Santa Cruz County Transfer on Death Deed Form (California)
All Santa Cruz County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:
Transfer on Death Deed Form
![Santa Cruz County Transfer on Death Deed Form](https://www.deeds.com/forms/california/transfer-on-death-deed/1686229751F57985_sample.png)
Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.
Included Santa Cruz County compliant document last validated/updated 6/4/2024
Transfer on Death Deed Guide
![Santa Cruz County Transfer on Death Deed Guide](https://www.deeds.com/forms/california/transfer-on-death-deed/1677179984F44276_sample.png)
Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included Santa Cruz County compliant document last validated/updated 6/14/2024
Completed Example of the Transfer on Death Deed Document
![Santa Cruz County Completed Example of the Transfer on Death Deed Document](https://www.deeds.com/forms/california/transfer-on-death-deed/1641569865F23396_sample.png)
Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included Santa Cruz County compliant document last validated/updated 5/8/2024
Notice of Revocable Transfer on Death Deed
![Santa Cruz County Notice of Revocable Transfer on Death Deed](https://www.deeds.com/forms/california/transfer-on-death-deed/1677176571F85745_sample.png)
Provide this form to your beneficiary(s).
Included Santa Cruz County compliant document last validated/updated 6/17/2024
The following California and Santa Cruz County supplemental forms are included as a courtesy with your order:
When using these Transfer on Death Deed forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in Santa Cruz County. The executed documents should then be recorded in the following office:
County Recorder
701 Ocean St, Rm 230, Santa Cruz, California 95060
Hours: 8:00am to 12:00 and 1:00 to 4:00pm
Phone: (831) 454-2800
Local jurisdictions located in Santa Cruz County include:
- Aptos
- Ben Lomond
- Boulder Creek
- Brookdale
- Capitola
- Davenport
- Felton
- Freedom
- Los Gatos
- Mount Hermon
- Santa Cruz
- Scotts Valley
- Soquel
- Watsonville
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 Cruz 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 Cruz County using our eRecording service.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Santa Cruz County?
Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Santa Cruz County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.
Can the Transfer on Death Deed 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 Cruz County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Santa Cruz County.
What are supplemental forms?
Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by California or Santa Cruz 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 Cruz County Transfer on Death Deed 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.
Use this form to transfer real estate at death, but outside of a will and without the need for probate distribution. Execute the TODD form, then record it during the course of your life, and within 60 days of the signing date (5626(a)). Note that unlike grant deeds or quitclaim deeds, there is no change in ownership when transfer on death deeds are recorded (5650), so they are exempt from transfer taxes and the Preliminary Change of Ownership Report (PCOR).
Section 5650 explains that while you are alive, you retain absolute ownership of and control over your property. You may sell, mortgage, rent, or otherwise use the real estate in any lawful manner, without input from or notice to the beneficiaries, or even modify or revoke the future transfer.
Be aware, too, that the TODD is NOT affected by provisions in your will (5642(b)). Best practices dictate that any change to an estate plan initiates a review of the whole thing, so to reduce the chance for conflict, ensure that the transfer on death deed reinforces the will and other related documents.
Beneficiaries take title to the property under the rules set out at section 5652. Any associated debts, obligations, or agreements in place when you die follow the real estate to the beneficiaries. In addition, the title transfers without warranty, so the beneficiaries might find themselves liable for future claims against the property. For these reasons, among others, some beneficiaries might wish to disclaim the gift (5652(a)(1)).
As it stands, California's transfer on death deed is not valid for real estate held in joint tenancy or as community property with right of survivorship (5664).
5624. A revocable transfer on death deed is not effective unless all of the following conditions are satisfied:
(a) The deed is signed by the transferor and dated.
(b) The deed is signed by two witnesses who were present at the same time and who witnessed either the signing of the deed or the transferor's acknowledgment that the transferor had signed the deed.
(c) The deed is acknowledged before a notary public.
