Monterey County Preliminary Notice Form (California)

All Monterey County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:

Preliminary Notice Form

Monterey County Preliminary Notice Form

Fill in the blank Preliminary Notice form formatted to comply with all California recording and content requirements.
Included Monterey County compliant document last validated/updated 10/4/2024

Preliminary Notice Guide

Monterey County Preliminary Notice Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included Monterey County compliant document last validated/updated 10/3/2024

Completed Example of the Preliminary Notice Document

Monterey County Completed Example of the Preliminary Notice Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included Monterey County compliant document last validated/updated 7/26/2024

When using these Preliminary Notice forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in Monterey County. The executed documents should then be recorded in the following office:

Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk

168 West Alisal St, 1st floor / PO Box 29, Salinas, California 93902-0570

Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 am to 5:00 pm / Recording until 4:00 pm

Phone: (831) 755-5041 or toll free from peninsula (831) 647-77

Local jurisdictions located in Monterey County include:

  • Aromas
  • Big Sur
  • Bradley
  • Carmel
  • Carmel By The Sea
  • Carmel Valley
  • Castroville
  • Chualar
  • Gonzales
  • Greenfield
  • Jolon
  • King City
  • Lockwood
  • Marina
  • Monterey
  • Moss Landing
  • Pacific Grove
  • Pebble Beach
  • Salinas
  • San Ardo
  • San Lucas
  • Seaside
  • Soledad
  • Spreckels

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 Monterey 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 Monterey County using our eRecording service.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Monterey County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Monterey County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.

Can the Preliminary Notice 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 Monterey County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Monterey County.

What are supplemental forms?

Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by California or Monterey 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 Monterey County Preliminary Notice 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.

A claimant other than a laborer or direct contractor must serve preliminary notice under Civ. Code 8200 in order reserve the right to to claim a future mechanic's lien on a property. The notice must be served to the owner, direct contractor, and construction lender, if any.

California law requires notice to be served within 20 days of first furnishing labor, materials, services, or equipment in a work of improvement. A claimant may give late notice, but this limits the claimant's lien to only work performed within 20 days prior to giving the late notice, and work from that point forward (Civ. Code 8204).

Notices in relation to mechanic's liens must follow requirements under Civ. Code 8102, which include the names and addresses of the owners, direct contractor, and construction lender, if any, a description of the job site and job site address, and the name, address, and relationship to the parties of the claimant providing notice.

In addition to these requirements, the preliminary notice under Civ. Code 8200 requires a general description of the work provided by the potential claimant, an estimate of the total price of the work, and a verbatim notice to the property owner established by statute. If a preliminary notice is given by a subcontractor who has not paid all compensation due to a laborer, the notice also requires the name and address of all laborers to whom payment is due (Civ. Code 8202).

Pursuant to Civ. Code 8106, notice can be served by personal delivery, mail (as provided by Civ. Code 8110), or leaving a notice and mailing a copy according to the Code of Civil Procedure for service of summons in a civil action.

While this notice is typically not recorded, it may be filed with the county recorder for the limited purpose of facilitating the recorder's mailing of notices. When recorded, the preliminary notice does not constitute a recorded document and is maintained in a separate index. It does not function to provide constructive notice to third parties (Cal Civ. Code 8214).

Consult a lawyer with questions about preliminary notices, mechanic's lien laws, or any other issues related to real property in the State of California.

Our Promise

The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Monterey 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 Monterey County Preliminary Notice 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.

4.8 out of 5 - ( 4434 Reviews )

James S.

November 21st, 2024

Forms used, created quitclaim deed that the county accepted without a second look (turns out they see deeds.com forms regularly via erecording and in person). Will be back for any real estate related forms I need and they carry. Will always be my first stop. Also, will use erecording next time, mad I didn't see it this time.

Reply from Staff

Thanks for the kind words James, glad we could help. Look forward to seeing you again.

Thomas G.

November 21st, 2024

Wasn’t what I expected

Reply from Staff

Sorry to hear that your expectations were missed. Your order has been canceled. We do hope that you find something more suitable to your expectations elsewhere. Do keep in mind that purchasing legal forms should not be an exploratory endeavor.

Jimmy P.

November 20th, 2024

They sent me everything I would need to do this. Easy purchase -Easy download. Great!! I'll be back here for all my document needs.

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

Jan O.

April 22nd, 2021

This was so easy and just what I needed.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Nola B.

May 18th, 2021

I like the form except the title should be ENHANCED LIFE ESTATE DEED and not Quit Claim Deed

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

JIM H.

July 21st, 2022

Excellent service
Always find the documents in minutes.
Supporting docs is a super plus!

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Annie R.

December 7th, 2019

Excellent service. Documents easy to understand and use.

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

Paul A.

October 27th, 2020

The website worked fast but the information was limited and the actual deed of trust was what i was looking for from the county --- the info was limited
the website is fast and seemed accurate just limited the information I needed

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Michele S.

February 10th, 2019

This is a great service if you know what youre looking for. Unfortunately it just wasnt right for me and my situation.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Kelly Y.

September 1st, 2022

The document was easy to locate, pay for and download. I hope it will be this easy to process by the County!

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Kurt P.

November 20th, 2020

I like the basics. The one thing I would recommend changing would be, something that tells me I have actually have submitted my package, or that I can leave at any time without needing to click on a "Submit" button.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Kimberly L.

June 27th, 2020

Great to have online resources! I will most definitely refer others!

Best regards,

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

Deborah A.

July 26th, 2022

Excellent,

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Christopher B.

November 26th, 2019

Record retrieval by staff is very prompt!!! Great customer service for sure!

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Sharon M.

February 23rd, 2021

I will be going through title, so didn't order deed, but I think your website is wonderful. It's great to offer online services, such a great time saving for me with my work. Thank you, Sharon M.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback Sharon, we really appreciate it. Have a fantastic day!