Title

The Title Department is an integral part of the Assessor's Office which assists in performing the three basic Assessor functions.

  1. Locate land parcels and verify their legal location and property description
  2. Identify and confirm ownership of said parcels
  3. Determine the value of the property.

The main function of the Title Department is to transfer ownership, taken from recorded deeds. This involves verifying ownership on both subdivision lots as well as on metes and bounds parcels. In addition, the Title Department will set up ownership for new subdivisions that have been recorded once the Cartography Department has verified plat geometry, assigned new parcel numbers to the lots and tracts, etc.

The Title Department is also the first step in the process when a land owner requests that multiple parcels be combined into one new tax parcel ID. There are a series of items that must be verified prior to any parcel combinations. The Title Department works together with the Cartography Department to obtain new parcel numbers and to update the title records.

For additional information, please contact the Title Department at (928) 771-3226.

The Yavapai County Assessor's Office is not permitted to give legal advice. It is recommended you consult with an attorney if you need assistance or have questions which require a legal opinion. It's important to note that the Assessor's records are for tax purposes only. The Assessor does not decide whom the legal owner of property is, we only keep record of whose name is on the tax parcel. It is also important to note that the Assessor's Cartography and Title Departments work only from recorded instruments.

How Title is Held (Names on Parcel):

How do I add/remove a name(s) to/from my title?

Typically, this is achieved through a recorded document (deed). However, in some cases, a court order may suffice to add or remove a name. The Assessor's Office cannot advise which type/kind of deed form to use, nor assist in filling out the document. If assistance is required, please contact an attorney, paralegal, certified legal document preparer or title company to assist in properly preparing the deed. The Assessor's Office cannot recommend professionals who provide these services. It is the taxpayer's responsibility to ensure that whomever is hired is qualified.

My spouse and I held title to our property as Joint Tenants with Right of Survivorship or Community Property with Right of Survivorship. My spouse is deceased. How would I remove his/her name from title?

In some cases, a copy of the deceased's death certificate is required. Typically, this document is enough to allow the Yavapai County Assessor's Office to remove their name from the tax parcel. Removing a deceased person's name from the tax parcel may not accomplish what a lending institution, a title company, etc. will require at a later date. For further information please consult with an attorney to determine what might ultimately be required.

How do I change the name(s) on title from a person(s) into a Trust or from a Trust into a different name?

A deed would need to be recorded. It is recommended that you consult with an attorney for further assistance.

I have a copy of a will stating I am to inherit some land. How do I get title into my name?

It is recommended that you consult with an attorney to determine the correct course of action to accomplish a change to title.

I just noticed that a name is misspelled on the Assessor's records. How can I get that corrected?

Contact the Assessor's Title Department. If there was an error made by them, it will be corrected.

I've recently gotten married; how do I change my name on title?

Typically, this is achieved through a recorded document (deed). However, in some cases, a marriage license, a divorce decree or other type of court order might suffice. The Assessor's Office cannot advise which type/kind of deed form to use, nor assist in filling out the document. If assistance is required, please contact an attorney, paralegal, certified legal document preparer or title company to assist in properly preparing the deed. The Assessor's Office cannot recommend professionals who provide these services. It is the taxpayer's responsibility to ensure that whomever is hired is qualified.

I owned a piece of property with another person, not as Community Property with Right of Survivorship or as Joint Tenants with Right of Survivorship. The person I owned it with is deceased. How do I get the title transferred into my name?

It's recommended that you consult with an attorney, a paralegal, a certified legal document preparer or a title company to determine the proper way to accomplish this name transfer.

Splitting or Combining Parcels:

I own a parcel of land that I want to split/divide. How do I do that?

If the land is outside of a municipal limit in Yavapai County, please consult with Yavapai County Development Services to see what may be required. If the land is in a municipal limit within Yavapai County, please consult with that entity's Development Services Division to determine what is required.

I own several parcels that I wish to combine to receive only one tax bill. How do I do that?

The Yavapai County Assessor has a "Request to Combine" form available on their website. These forms are also available in the Assessor's Title Department. If the parcels are outside of a municipal limit in Yavapai County, you may fill out the form and submit it to the Yavapai County Assessor's Office. If the parcels are in a municipal limit within Yavapai County, that entity's signed approval is required to combine the parcels. The signed form will then need to be returned to the Assessor's Title Department for processing.

I received a Minor Land Division (MLD) permit from the County's Development Services and had it recorded. Why haven't the parcels been split?

The MLD merely grants permission from Yavapai County Development Services to take the next step, i.e. – to split the land. The MLD is required to be recorded, along with recorded deeds which create the splits.

I have a road across some vacant land that I own, and the neighbors are using it for access to their property. Can I fence this off to stop them?

Please consult with an attorney.

How much does it cost to split my property?

There is no cost through the Yavapai County Assessor's Office to split property. However, we suggest that you consult with the Yavapai County Development Services Department (or the town or city where the land is located) to ascertain what, if any, fees are associated with this process.

I have a deed I'm getting ready to record, can you please review it and tell me if I have everything filled out correctly?

The Yavapai County Assessor's Cartography and Title Departments do not provide reviews on unrecorded documents. It is the taxpayer's responsibility to ensure that the document is filled out correctly prior to recording.