(a) Upon approval by resolution of the board of supervisors and system certification by the Attorney General, a county recorder may establish an electronic recording delivery system.

(b) Upon system certification, a county recorder may enter into a contract with a title insurer as defined in § 12340.4 of the Insurance Code, underwritten title company as defined in § 12340.5 of the Insurance Code, institutional lender as defined in paragraph (1), (2), or (4) of subdivision (j) of § 50003 of the Financial Code, or an entity of local, state, or federal government for the delivery for recording, and return to the party requesting recording, of a digitized electronic record that is an instrument affecting a right, title, or interest in real property. The contract may provide for the delivery of documents by an agent. However, the agent shall not be a vendor of electronic recording delivery systems.

Terms Used In California Government Code 27391 v2

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • County: includes city and county. See California Government Code 19
  • Instrument: as used in this chapter , means a written paper signed by a person or persons transferring the title to, or giving a lien on real property, or giving a right to a debt or duty. See California Government Code 27279
  • Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Government Code 18
  • Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which the term occurs unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Government Code 10

(c) A county recorder may refuse to enter into a contract with any party or may terminate or suspend access to a system for any good faith reason, including, but not limited to, a determination by the county recorder that termination or suspension is necessary to protect the public interest, to protect the integrity of public records, or to protect homeowners from financial harm, or if the volume or quality of instruments submitted by the requester is not sufficient to warrant electronic recordation. A county recorder may also terminate or suspend access to a system if a party commits a substantive breach of the contract, the requirements of this article, or the regulations adopted pursuant to this article.

(d) Notwithstanding Section 27321, a county recorder may require a party electronically submitting records to mail a copy of the recorded electronic document to the address specified in the instructions for mailing upon completion of recording.

(e) When a signature is required to be accompanied by a notary’s seal or stamp, that requirement is satisfied if the electronic signature of the notary contains all of the following:

(1) The name of the notary.

(2) The words “Notary Public.”

(3) The name of the county where the bond and oath of office of the notary are filed.

(4) The sequential identification number assigned to the notary, if any.

(5) The sequential identification number assigned to the manufacturer or vendor of the notary’s physical or electronic seal, if any.

(f) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2027.

(Repealed (in Sec. 3) and added by Stats. 2016, Ch. 380, Sec. 4. (AB 2143) Effective January 1, 2017. Section operative January 1, 2027, by its own provisions.)