Sonoma County closing costs
The county-specific transfer tax and deed recording fees for Sonoma 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
- 0.2%
- where the city levies its own
- Typical lender + 3rd-party fees
- $9,269
- median of 2,703 purchase loans · HMDA 2023
Sonoma County compared with California counties
In the verified California county records we have, Sonoma 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
- 2,703
- purchase loans in 2023
Sonoma County transfer-tax data: official source linked on this page, reviewed 2026-Q2.
Transfer tax in Sonoma County
Sonoma County levies the standard California county documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 ($1.10/$1,000 = 0.0011 of price) under R&T Code §11911, applied countywide (incl. Cloverdale, Cotati, Healdsburg, Rohnert Park, Sebastopol, Sonoma, Town of Windsor); customarily seller-paid, computed on price minus any loan/lien assumed. Two charter cities add their own tax on top: Santa Rosa and Petaluma each levy $2.00/$1,000 (0.002), no exemption for assumed loans, giving a combined $3.10/$1,000 in those cities.
Recording fees in Sonoma County
Standard deed: $14.00 first page (Gov. Code §27361) + $3.00 each additional page. Plus a $75.00 SB2 Building Homes and Jobs Act fee per title (exempt when the document is subject to documentary transfer tax, i.e. most recorded sale deeds) and a $2.00 AB1466 Restrictive Covenant Modification fee per title (effective 7/1/2022). $3.00 if insufficient room for Recorder's endorsement; $3.00/page penalty for non-standard page dimensions. Copies: $5.00/page printed, $4.00 certification.
Official recorder: Sonoma County recorder ↗ — the authoritative source for the current recording fee schedule.
What lenders actually charge in Sonoma County
Across 2,703 home-purchase mortgages originated in Sonoma County in 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services such as appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — were $9,269, of which about $4,612 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 06097, ODC-BY 1.0). Median total loan costs exclude prepaids and escrow.
Estimate your Sonoma 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 Sonoma County?
Sonoma County (California): the applicable real-estate transfer tax works out to about 0.11%, before any additional city tax. Sonoma County levies the standard California county documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 ($1.10/$1,000 = 0.0011 of price) under R&T Code §11911, applied countywide (incl. Cloverdale, Cotati, Healdsburg, Rohnert Park, Sebastopol, Sonoma, Town of Windsor); customarily seller-paid, computed on price minus any loan/lien assumed. Two charter cities add their own tax on top: Santa Rosa and Petaluma each levy $2.00/$1,000 (0.002), no exemption for assumed loans, giving a combined $3.10/$1,000 in those cities.
What are recording fees in Sonoma County?
Standard deed: $14.00 first page (Gov. Code §27361) + $3.00 each additional page. Plus a $75.00 SB2 Building Homes and Jobs Act fee per title (exempt when the document is subject to documentary transfer tax, i.e. most recorded sale deeds) and a $2.00 AB1466 Restrictive Covenant Modification fee per title (effective 7/1/2022). $3.00 if insufficient room for Recorder's endorsement; $3.00/page penalty for non-standard page dimensions. Copies: $5.00/page printed, $4.00 certification.
How much are closing costs in Sonoma County?
Closing costs in Sonoma 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 Sonoma County?
In 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services like appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — across 2,703 home-purchase mortgages in Sonoma County were about $9,269, of which roughly $4,612 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.