Assessment Maps, 1929-2026, bulk 1965-2026

Printable guide [HTML]

Summary

Title:
San Diego County Recorder/County Clerk Assessment Maps
Dates:
1929-2026, bulk 1965-2026
Creators:
San Diego County (Calif.). Office of the Recorder/County Clerk
Abstract:
The Assessment Maps collection consists of 15,325 sheets of maps that delineate the boundaries of proposed or final assessment districts within San Diego County, including both incorporated cities and unincorporated areas. Prepared by local and state agencies and received for filing by the Recorder/County Clerk, these maps date from 1929 to the present (bulk 1965-2026). These maps document areas in which special assessments were levied to finance public improvements. Filed Assessment Maps serve as official County records documenting the geographic extent of assessment districts and the parcels subject to assessment at the time of recording.
Extent:
173.69 cubic feet (15,325 map sheets)
Language:
Preferred citation:

San Diego County Recorder/County Clerk Assessment Maps. San Diego County Archives, Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk, Santee, CA.

Background

Scope and content:

The Assessment Maps collection consists of 15,325 sheets of maps that delineate the boundaries of proposed or final assessment districts within San Diego County, including both incorporated cities and unincorporated areas. Prepared by local and state agencies and received for filing by the Recorder/County Clerk, these maps date from 1929 to the present (bulk 1965-2026). These maps document areas in which special assessments were levied to finance public improvements. Filed Assessment Maps serve as official County records documenting the geographic extent of assessment districts and the parcels subject to assessment at the time of recording. Assessment Maps depict assessment districts established for the purpose of funding public infrastructure and related improvements, which may include streets, sidewalks, drainage facilities, utilities, lighting, landscaping, or other public works. The maps typically delineate district boundaries and show the parcels included within the district, and may include street names, lot or parcel outlines, tract references, easements, and other features necessary to identify the assessed properties. The materials are graphical and textual in nature, consisting of diagrams and accompanying text that describe the name, location, and extent of assessment districts and their relationship to surrounding parcels and infrastructure. Assessment Maps are associated with an Assessment Roll, a record that lists the individual parcels within the district and the amount of assessment levied against each parcel to pay for the approved improvements. The Assessment Roll is sometimes filed as part of the map itself. If an Assessment Roll is present as part of a map, it is noted in the finding aid. Assessment Maps are filed with the County Recorder to provide a permanent public record of assessment districts and the parcels subject to assessment in compliance with California Streets and Highways Code section 3111. Filed Assessment Maps are official records, defined by California Government Code section 27300 as a “permanent archival record of all instruments, papers, and notices as accepted for recording by a county recorder,” and are original documents. The filing of an Assessment Map documents the formal establishment or confirmation of an assessment district and its boundaries as part of the local public works and financing process. To be identified and accepted for filing as an Assessment Map, the County Recorder examines the map to confirm that it meets applicable statutory and recording requirements. Assessment Maps are filed as original documents and include required diagrams, certifications, and Recorder endorsements associated with the recording process. Each Assessment Map includes information necessary to identify the assessment district and the parcels within it. This may include district boundaries, parcel outlines, bearings and distances, street names, references to other records, resolutions or ordinances adopted by the legislative body, and notes or statements related to the assessment proceedings. Assessment Maps may include certifications signed by authorized representatives of the responsible public agency, or by licensed land surveyors or civil engineers, as applicable. Page identification and Recorder certification