Journal · selling
What to disclose when selling a house in Pasadena
Sidney Manzo, CA DRE #01108914, with A Pasadena sale stacks a state disclosure packet on top of a city certificate. This note names the two state starting points and the City program, and it stops there. It is general information, not legal or tax advice, and it is not an appraisal. Which forms a particular transfer must deliver is a question for the seller's attorney and the escrow officer. A home value review is Sidney's look at one address. It is not an instant or automated valuation. He does not buy the house.
The existing certificate note is Do I need a presale certificate to sell my house in Pasadena? The city guide is Sell a home in Pasadena, CA.
The state transfer form
Civil Code section 1102 opens the article on disclosures upon transfer of residential property. Section 1102.6 says the disclosures required by that article are set forth in, and shall be made on, the statutory form. The Legislature's web text of that section notes that the Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement itself appears in the published bill, Statutes of 2020, chapter 370. This page does not reproduce the form. Escrow and counsel supply the current pages. Exemptions exist in the article. Whether one applies is not decided here.
Natural hazard statement
Civil Code section 1103.2 is the Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement section. It is a different paper from the transfer form. Flood, fire, and seismic zones are the kind of items that statement is built to report, and the report is prepared for the parcel, not for the city as a whole. Sidney does not complete that statement. The escrow officer orders it. A hillside Pasadena lot and a flat lot do not share one hazard answer, which is why the statement is address-specific.
Pasadena's presale certificate
The City's Presale Self-Certification Program page, checked November 10, 2026, cites Ordinance No. 7337 and Pasadena Municipal Code section 14.17. Before close of escrow on a single-family house, condominium, townhouse, or duplex, the owner obtains a Presale Certificate of Completion or a Presale Certificate of Inspection. Self-certification requires no open code case, living area that does not exceed the Los Angeles County Assessor's record by 10 percent or more, fire prevention and exiting items the page lists, and no unpermitted construction or accessory structure greater than 120 square feet. If the completion certificate is not available, the City inspects. The owner can correct items or sign a transfer of responsibility to the buyer.
The same page lists in-person fees of $29 plus processing for a Certificate of Completion and $184 plus processing for a Certificate of Inspection. Online filing is offered, and hard copies go to the Permit Center at 175 North Garfield. Questions go to (626) 744-7144 or PresaleProgram@cityofpasadena.net. Those figures are the City's, not a quote from this office. The certificate does not replace the state forms above.
A review is not the disclosure packet
Request a home value review when you want a broker's look at the address. Book a seller consultation to talk through timing. Neither step fills out the transfer form, orders the hazard statement, or files the presale application. A request does not create a listing agreement.
Questions homeowners ask next
- What state form starts a Pasadena home sale disclosure?
- Civil Code section 1102.6 says the disclosures in that article are made on the statutory Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement. The web text points to the published bill for the form itself. Escrow and your attorney provide the current pages. This note does not.
- Is the natural hazard statement the same form?
- No. Civil Code section 1103.2 is the Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement. It is prepared for the parcel. Sidney does not complete it.
- When is Pasadena's presale certificate required?
- The City's page says that before close of escrow on a single-family house, condominium, townhouse, or duplex, the owner obtains a Presale Certificate of Completion or a Presale Certificate of Inspection, under Ordinance 7337 and Municipal Code section 14.17.
- What are the in-person presale fees the City lists?
- On November 10, 2026 the City's page listed $29 plus processing for an in-person Certificate of Completion and $184 plus processing for an in-person Certificate of Inspection. Confirm the figure with the City at (626) 744-7144 before you pay.
- Does the presale certificate replace seller disclosures?
- No. The City program is a municipal certificate. The state transfer form and the natural hazard statement are separate. A transfer of responsibility, when the City offers it, moves listed deficiencies to the buyer. It does not erase other duties. Ask your attorney.
- Does a home value review disclose the house for me?
- No. The review is a broker's opinion of one Pasadena address. It is not an appraisal and not an automated valuation. Sidney does not buy the house. A listing starts only with a written agreement.