SEC. 10. Section 5625 is added to the Probate Code, to read:
5625. (a) Any person generally competent to be a witness may act as a witness to a revocable transfer on death deed.
(b) A revocable transfer on death deed is not invalid because it is signed by an interested witness.
(c) If a beneficiary of a revocable transfer on death deed is also a subscribing witness, there is a presumption that the witness procured the revocable transfer on death deed by duress, menace, fraud, or undue influence. This presumption is a presumption affecting the burden of proof. This presumption does not apply where the witness is named as beneficiary solely in a fiduciary capacity.
Overall, the Simple Revocable Transfer on Death Deed offers a convenient, flexible option to consider as part of an overall estate plan. Even so, they may not be appropriate in all cases. Contact an attorney for complex situations or with any questions.
Included NOTICE OF REVOCABLE TRANSFER ON DEATH DEED Form
5681. (a) After the death of the transferor, the beneficiary of a revocable transfer on death deed shall serve notice on the transferor's heirs, along with a copy of the revocable transfer on death deed and a copy of the transferor's death certificate. (b) The notice required by subdivision (a) shall be in substantially the following form:
(California Transfer on Death Deed Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)
Our Promise
The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Santa Cruz 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 Cruz County Transfer on Death Deed 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 - ( 4355 Reviews )
MARY LACEY M.
July 1st, 2024
The service provided by the staff at Deeds.com is consistently excellent with prompt replies and smooth recording transactions. I am grateful to have their service available as driving to downtown Phoenix to record documents is always a daunting prospect. Their assistance in recording our firm's documents has been 100% accurate and a pleasure.
Thank you for your positive words! We’re thrilled to hear about your experience.
Julie P.
June 30th, 2024
Quick & easy to use. Spoke a lawyer and saved hundreds by doing it myself.
Thank you for your feedback Julie, we appreciate you.
Caroline E.
June 28th, 2024
Very easy!
Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!
wayne s.
March 25th, 2020
Wonderful forms! Thanks for making this available.
Thank you Wayne, have a great day!
Judith S.
February 15th, 2022
Nice and Easy: two of my favorite things.
Thank you!
Darrell C.
March 26th, 2022
Excellent Service
Thank you!
Anitra C.
July 10th, 2021
This was so easy and the instructions were great.
We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!
Lisa D.
February 3rd, 2020
Love this site! They are very fast in retrieving information. Will use this site again.
Thank You for this service!
We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!
Joseph K.
June 12th, 2020
Your responsiveness is outstanding. I appreciate the guidance and consistent support. Thank you.
Thank you!
Ralph H.
May 13th, 2019
It had all the info I was looking for!
Thank you Ralph, we appreciate your feedback.
Renu A.
September 30th, 2020
The service was very reliable and they even helped with filling out the paperwork properly. Very quick turn around and efficient!
Thank you!
Pamela G.
November 18th, 2020
I have an apple phone. I could not fill in the form to pay because apple phones do not have a dash that can be used when the field requires a phone number with a dash. I had to borrow an android phone in which the telephone keypad had a dash that could be used. It was easy to pay using an android phone but impossible to pay using an apple phone. Remove the requirement for dashes to allow apple phones to use this service.
Thank you!
Mary P.
February 11th, 2019
Excellent easy to follow instructions.
Great to hear Mary, Have a wonderful day!
Barbara C.
September 5th, 2021
I have used these forms now at least 3 times in order to sell the same parcel of land. The forms are great and I'm happy that I could use them more than once. To no fault of Deeds.com I used them many times to sell the same land. First the man died that was buying, before it got recorded. Then his wife was going to finish it, but then decided it should be sold to another party who was a friend of hers.
We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!
Mary B.
December 2nd, 2020
I was very pleased with my experience on Deeds.com. I hand purchased the wrong papers and they credited my account so I could purchase the correct papers. I will use them again
We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!