titles Indexed GC 27324 – The Recorder is required to index all titles shown on the first page. Additional titles may be also be identified and indexed at the discretion of the Recorder. Additional titles indexed by Sutter County Recorder include, but are not limited to, Assignment of Rents and Assignment of Leases found in the body of the document. When a document contains more than one title to be indexed, the recording fee will increase $16.00 for each additional title to be indexed.

9. Recording Reference Number Required GC 27361.6 – Any document that modifies, releases or cancels the provisions of a previously recorded document must contain the recording reference number of that prior document.

10. Basic Recording Fees GC 27361 – All recording fees are due at the time of recording. Sutter County Clerk-Recorder charges $16.00 for the first page and $3.00 for each additional page per document.

11. Recording Fee for Non-Conforming Documents GC 27361 –
If any part of a document does not measure 8 1/2″ X 11″ or if the document has anything taped, pasted or stapled to an individual page, an additional non-conforming fee of $3.00 will be charged for each page of the document.

The margin and paper size requirements to file a lien in Sutter county are:

Page Size: All documents must comply with the 8 1/2″ X 11″ standard page size and must not exceed 8 1/2″ X 14″. A fee will be charged for each page other than 8 1/2″ X 11″.

Page Margins: All documents submitted for recording must have at least a ½” margin along each vertical side. In addition, the top 2 1/2″ of the first page or sheet must be reserved for recording information. The left 3 1/2″ of this space is used to show the name of the party requesting the recording and where to mail the document after it is recorded.

The Sutter County Recorder’s payment options include: cash, check or money order.

The Sutter County Recorder’s basic recording fee is $16.00 for the first page and $3.00 for each additional page.

Additional Recording Fees

Non-standard page penalty fee: $3.00 for each page other than 8 1/2″ x 11″

Penalty print: $1.00

Indexing fees: $1.00 for each additional reference indexed

$1.00 for each group of 10 names or fractional portion thereof after the initial group of 10 names

Lien Fees

Release of lien, State or County Gov’t: $13.00

Copy Fees

Copy (Self Service): $2.25 per page

Copy (Full Service): $3.25 per page

Certification: $5.75 per document

You may request a recorded copy of your lien in person or by mail:

In Person

Copies of recorded documents can be purchased at the Recorder’s Office from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, except for legal holidays. The customer completes a copy request form and gives it to the clerk. The copy is made at that time. Payment for an over-the-counter copy can be made by cash, check or money order.

The Sutter County Recorder’s office is located at:

433 Second Street
Yuba City, CA 95991
Tel: (530) 822-7134
Fax: (530) 822-7214

By Mail

A request for a copy can be mailed to the Recorder’s Office. All copy requests must have:

1. An Address to mail the copy to
2. A daytime phone number in case there is a question or problem
3. A check or money order to cover the fee for the requested copies
4. A self-addressed stamped envelope may speed return
5. Number of copies being requested

You copy requests can be mailed to:

Donna M. Johnston
Sutter County Clerk-Recorder
433 Second Street
Yuba City, CA 95991

You can visit the Sutter County Recorder’s office in person located at:

433 Second Street
Yuba City, CA 95991
Tel: (530) 822-7134
Fax: (530) 822-7214

To find out what documents have been recorded for a certain property requires a search of Sutter County’s records. Searching records is not within the legal scope of this office. However, records are open to the public 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays and you or your representative are welcome to search the records. Note that because the grantor/grantee index is a name index, the property owner’s name is required in order to search.

The fee to file a California Preliminary Notice in Sutter County is $40.00.