Sacramento County closing costs
The county-specific transfer tax and deed recording fees for Sacramento 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
- 0.27%
- where the city levies its own
- Typical lender + 3rd-party fees
- $8,366
- median of 11,324 purchase loans · HMDA 2023
Sacramento County compared with California counties
In the verified California county records we have, Sacramento 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
- 11,324
- purchase loans in 2023
Sacramento County transfer-tax data: official source linked on this page, reviewed 2026-Q2.
Transfer tax in Sacramento County
Sacramento County levies only the standard California state Documentary Transfer Tax of $0.55 per $500 ($1.10/$1,000 = 0.0011, a STATE rate under R&T Code 11911, not a separate county tax). The City of Sacramento imposes its own Additional Real Property Transfer Tax of $2.75 per $1,000 (0.00275, Sac City Code 3.16) collected separate from the DTT and keeps no DTT revenue; the other incorporated cities (Elk Grove, Folsom, Citrus Heights, Galt, Isleton, Rancho Cordova) levy no city transfer tax. The DTT is paid by either buyer or seller upon mutual agreement, though seller payment is customary in this market.
Recording fees in Sacramento County
Per the official Sacramento County Clerk-Recorder fee schedule: standard document recording is $20.00 for the first page/title (8.5"x11") and $3.00 for each additional page; each additional title is $20.00. A $75.00 Building Homes and Jobs Act (SB2) surcharge applies per transaction to qualifying real-estate documents not concurrent with a transfer subject to documentary transfer tax (so a typical deed accompanying a sale that pays DTT is exempt from the $75). Other surcharges: non-standard page size $3.00/page, indexing over 10 names $1.00 per group of 10, each additional document reference (first free) $1.00, and a $1.00/page penalty-print fee. Documents exempt from the Real Estate Fraud Prosecution fee are $14.00 first page / $3.00 additional / $14.00 additional title.
Official recorder: Sacramento County recorder ↗ — the authoritative source for the current recording fee schedule.
What lenders actually charge in Sacramento County
Across 11,324 home-purchase mortgages originated in Sacramento County in 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services such as appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — were $8,366, of which about $4,514 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 06067, ODC-BY 1.0). Median total loan costs exclude prepaids and escrow.
Estimate your Sacramento County closing costs
Pre-set to California. County-level taxes above may add to this estimate.
Current source data is loading. Until it finishes, the amount shown is a server-rendered static example and the controls are disabled.
Frequently asked questions
What is the transfer tax in Sacramento County?
Sacramento County (California): the applicable real-estate transfer tax works out to about 0.11%, before any additional city tax. Sacramento County levies only the standard California state Documentary Transfer Tax of $0.55 per $500 ($1.10/$1,000 = 0.0011, a STATE rate under R&T Code 11911, not a separate county tax). The City of Sacramento imposes its own Additional Real Property Transfer Tax of $2.75 per $1,000 (0.00275, Sac City Code 3.16) collected separate from the DTT and keeps no DTT revenue; the other incorporated cities (Elk Grove, Folsom, Citrus Heights, Galt, Isleton, Rancho Cordova) levy no city transfer tax. The DTT is paid by either buyer or seller upon mutual agreement, though seller payment is customary in this market.
What are recording fees in Sacramento County?
Per the official Sacramento County Clerk-Recorder fee schedule: standard document recording is $20.00 for the first page/title (8.5"x11") and $3.00 for each additional page; each additional title is $20.00. A $75.00 Building Homes and Jobs Act (SB2) surcharge applies per transaction to qualifying real-estate documents not concurrent with a transfer subject to documentary transfer tax (so a typical deed accompanying a sale that pays DTT is exempt from the $75). Other surcharges: non-standard page size $3.00/page, indexing over 10 names $1.00 per group of 10, each additional document reference (first free) $1.00, and a $1.00/page penalty-print fee. Documents exempt from the Real Estate Fraud Prosecution fee are $14.00 first page / $3.00 additional / $14.00 additional title.
How much are closing costs in Sacramento County?
Closing costs in Sacramento 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 Sacramento County?
In 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services like appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — across 11,324 home-purchase mortgages in Sacramento County were about $8,366, of which roughly $4,514 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.