[quote=UCGal]Well – the obvious way would be to ask your realtor, or ask the listing agent.
I’m not sure if you variances are recorded with county recorder. If they are you could take the parcel number, APN, (on the listing or on redfin), plug it into the property tax database. If the land is held by an entity with a unique enough name, you might be able to plug that into the county recorders database.
If (and only if) variances are recorded with the county recorder – you’d be able to see if there’s a doc. You can order the doc for a few bucks or go down to the county building to look it up for free.
Like I said- asking the listing agent is the easiest way.
Good advice, UCGal. However, I have not seen “variances” show up on a property tax bill. And many variances that were actually recorded were recorded PRIOR to 1982. That is the limitations of the online database. The database INSIDE the recorder’s office computers goes all the way back, but researching could take hours via pulling and viewing microfiche. I just spent 6.5 (billable) hours in one day there last week researching a person’s assets who owned a LOT of local rental property. This endeavor is no picnic and wouldn’t be that easy for someone who did not thoroughly understand CA chain-of-title concepts and what documents might indicate variances had been granted.
Perhaps it may be easier to go to whatever City or County Planning Dept and armed with the address and APN number and ask for assistance there. These agencies would have all unrecorded variances and usually have their information stored on microfiche and also in flat drawers (if they stored the physical document). The information you find there may or may not show up on a preliminary title report of the subject property.
Before diving into this, wildta, why don’t you ask the owner or even a former owner, if still alive with a good phone number or local address? Most RE agents are ignorant as to how to obtain this info. You would be surprised how many owners know of (have seen) or have in their possession an original or copy of their circa 1957 (grandfathered) “Certificate of Non-Conforming Use” or whatever variance was granted by the City/County at the time. And good luck!
