House Research

Residents are often drawn to South Pasadena because of the many historic homes in the city, but discovering the history of a home can be challenging.  Below are some tools, tips, and resources you can use to begin your search.

Inventory of Historic Resources

Access a copy of the Inventory of Historic Resources(PDF, 1MB) online through the City of South Pasadena Planning Division. This document includes the properties that are formally designated on the State, National, and local registers.

Obtain the original construction date and, potentially, the names of contractors, architects, and previous owners by contacting the City of South Pasadena’s Planning Division at (626) 403-7220 and requesting building permit records. 

For information on potential historic designation of all properties and neighborhoods in South Pasadena, visit our Historic Landmarks and Districts Map.

Los Angeles County Assessor Portal

Property description, date of construction, and Assessor's I.D. Number (AIN) are available through the Los Angeles County Assessor Portal.  

Current homeowners may also access their property’s packet at the local LA County Assessor’s office (the El Monte location serves South Pasadena).  The packets typically include permits, blueprints, or site plans that show the original building footprint.  Be sure to bring the AIN and documentation of homeowner status.

Find out who currently owns a property by emailing helpdesk@assessor.lacounty.gov (be sure to include the Assessor’s I.D. number and address of the property you’re investigating).  You cannot obtain owner information by name via their website.

Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk

To trace the ownership history of a property (from 1850 on), contact the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk in-person, or for a fee by mail or online. They do not do requests by phone.  When researching, you will need to have the name of either the grantee or grantor—there is no look-up by address.

South Pasadena City Directories 

South Pasadena city directories may be able to show you who lived at the address beginning in 1893.  Directories are typically organized alphabetically by surname, but some years (1929-1947; 1955; 1958; 1961; 1974) contain reverse look-ups allowing searching by address. All city directories held by the South Pasadena Public Library have been digitized, enabling some additional search functions. Directories dated 1893 to 1962 are available to view and search online at archive.org.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps may show the original structure of the property and layout of the street. The Sanborn Maps database (1867-1970) is available online with a valid Los Angeles Public Library card. 

Photo Collection

Our digitized photo collection on Flickr may provide images of the neighborhood or, in rare instances, your house.