If you are adding a spouse to title, removing a former spouse, transferring property to a family member, moving real estate into a trust, handling an inheritance, or cleaning up ownership records, an Alaska quitclaim deed may be the document you are looking for.
The deed itself is often the simple part. The details that cause confusion are usually the legal description, notarization, which office actually handles recording in Alaska, whether your spouse needs to sign because of Alaska's homestead rule, and how Alaska's recording district system differs from the county systems most other states use.
The good news is that Alaska has no state real estate transfer tax at all, which keeps the cost side of the process relatively simple once you know which recording district your property falls under.
Important Alaska Recording Note:
Alaska doesn't record real estate by county the way most states do. Instead, the state is divided into 34 recording districts, administered by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, and your deed needs to identify the correct one by name.
Alaska also charges no statewide real estate transfer tax, so recording costs are limited to the flat filing fee. A small number of municipalities have their own local rules, so it's worth a quick check with your local assessor's office if you want to be thorough.
What You Need Before Filling Out the Deed
Before you start typing names into a deed form, gather the information Alaska recording districts commonly expect.
- Current deed or property record, including its book and page or serial number
- Grantor's full legal name and mailing address
- Grantee's full legal name and mailing address
- Complete legal description of the property
- The Alaska recording district where the property is located
- A return mailing address, stated in the body of the deed itself
- Notary acknowledgment for the grantor's signature
- Your spouse's signature, if the property is your homestead
- Recording fees
How to Fill Out an Alaska Quitclaim Deed
Step 1: Identify the Correct Recording District
Use the Alaska Department of Natural Resources' online map or contact its office to confirm which of the 34 recording districts covers your property, and name that district on the deed. If the property sits in more than one district, you'll need to file in each.
Step 2: Enter the Return Address
Alaska requires the name and complete mailing address of whoever should receive the recorded deed to appear in the body of the document itself, not just in the top margin reserved for the recorder's stamp.
Step 3: Enter the Grantor Information
The grantor is the current owner transferring their interest in the property.
Use the grantor's full legal name and complete mailing address.
Step 4: Enter the Grantee Information
The grantee is the person receiving the property interest.
Include the grantee's full legal name and complete mailing address.
Step 5: Choose the Ownership Wording Carefully
If there is more than one grantee, know that Alaska defaults to tenancy in common when the deed is silent on the matter. Married couples can instead choose tenancy by the entireties, which passes the property automatically to the surviving spouse. If you want a specific outcome, the deed needs to say so.
Step 6: Add the Legal Description
Use the complete legal description from the current deed or official property records. For unplatted land, this typically means the section, township, range, and meridian. For a subdivided lot, include the lot and block number along with the subdivision name or plat number. A street address alone is not enough.
If your deed corrects, amends, or otherwise references a previously recorded document, Alaska requires you to cite that document's book and page number or serial number.
Step 7: Check Whether Your Spouse Needs to Sign
If the property you're transferring is your homestead, Alaska requires your spouse to also sign the deed, even if your spouse has no ownership interest in the property. The spouse's signature doesn't transfer any interest; it simply signals assent to the transfer of the homestead. Leaving this out is one of the most common reasons an Alaska deed gets rejected.
Step 8: Sign and Notarize the Deed
The grantor must sign the deed, and the signature must be acknowledged before a notary public . A deed without a proper notarial acknowledgment will be rejected at the recording district office.
Alaska allows Remote Online Notarization (RON) , which lets you meet with a notary by secure live video instead of traveling to an office.
Before choosing online notarization, confirm your recording district will accept a remotely notarized deed. Learn more on our Remote Online Notarization by State page.
Step 9: Record the Deed
Submit the original, signed and notarized deed, along with the recording fee, to the recording district office where the property is located. Do not submit a photocopy.
Some districts, including Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kenai, and Palmer, accept electronic recording through approved vendors, which can speed up the process considerably compared to mailing paper documents.
What Will Recording Cost?
Alaska keeps this part relatively simple. There is no statewide real estate transfer tax, so recording a quitclaim deed generally costs just the flat filing fee, regardless of whether the transfer is a sale or a family gift.
The standard fee is $20 for the first page and $5 for each additional page. If your deed lists more than six names or locations to be indexed, a small additional indexing fee applies. A deed that doesn't meet Alaska's formatting standards can also carry a $50 nonstandard document fee, so it's worth double-checking margins and paper size before you submit.
A handful of municipalities apply their own local rules on top of the state system, so if your property is in one of those areas, a quick check with the local assessor's office can confirm whether anything else applies.
Alaska Signing and Recording Notes
- Alaska records deeds by recording district, not by county or borough.
- The grantor's signature must be notarized.
- If the property is a homestead, the grantor's spouse must also sign.
- Alaska has no state real estate transfer tax.
- Use the complete legal description, not just the street address.
- The return address must appear in the deed's body, not just the top margin.
- Deeds referencing a prior recorded document must cite its book, page, or serial number.
- Tenancy in common applies by default when a deed doesn't state otherwise.
- Alaska follows a race-notice recording system, so recording promptly matters.
- Assuming a quitclaim deed changes responsibility for a mortgage is a common misconception.
Official Alaska Sources
Common Alaska Quitclaim Deed Mistakes
- Recording in the wrong district, or missing a district when the property spans more than one
- Using only the street address instead of the legal description
- Forgetting a spouse's signature on homestead property
- Leaving the return address out of the deed's body
- Forgetting that the deed needs a notary acknowledgment
- Leaving off a required reference to a prior recorded instrument
- Submitting a photocopy instead of an original signed document
- Using unclear ownership wording when there is more than one grantee
- Not checking a specific district's formatting expectations before submitting
- Assuming a quitclaim deed changes responsibility for a mortgage
How This Fits Into the Alaska Quitclaim Deed Process
An Alaska quitclaim deed can be a practical way to update ownership, especially for family gifts, trust transfers, estate planning, and divorce-related transfers.
The key is to identify the correct recording district, prepare the legal description carefully, address the homestead and spousal-signature question, notarize the deed, and record it with the right district office. Since Alaska has no transfer tax, the paperwork itself is usually the main thing to get right.
Alaska Quitclaim Deed FAQ
Where do I record an Alaska quitclaim deed?
Record the deed with the Recorder's Office of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, in the recording district where the property is located.
Does Alaska charge a real estate transfer tax?
No. Alaska does not impose a statewide real estate transfer tax. Only the standard recording fee applies, though a small number of municipalities have their own local rules.
Does an Alaska quitclaim deed need to be notarized?
Yes. The grantor's signature must be acknowledged before a notary public before the deed can be recorded.
Do I need my spouse's signature on the deed?
If the property is the grantor's homestead, Alaska requires the grantor's spouse to also sign, even if the spouse has no ownership interest in the property.
Is this legal advice?
No. This page provides general educational information and is not legal advice.