The SB 255 board resolution: what it covers and when to schedule it

Subsection (a) of Government Code §27297.7 has two parts: each county establishes a recorder notification program on or before January 1, 2027, and the board of supervisors adopts an authorizing resolution. Subsection (b)(1) then says the recorder's 30-day mailing duty applies "following adoption" of that resolution. In other words, the board item is not paperwork at the end of the project. It is the switch that turns the program on.

This is general information, not legal advice. Your county counsel decides the form and wording.

What recorders typically bring to the board

Counties are handling this in different ways. Some adopt a short resolution establishing the program; others also amend the county code so the program, an APN requirement and a fee all live in one place. Either way, the staff report usually covers:

• The program itself. Which documents are covered (deeds, quitclaim deeds, mortgages, deeds of trust), the 30-day mailed notice, and the government-grantee exemption in subsection (c).
• The start date for documents subject to notice, often January 1, 2027, or the date the resolution takes effect.
• Whether APNs are required on page one of covered documents as a condition of recording, under subsection (b)(2). Several counties have announced this alongside their program. See Requiring APNs on page one.
• Optional electronic notification under (b)(3), such as an email alert sign-up for residents.
• How notices are processed and mailed: in-house, through a county print shop, or by contract. Contracts for processing or mailing are subject to the bidding rules in subsection (e).
• A fee, if any, under subsection (f), capped at the program's reasonable cost. See Setting an SB 255 recording fee.
• Fiscal impact: postage, printing, staff time and software, offset by any fee. See Budgeting an SB 255 program.

Why the timing of the fee matters

Subsection (f) says a fee cannot be charged until at least 120 days after it is established and the public has been notified of the fee and its effective date. A board that adopts a fee in late 2026 will be mailing notices for a few months before the fee can be collected. Some counties are therefore taking the fee to the board earlier than the program resolution, or adopting both together and accepting a gap.

A calendar that works backward

With the deadline close, many offices work back from it:

1. Now: confirm the program design with county counsel; agree who prints and mails.
2. Two to three months out: collect sample exports from the Recorder and Assessor, map them, and dry-run notices on real data. See Onboarding a county: a go-live checklist.
3. Six to eight weeks out: draft the staff report with volumes and costs from the dry run, not estimates; finalize the notice template in English and Spanish.
4. Board meeting: adopt the resolution (and any ordinance or fee).
5. Before the effective date: tell title companies and frequent filers about any APN requirement; publish the resident alert page.
6. Day one: start the daily routine, and if the program starts after its effective date, run a catch-up pass. See What the 30-day notice requirement means in practice.

Numbers make the item easier

Boards ask practical questions: how many letters a month, what it costs, how many will be returned, and what residents will see. A few weeks of parallel running on the county's own files answers all of them. SentraDeed's monthly statistics and transaction reports give the volumes and turnaround the staff report needs, and the resident portal can be shown live at the meeting.

Counties already running a program

Subsection (g) says §27297.7 does not apply to a county that operates a notification program under Section 27297.6. If your county is not in that position, the resolution is yours to schedule.