The short answer is that a living trust is a private document and does not need to be recorded in California. The only time a trust is in a public record is when it contains real estate. In this case, the County Recorder's office lists the trust's name as the property's title holder.
Record the Signed Documents at the County Recorder's Office Take the original signed and notarized Deed of Trust and Promissory Note to the County Recorder's Office for the county where the property is located. In Sacramento, this is at 3636 American River Drive, Ste. 110, Sacramento CA 95864.
You'll find most California property deeds at the County Clerk's office, also called the Registrar/Recorder office. Some of them provide online searches. Others require visiting their offices. For example, the San Diego County Clerk's Office provides online searches.
In California, a deed of trust must come with security, typically a promissory note. To be valid, a deed of trust must be (1) in writing, (2) with a description of the property, and (3) signed by the trustor of the deed of trust.
While that's a reasonable question, the fact is, trust documents generally avoid the court completely. As such, they are not matters of public record. This means that you likely will not be able to secure a copy of the trust from the Office of the County Clerk or the courthouse in the same way you would a will.
It must: Be in writing. Have an amount which matches the amount on the Note(s) Have a date which matches the date on the Note(s) Have a complete legal description of the property(s) being encumbered (street address only is not sufficient)
The short answer is that a living trust is a private document and does not need to be recorded in California. The only time a trust is in a public record is when it contains real estate.
In California, a deed of trust must come with security, typically a promissory note. To be valid, a deed of trust must be (1) in writing, (2) with a description of the property, and (3) signed by the trustor of the deed of trust.
Property ownership information can be requested from the County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. For more information, please visit their website to Request a Real Estate Record.