Research Request Form – San Diego County, CA

The Research Request Form is the San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector form used to ask the office to research and provide tax records for a specific parcel, identified by Assessor Parcel Number and property address, for a period you choose.

On the form you check which records you want:

• Tax Record, which covers assessed value, transaction history, and the date and amount of payments.
• Detailed Payment History Table, which shows the date and amount paid, the payor and the method of payment.
• Other, a line where you write in a different request.

You also say whether you want the documents certified, the time period (from July of one year to July of another), whether you are the present owner, and how you want to receive the documents: by mail, by email, by fax or by pickup in person.

The form states one limit: research is available only for tax records that date back 12 years from the current fiscal year, which runs from July 1 of a given year through June 30 of the following year. It also states that a charge applies for research and copies, that certified copies cost more, and that documents are not distributed until the Tax Collector has received payment. By signing, the requester agrees to these terms.

This is a records request. It is not a tax bill and does not pay one; the SDTTC forms page points bill searches and payments to its online payment system.

Anyone who wants San Diego County tax records researched for a parcel uses this form. The form asks you to check one box that applies to you: Present Owner, or NOT Present Owner, requesting information. Both groups use the same form, so a current owner, a buyer, a researcher or anyone else asking about a parcel's records completes it the same way.

You need to know the Assessor Parcel Number and property address of the parcel, and you must choose how you want to receive the documents.

Do not use this form for records older than 12 years from the current fiscal year; the form says research is not available for them. It is also not the way to look up or pay a current tax bill: the SDTTC forms page directs you to its online system to search for and pay secured, unsecured, defaulted, supplemental and escape tax bills.

The form does not describe who may sign on behalf of an owner or requester. It has one signature line, which agrees to the stated terms.

Submit the form whenever you need tax records researched; the form prints no deadline. The only timing rule is the look-back limit: research is available only for tax records dating back 12 years from the current fiscal year, and the fiscal year runs from July 1 of a given year through June 30 of the following year. The Time Period lines ask for a starting July and an ending July, so choose years that fall inside that window. The form does not state how long the research takes. It does say that documents are not distributed until the Tax Collector has received payment, so payment is the step that releases your records.

You can submit the Research Request Form by email or by mail.

• By email: save the completed PDF and email it as an attachment to [email protected]. The form also has an email form button and a print form button for submitting or printing the request.
• By mail: address the request to San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector, Attn: Research Requests, 1600 Pacific Hwy, Room 162, San Diego, CA 92101.

Separately, the form asks how you want to receive your documents: by mail, by email, by fax, or by picking them up in person. Choose one, and fill in the matching address, email or fax number in the "Send to" block.

A research charge applies, with per-copy charges and a higher per-page charge for certified copies; the form prints the current rates, and the form does not name a payment method. The Tax Collector does not distribute documents until payment is received. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the channels above.