information are present in accordance with recording practices. Following verification of recording requirements, the County Recorder’s certificate is completed as part of the filing process. Recorder certification information, including the recording date, recording reference number, and deputy information, is added at the time of filing. Each Assessment Map is assigned a sequential map number , which appears on every page of the map. The Assessment Maps are indexed and searchable in the Recorder/County Clerk recording system by Book and Page Number, which serves as the primary means of access to the collection. Maps are not indexed by address; identifying relevant map numbers typically requires prior research using related County land records. Pursuant to California Government Code section 66466(e), the Recorder/County Clerk is required to maintain every original filed Assessment Map for safekeeping in a reproducible condition. In addition to original maps, copies may also be present in the collection. An original map is one that bears a wet signature within the Recorder’s certificate, whereas a copy is characterized by the absence of a wet signature in the Recorder’s certificate. When multiple versions of an Assessment Map are present, the version of each map is identified in the finding aid. The Assessment Maps collection is composed of three groupings (series) of maps that were maintained separately by the Recorder/County Clerk prior to transfer to the County Archives. Filed Assessor’s Maps date 1929-1937 and include Assessor’s Maps 1-45. These maps were filed at the request of the County Assessor and were stored together in a single bound volume. Assessor’s Maps are not required to be filed with the Recorder, and this volume represents the only instance in which they were filed as Assessment Maps. All these maps state that they were recorded at the request of the Assessor. They do not bear Book or Page Numbers; the File Number is the only map number. Assessment Notice Plat Maps date 1964-1965, with two outlier maps dated 1909. These maps were maintained in three bound volumes labeled “Assessment Notice Plats.” These maps typically include a Notice of Assessment and an accompanying Assessment Diagram. They do not bear Book or Page Numbers; the File Number is the only map number. Assessment Maps date from 1965 to the present and represent the primary run of Assessment District Maps. These maps were maintained until 2020 in bound volumes labeled “Assessment.” Book Numbers begin to appear on the maps in 1968, and Page Numbers begin to appear in 1983. Both appear sporadically until March 20, 1985, when the Book/Page Number format began to be applied consistently. Throughout the series, the File Number is the most consistently used map identifier. In several instances in the collection, information recorded in the Recorder’s certificate appears to be inconsistent or incomplete on the map. Examples include certificates that are not fully completed and filing dates that are missing or appear out of sequence. When additional or differing information is available in the Recorder/County Clerk’s recording system, that information is also noted in the finding aid. Dates associated with the collection reflect the filing dates of the Assessment Maps and may not correspond to the date of the initial authorization, construction, or completion of the public improvements funded by the assessment. Later annotations or revisions may postdate the original filing. Assessment Maps are arranged in three series: 1) Filed Assessor’s Maps (1929-1937), 2) Assessment Notice Plat Maps (1909, 1964-1965), and 3) Assessment Maps (1965-present). Series 1) Filed Assessor’s Maps: Includes a small set of Assessor’s Maps that were filed with the County Recorder as Assessment Maps. Maps are arranged in the order in which they were filed, corresponding to sequential Assessor’s Map Number order beginning with Assessor’s Map Number 1 and ending with Assessor’s Map Number 45. This order is largely chronological, although some maps were filed out of chronological sequence. Series 2) Assessment Notice Plat Maps: Includes Assessment Maps that were maintained separately from the primary Assessment Maps series. Maps are arranged in the order in which they were filed, which is largely date order. Series 3) Assessment Maps: Includes the primary run of Assessment Maps. Maps are arranged in the order in which they were filed.

