Release of Mechanics Lien – Riverside County, CA

The Release of Mechanics' Lien is a one-page recordable document that declares a mechanics' lien released because the claim under it has been fully paid and satisfied, and that discharges the Notice of Mechanics' Lien previously recorded against the property.

The Riverside County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder lists it among its Recorder Sample Documents. The county states that it makes no representation about whether these samples suit your purposes, and that its employees cannot give legal advice or help prepare legal documents.

The printed form has these parts:

• A block at the top for "Recording requested by and when recorded mail to", with a space above the line reserved for the Recorder's use only.
• The release statement, which names who claimed the lien, against whom, and the real property in the City of ____, County of ____, State of California, with its description.
• The identification of the recorded Notice of Mechanics' Lien by Instrument No., recording date and the county whose Official Records contain it.
• A "Dated" line.
• A California notary acknowledgment (State of California, County of ____), where the officer records the date, name and title, the name(s) of the person(s) who appeared, and signs with a seal.

The form is not a lien claim: it only releases one that is already recorded. It is not a property tax document.

The form serves the person or business that claimed a mechanics' lien on California real property and whose claim has been fully paid and satisfied, because the printed text declares exactly that. It is used to release the lien that appears in a recorded Notice of Mechanics' Lien.

Anyone preparing the release needs the details of the original recorded notice: who claimed the lien, against whom, the property description, the Instrument No. and the recording date.

The notary block refers to the person(s) whose name(s) are subscribed to the instrument, so the individual(s) who sign the document must appear before the notary or other officer completing the certificate. The form itself does not say who is entitled to sign for a business or for someone else.

Do not use the form to claim a lien or to release a claim that has not been paid and satisfied; the wording says the claim has been fully paid and satisfied. The county also warns that its sample documents come with no representation of suitability, and that if you are unsure which document fits your transaction you should consult an attorney or obtain other professional advice.

Use the form once the claim under a recorded mechanics' lien has been fully paid and satisfied, since the printed text states that the claim has been paid and that the recorded Notice of Mechanics' Lien is satisfied and discharged. The form prints no deadline of its own, so no separate due date applies to it on the page itself.

You need the recording information of the original notice (Instrument No. and date of recording) before you start. The notary acknowledgment is dated separately from the document itself, so complete the certificate in the officer's presence.

For questions about timing in your case, consult an attorney or other professional adviser, as the county directs: its staff cannot give legal advice.

The Riverside County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder does not accept this form online. Its forms page says the PDFs allow online completion and printing but not online submission, and that they must be delivered to your local Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder office by mail or in person.

• By mail: send the signed, notarized original to your local Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder office. The form prints no street address or P.O. box.
• In person: deliver the document to your local Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder office.

Before you deliver it, print the form in black ink on 8 1/2" x 11" white paper, as the county requires for all its forms. Fill in the "Recording requested by and when recorded mail to" block at the top, and leave the space above the line, marked for the Recorder's use only, empty. The form does not mention any fee; ask the county office whether one applies to recording.

FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the channels above.