County recorder: recordation of documents.

Existing law requires the county recorder, upon payment of proper fees and taxes, to record any instrument, paper, or notice that is authorized or required to be recorded, provided that the instrument, paper, or notice meets certain standards. Existing law also requires all documents authorized by law to be recorded in the official records of a county to contain specified information. This bill would require the documents described above that are rerecorded to be executed and acknowledged or verified as new documents, unless otherwise exempted, as specified, presented solely to correct a rerecording sequence, as specified, or presented solely to make a minor correction, as defined, with a corrective affidavit. The bill would require the corrective affidavit to satisfy certain requirements, including a requirement that the corrective affidavit be certified under penalty of perjury. The bill would require each rerecorded instrument, paper, or notice to include a cover sheet and to state the reason for rerecording. By imposing new duties upon local county officials with respect to the recordation of documents and by expanding the crime of perjury, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for specified reasons.