Santa Barbara County Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Form (California)
All Santa Barbara County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:
Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Form
Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.
Included Santa Barbara County compliant document last validated/updated 10/9/2024
Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Guide
Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included Santa Barbara County compliant document last validated/updated 8/2/2024
Completed Example of the Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Document
Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included Santa Barbara County compliant document last validated/updated 5/31/2024
The following California and Santa Barbara County supplemental forms are included as a courtesy with your order:
When using these Affidavit of Surviving Spouse forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in Santa Barbara County. The executed documents should then be recorded in one of the following offices:
Lompoc
401 E. Cypress St, Room 102, Lompoc, California 93436
Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 9:00am - 12:00 & 1:00 - 4:00pm
Phone: (805) 737-7705
Santa Maria
511 E. Lakeside Parkway, Suite 115 , Santa Maria, California 93455-1341
Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Phone: (805) 346-8370
Hall of Records & Mailing Address
1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, California 93101
Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Phone: (805) 568-2250
Local jurisdictions located in Santa Barbara County include:
- Buellton
- Carpinteria
- Casmalia
- Goleta
- Guadalupe
- Lompoc
- Los Alamos
- Los Olivos
- New Cuyama
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Maria
- Santa Ynez
- Solvang
- Summerland
How long does it take to get my forms?
Forms are available immediately after submitting payment.
How do I get my forms, are they emailed?
Immediately after you submit payment, the Santa Barbara County forms you order will be available for download directly from your account. You can then download the forms to your computer. If you do not already have an account, one will be created for you as part of the order process, and your login details will be provided to you. If you encounter any issues accessing your forms, please reach out to our support team for assistance. Forms are NOT emailed to you.
What does "validated/updated" mean?
This indicates the most recent date when at least one of the following occurred:
- Updated: The document was updated or changed to remain compliant.
- Validated: The document was examined by an attorney or staff, or it was successfully recorded in Santa Barbara County using our eRecording service.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Santa Barbara County?
Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Santa Barbara County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.
Can the Affidavit of Surviving Spouse forms be re-used?
Yes. You can re-use the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have more than one property in Santa Barbara County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Santa Barbara County.
What are supplemental forms?
Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by California or Santa Barbara County. These could be tax related, informational, or even as simple as a coversheet. Supplemental forms are provided for free with your order where available.
What type of files are the forms?
All of our Santa Barbara County Affidavit of Surviving Spouse forms are PDFs. You will need to have or get Adobe Reader to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.
Do I need any special software to use these forms?
You will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.
Do I have to enter all of my property information online?
No. The blank forms are downloaded to your computer and you fill them out there, at your convenience.
Can I save the completed form, email it to someone?
Yes, you can save your deed form at any point with your information in it. The forms can also be emailed, blank or complete, as attachments.
Are there any recurring fees involved?
No. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.
Transferring California Community Property to the Surviving Spouse
Section 100(a) of the California Probate Code states that when a married person dies, one-half of the couple's community property belongs to the surviving spouse and the other half stays in the decedent's name, ostensibly for probate distribution. For transfers occurring after July 1, 2001, California property owners gained the option to hold title as community property with the right of survivorship. By vesting this way, the remaining spouse acquires the deceased spouse's portion of the shared property without the need for probate (Cal Civ Code 682.1(a)).
The surviving spouse files an affidavit (a statement of facts, made under oath), along with an official copy of the death certificate, at the recording office for the county where the property is located. The content may vary depending on the circumstances, but it generally contains the names of both spouses, a formal legal description of the shared real estate, and the recording information for the deed transferring ownership to the couple, confirming their intention to hold title as community property. Note that the right of survivorship is not automatic with community property -- it must be written on the face of the deed. To alleviate any questions about the survivorship status, consider including an official copy of the recorded deed.
The affidavit should also confirm, among other things, that the co-owners were married when the decedent died, that there are no probate actions related to the property, and that the surviving spouse is submitting the affidavit to ensure clear title. A clear title is important because it makes future transactions involving the real estate less complicated.
Each case is unique, so contact an attorney with specific questions or for complex situations.
(California Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)
Our Promise
The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Santa Barbara County recording requirements for formatting. If there's an issue caused by our formatting, we'll make it right and refund your payment.
Save Time and Money
Get your Santa Barbara County Affidavit of Surviving Spouse form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.
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November 1st, 2024
Very thorough with plenty of instructions. Nice to be able to fill in the forms on my computer at my own pace and edit if needed. Jim
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October 25th, 2024
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October 25th, 2024
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December 9th, 2020
Excellent! Great communication through the process and quick response.
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William B.
October 22nd, 2023
The forms, and other information, are all excellent.rnI would be giving a 5-star review if it were not for the fact that downloading a "bundle" about quitclaim deeds required I download every single file independently (15 files). I would far prefer a zip file, or one click to download the whole pile of independent files.
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Mark S.
September 14th, 2022
Very easy site to navigate. The quit claim deed I downloaded was perfect for my needs. Would like to see a (Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure) added to the forms list.
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Austin S.
August 13th, 2020
Everything is done in a timely manner which is very much appreciated.
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Cathy F.
March 2nd, 2022
Glad I found you. After much searching, you had the right form that I needed. Quick and easy.
Cathy
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Earline S.
December 24th, 2018
Total package. Very prompt with complete instructions & example to complete forms. If you don't want to hire a lawyer, this is pretty simple & will bypass probate.
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Dorothea B.
October 2nd, 2019
The Affidavit- Death of Joint Tenant form you provided is not the same form as showed on the Los Angeles County property tax website.
It appears that the LA county form requires entering additional info that is not included in your form.
Thank you!
samira m.
December 9th, 2022
I love whoever is behind this website. I bought the wrong form and I told them and they refunded me asap! I figured out which form I need days later and bought it just now. They didn't have to refund me for my own mistake. That was very kind. I'll be returning for any other forms I may need and will tell others too. Thank you so much!!!!!
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Robert W.
January 18th, 2019
Perfect timing. Everything was consistent and timely.
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January 31st, 2022
Great Tool! Very easy to complete.
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March 26th, 2021
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Jamie F.
February 13th, 2019
I purchased he Alabama Correction Warranty Deed Form to correct a mistake in the legal description. However, this form says it must be signed by all who previously signed the deed. One of these people is now deceased. Can I use this form? How would it be different? I would give you 5 stars but wish this issue had been addressed. Thanks.
Thank you for your feedback. From the product description: All parties who signed the prior deed must sign the correction deed in the presence of a notary.