South San Francisco transfer tax and San Mateo County closing costs
For homes in South San Francisco, use San Mateo County's 0.11% documentary transfer tax; unlike the City of San Mateo, South San Francisco does not add a city transfer tax.
- Effective transfer tax
- 0.11%
- ≈ $440 on a $400,000 home
- City transfer tax
- 0.5%
- where the city levies its own
- Typical lender + 3rd-party fees
- $7,564
- median of 3,130 purchase loans · HMDA 2023
San Mateo County compared with California counties
In the verified California county records we have, San Mateo 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
- 3,130
- purchase loans in 2023
San Mateo County transfer-tax data: official source linked on this page, reviewed 2026-Q2.
Transfer tax in San Mateo County
County documentary transfer tax is the CA statutory $0.55 per $500 = $1.10 per $1,000 = 0.11%, paid at recording (customarily seller). The City of San Mateo levies its OWN additional conveyance tax (Measure CC, Ord. 2022-15): 0.5% under $10M and 1.5% at/above $10M, on top of the county rate. Most other county cities (Redwood City, Daly City, South San Francisco, Burlingame) have no separate city transfer tax — only the 0.0011 county rate applies.
Recording fees in San Mateo County
Per official San Mateo County ACRE schedule: first page $14.00, each additional page $3.00. Mandatory add-ons: SB2 Building Homes and Jobs Act fee $10 per parcel per title (capped at $225 max per transaction; exempt for transfers subject to documentary transfer tax and for residential transfers to an owner-occupier); Real Estate Fraud Prosecution Fee $75 per title (effective Jan 21, 2025); Survey Monument Preservation Fee applies to grant deeds with metes-and-bounds or partial-of-larger-parcel descriptions (effective Jan 6, 2025). Combined documents $14 per title. Nonconforming-format penalty and additional indexing (beyond 10 names) fees may also apply. Example: a typical 3-page grant deed with DTT paid = $14 (pg1) + $6 (2 add'l pgs) + $75 fraud fee = ~$95 (SB2 exempt because DTT applies).
Official recorder: San Mateo County recorder ↗ — the authoritative source for the current recording fee schedule.
What lenders actually charge in San Mateo County
Across 3,130 home-purchase mortgages originated in San Mateo County in 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services such as appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — were $7,564, of which about $1,645 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 06081, ODC-BY 1.0). Median total loan costs exclude prepaids and escrow.
Estimate your San Mateo County closing costs
Pre-set to California. County-level taxes above may add to this estimate.
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Frequently asked questions
Does South San Francisco have a city documentary transfer tax?
No separate South San Francisco city transfer tax is noted here. A South San Francisco sale generally uses the San Mateo County documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 (0.11%). Do not confuse this with the City of San Mateo, which has its own additional conveyance tax.
What is the transfer tax in San Mateo County?
San Mateo County (California): the applicable real-estate transfer tax works out to about 0.11%, before any additional city tax. County documentary transfer tax is the CA statutory $0.55 per $500 = $1.10 per $1,000 = 0.11%, paid at recording (customarily seller). The City of San Mateo levies its OWN additional conveyance tax (Measure CC, Ord. 2022-15): 0.5% under $10M and 1.5% at/above $10M, on top of the county rate. Most other county cities (Redwood City, Daly City, South San Francisco, Burlingame) have no separate city transfer tax — only the 0.0011 county rate applies.
What are recording fees in San Mateo County?
Per official San Mateo County ACRE schedule: first page $14.00, each additional page $3.00. Mandatory add-ons: SB2 Building Homes and Jobs Act fee $10 per parcel per title (capped at $225 max per transaction; exempt for transfers subject to documentary transfer tax and for residential transfers to an owner-occupier); Real Estate Fraud Prosecution Fee $75 per title (effective Jan 21, 2025); Survey Monument Preservation Fee applies to grant deeds with metes-and-bounds or partial-of-larger-parcel descriptions (effective Jan 6, 2025). Combined documents $14 per title. Nonconforming-format penalty and additional indexing (beyond 10 names) fees may also apply. Example: a typical 3-page grant deed with DTT paid = $14 (pg1) + $6 (2 add'l pgs) + $75 fraud fee = ~$95 (SB2 exempt because DTT applies).
How much are closing costs in San Mateo County?
Closing costs in San Mateo 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 San Mateo County?
In 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services like appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — across 3,130 home-purchase mortgages in San Mateo County were about $7,564, of which roughly $1,645 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.