Biographical / historical:

The San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk (ARCC) department consists of three divisions, the Administration Division, the Assessor Division, and the Recorder/County Clerk Division. The department is the result of the combination of three distinct county offices: the San Diego County Assessor (established 1849), County Recorder (established 1850), and County Clerk, (established 1849). The responsibilities of the Assessor's office are rooted in the Constitution of the State of California (1849). Section 13 of Article XI notes that “assessors and collectors of town, County, and State taxes, shall be elected by the qualified electors… in which the property taxed… is situated.” Chapter 43 of the statutes of the 1850 California legislature (California Stats. 1850, Ch. 43) passed “An Act concerning the office of the County Assessor,” which addressed several administrative points, among them term of office, appointment of deputies, compensation, and other administrative provisions. Further clarification regarding the duties of the County Assessor were provided in California Stats. 1852, Ch. 3 which mandates the location, identification, and valuation of all vacant land, improved real estate, and business property. This was later expanded to include certain manufactured homes, boats, and aircraft. Additionally, the Assessor's office maintains comprehensive records on all taxable properties within the boundaries of the San Diego County, including the maintenance of maps of all real property parcels. Similarly, California Stat. 1850, Ch. 58, “An Act establishing Recorders’ Offices, and defining the Duties of the Recorder and County Auditor,” was passed on April 4, 1850. The California state legislature implemented a recording system to document and preserve evidence of title to, or interest in, land. The County Recorder was tasked with the permanent recording and preservation of Official Records, defined in California Government Code section 27300 as “… permanent archival record of all instruments, papers, and notices as accepted for recording by a county recorder.” Over time, the responsibilities of the recorder evolved, adapting to changing needs and merging with the duties of other related officials. For example, in 1872, the County Recorder was designated the local registrar for birth, death, and marriage records. In July 1905 a state agency, currently the California Department of Public Heath – Vital Records unit, became the primary record holder of birth, death, and marriage records. The primary purpose of the recording system was to provide a public record of property ownership within the county and to document transfers or encumbrances affecting properties. Certain transactions in personal property were also included in the public record. This system allowed individuals intending to purchase land, the opportunity to determine the ownership and condition of a property's title in a public setting. The adopted system was based on practices in many Eastern states in 1850, which involved indexing the names of parties involved in land transactions to one volume while copying the actual document text into separate volumes. Distinct sets of indexes and volumes were allocated for each type of document, as defined by California Government Code sections 27232 through 27254. However, in 1921 the legislature authorized the use of a combined General Index for all types of documents. Section 7 of Article VI of the Constitution of the State of California (1849) established the office of the County Clerk while California Stats. 1850, Ch. 110 defined the duties of the office. The County Clerk served as the ex officio clerk of the court of sessions and probate court, attending each session of the county courts for which they held responsibility, they issued all writs, entered orders, judgments, and decrees, maintained dockets for all courts, and managed and disposed of records in accordance with the law. Additionally, the County Clerk administered oaths and accepted bonds for public officials. For a brief period beginning in 1866 with the Registry Act (California Stats. 1866, Ch. 265), the County Clerk was also responsible for recording a list of every eligible voter in the county. In 1990, an amendment to the San Diego County Charter was proposed with the intent of consolidating the responsibilities of the County Clerk and County Recorder into a single entity. A special election was called, and this merger was subsequently approved by the voters, leading to its implementation in 1991. A further amendment was proposed in 1993, aiming to consolidate the Recorder/County Clerk with the Assessor. This amendment was also approved by the voters, resulting in the establishment of the Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk under the leadership of a single elected official in 1995. Today, the County Clerk in San Diego County continues to perform essential functions as defined in California Government Code sections 26801 through 26810, including the acceptance of filings for fictitious business names and notary public oaths and bonds, the issuance of marriage licenses, and conducting civil marriage ceremonies. Note that the original geographic boundaries of San Diego County included territory in present-day Imperial (formed 1907), Riverside (formed 1893), Inyo (formed 1866, expanded 1872), and San Bernardino (formed 1853) Counties.

Acquisition information:
Transferred by San Diego County Recorder/County Clerk on an on-going basis beginning in 2020. Further accruals are expected.
Processing information:

Maps are arranged in the order in which they were filed by the Recorder/County Clerk, which is map number order. Assessment Maps filed before September 2020 were usually stored in books when they were initially filed. Some oversized Assessment Maps were folded to fit into these books. During processing, these maps were removed from their original storage containers. Assessment Maps filed September 2020 through the present are stored loose prior to being transported to the Archives. During processing, all Assessment Maps were rehoused in archival folders with archival interleaving paper between each map sheet. Subsequently, these folders were then stored in flat file drawers. Maps too large to fit into a flat file drawer were rehoused onto archival tubes with archival interleaving paper between each map sheet. The Assessment Maps are indexed in the Recorder/County Clerk recording system by Book and Page Number. Book and Page Numbers are included in the finding aid only if they are present on the physical map.

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Collection processed by Kiera Sullivan, Archivist, 2021-2025, with assistance from Student Worker Adam Graves. Finding aid written by Kiera Sullivan, Archivist, 2026.
Date Prepared:
1929-2026, bulk 1965-2026
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using Record Express for OAC5 on July 14, 2025, 2:55 p.m.

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use. Please contact the San Diego County Archives staff at archives@sdcounty.ca.gov for access information.

Terms of access:

All requests for copies must be routed through the Recorder/County Clerk’s office. Please send inquiries to ARCCRecorderCountyClerk.FGG@sdcounty.ca.gov. Copyright restrictions may apply.

Preferred citation:

San Diego County Recorder/County Clerk Assessment Maps. San Diego County Archives, Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk, Santee, CA.

Location of this collection:
10144 Mission Gorge Road
Santee, CA 92071, US
Contact:
(619) 237-0502
archives@sdcounty.ca.gov
Website