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California deed packet
Name a beneficiary to receive California real estate at your death without probate. Get the state-specific blank deed and completion guidance as an instant download.
Is this the right deed type? A transfer-on-death deed passes real property to a named beneficiary at death without probate.
This download includes 2 documents in editable Word format. Complete them on your own computer, then print, sign, and record.
Packet is delivered in Word format; no blank PDF of the deed is included.
A simple three-step workflow; the packet guides you through each one.
Gather the current deed or title record and the exact legal description of the property before you start.
Complete the blank deed and follow the included state guidance for signing, acknowledgment, and related requirements.
Confirm your county recorder's cover sheets, transfer forms, fees, and local practices, then submit the executed deed.
See page 1 of the actual blank form and review a plain-language outline of what appears on page 1. The complete formatted packet is delivered after checkout.
REVOCABLE TRANSFER ON DEATH (TOD) DEED — California Probate Code Section 5642.
Recording and return information: the statutory Recording Requested By / When Recorded Mail This Deed To fields, the assessor’s parcel number, and space reserved for the recorder, plus the recited documentary-transfer-tax (Rev. & Tax. Code § 11930) and preliminary-change-of-ownership (§ 480.3) exemptions.
IMPORTANT NOTICE banner: the deed has no effect unless it is recorded on or before 60 days after the date it is notarized.
Property description: the in-form PROPERTY DESCRIPTION field for the legal description of the residential property.
Page 2 continues: the BENEFICIARY(IES) naming rules and designation lines, the TRANSFER ON DEATH operative sentence, the signature and date block, and the two-witness strip. The Civil Code § 1189 notary acknowledgment follows on page 3.
About this California form
A California revocable transfer on death (TOD) deed names a beneficiary to receive qualifying California residential real property at your death without probate (Prob. Code §§ 5600–5698). It has no effect while you are living, and you can revoke it at any time before death. This packet follows the mandatory California statutory form (Prob. Code § 5642, current version effective January 1, 2024). It is not a government-issued form, and it is not a substitute for a title search, tax advice, or California estate-planning counsel.
The package includes the editable California Revocable Transfer on Death Deed — the complete statutory form, including its Common Questions pages — and a separate California Instructions and Recording Checklist. Record every page of the deed form, including the Common Questions pages; do not detach or omit any page. Do not record the instructions.
The statutory authority for California revocable transfer on death deeds is repealed as of January 1, 2032 (Prob. Code § 5600(c)). A deed that is properly executed before that repeal remains valid and effective after it. If you are considering this deed, do not wait — a TOD deed has no effect unless it is signed, witnessed, notarized, and recorded before death.
PublicLegal-authored self-help deed form. Provided for customers to complete with their own transaction information and submit to the proper local recording office. Recorder offices and state agencies may require separate supplemental forms, taxes, fees, or cover sheets, and requirements vary by jurisdiction and transaction. Review the product notes and confirm local recording requirements before relying on any completed deed.
ILRG provides self-help deed forms and download support. Attorney-reviewed PublicLegal-authored deed forms are provided for you to complete with your own transaction information. Deed recording requirements, supplemental forms, transfer taxes, title-company practices, and legal suitability vary by jurisdiction and transaction. If you are not 100 percent satisfied after purchasing from us, contact us for a refund.
The statutory program sunsets on January 1, 2032 (Prob. Code § 5600(c)). Deeds executed before the repeal remain valid and effective after it, so a properly signed, witnessed, notarized, and recorded deed is not lost when the statute sunsets.
Yes — two witnesses present at the same time must watch you sign or hear you acknowledge your signature, and then sign the deed. The deed must also be acknowledged before a notary (Prob. Code § 5624).
Within 60 days after the date the deed is notarized — an unrecorded or late-recorded deed has no effect (Prob. Code § 5626). Record with the County Recorder of the county where the property lies.
Yes. The statutory form names a trust beneficiary by the trust’s name, its trustee(s), and the date of the trust’s signature page. The instruction sheet walks through those three blanks; if they cannot be completed from your trust documents, stop and consult a California attorney.
Yes, at any time before death — but only by recording a statutory revocation form (Prob. Code § 5644, available separately), recording a new TOD deed, or recording a lifetime transfer of the property. A will cannot revoke a TOD deed (Prob. Code § 5632).
The statutory form’s Common Questions address Medi-Cal eligibility directly. Estate-recovery and post-death property-tax notice rules still apply to the beneficiary; for Medi-Cal recovery or tax planning questions, consult an elder-law or tax professional before relying on this deed.