Riverside County closing costs
The county-specific transfer tax and deed recording fees for Riverside County, California - the local details that change your total beyond the statewide rate.
- Effective transfer tax
- 0.11%
- ≈ $440 on a $400,000 home
- City transfer tax
- 0.11%
- where the city levies its own
- Typical lender + 3rd-party fees
- $11,748
- median of 20,800 purchase loans · HMDA 2023
Riverside County compared with California counties
In the verified California county records we have, Riverside County's effective transfer-tax rate ranks #2 of 18 by highest rate. At $400,000, the county-specific transfer tax is $440, which is the same as the state-level calculation before city surtaxes.
- County rank
- #2 of 18
- within verified California county pages
- Tax at $400,000
- $440
- state baseline $440
- HMDA fee sample
- 20,800
- purchase loans in 2023
Riverside County transfer-tax data: official source linked on this page, reviewed 2026-Q2.
Transfer tax in Riverside County
California's documentary transfer tax is levied at the standard state-authorized rate of $0.55 per $500 (0.0011), collected by the county under R&T Code 11901-11934 and County Ordinance 516.4 — Riverside County imposes NO county-specific add-on beyond this base rate. The City of Riverside (a charter city) is the notable exception: within city limits the tax doubles to $1.10 per $500, i.e. an additional city tax of $0.55/$500 (0.0011) on top of the county rate. Customarily the seller pays the documentary transfer tax in Riverside County; the buyer typically pays recording fees, with title/escrow split per local custom (all negotiable). Most other Riverside County cities (e.g., Palm Springs, Moreno Valley, Corona, Temecula) levy no separate city transfer tax and use the standard $0.55/$500.
Recording fees in Riverside County
Per the official Riverside County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder Fee Schedule (ACR 156, Rev. 01/2026): basic recording fee is $14.00 for the first page and $3.00 for each additional page, plus $20.00 per additional title/parcel. Mandatory surcharges added per title: SB2 "Building Homes and Jobs Act" fee of $75 per title (capped at $225 per single transaction) and AB 1466 Restrictive Covenant Modification Program fee of $2.00 per title. Additional surcharge of $3.00 per page if any page is not 8.5" x 11" (non-conforming), and additional fees for small print, indexing groups of more than 10 names, and involuntary lien notifications.
Official recorder: Riverside County recorder ↗ — the authoritative source for the current recording fee schedule.
What lenders actually charge in Riverside County
Across 20,800 home-purchase mortgages originated in Riverside County in 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services such as appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — were $11,748, of which about $5,059 was the lender’s own origination charges. That is reported loan-level data from every lender under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act — not a national average — so it reflects what buyers in this county actually paid. Lender fees vary widely, so comparing a few rate quotes is the single biggest lever on your closing total.
Source: FFIEC HMDA Data Browser ↗ (2023 purchase originations, FIPS 06065, ODC-BY 1.0). Median total loan costs exclude prepaids and escrow.
Estimate your Riverside County closing costs
Pre-set to California. County-level taxes above may add to this estimate.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the transfer tax in Riverside County?
Riverside County (California): the applicable real-estate transfer tax works out to about 0.11%, before any additional city tax. California's documentary transfer tax is levied at the standard state-authorized rate of $0.55 per $500 (0.0011), collected by the county under R&T Code 11901-11934 and County Ordinance 516.4 — Riverside County imposes NO county-specific add-on beyond this base rate. The City of Riverside (a charter city) is the notable exception: within city limits the tax doubles to $1.10 per $500, i.e. an additional city tax of $0.55/$500 (0.0011) on top of the county rate. Customarily the seller pays the documentary transfer tax in Riverside County; the buyer typically pays recording fees, with title/escrow split per local custom (all negotiable). Most other Riverside County cities (e.g., Palm Springs, Moreno Valley, Corona, Temecula) levy no separate city transfer tax and use the standard $0.55/$500.
What are recording fees in Riverside County?
Per the official Riverside County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder Fee Schedule (ACR 156, Rev. 01/2026): basic recording fee is $14.00 for the first page and $3.00 for each additional page, plus $20.00 per additional title/parcel. Mandatory surcharges added per title: SB2 "Building Homes and Jobs Act" fee of $75 per title (capped at $225 per single transaction) and AB 1466 Restrictive Covenant Modification Program fee of $2.00 per title. Additional surcharge of $3.00 per page if any page is not 8.5" x 11" (non-conforming), and additional fees for small print, indexing groups of more than 10 names, and involuntary lien notifications.
How much are closing costs in Riverside County?
Closing costs in Riverside County follow California's structure plus this county's specific transfer-tax and recording fees. Use the calculator below for an estimate; for the exact recording schedule, the county recorder is the authoritative source.
What do lenders charge in fees in Riverside County?
In 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services like appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — across 20,800 home-purchase mortgages in Riverside County were about $11,748, of which roughly $5,059 was the lender's own origination charges. This is reported loan-level data under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act; actual fees vary by lender, so comparing quotes matters.
Closest California county comparisons
Sibling links are ordered by nearby verified effective transfer-tax rate, so each county page connects to genuinely comparable counties.