If you are adding a spouse to title, removing a former spouse, giving property to a family member, moving real estate into a trust, handling an inheritance, or cleaning up ownership records, a Colorado 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, where to record the deed, whether the documentary fee applies to your situation, and Colorado's required transfer declaration form.
The good news is Colorado has one of the lowest-cost transfer systems in the country, and most family gift transfers described on this page owe no documentary fee at all.
Good News About Colorado Transfers:
Colorado's documentary fee, charged by the County Clerk and Recorder on deed transfers over $500, is exempt for gift transfers, transfers of $500 or less, and deeds correcting a previously recorded deed. For transfers that do apply, the rate is just $0.01 per $100 of consideration, one of the lowest in the country.
Every deed still needs a Real Property Transfer Declaration filed alongside it, even for a $0 gift, but that's a reporting form rather than a tax payment.
What You Need Before Filling Out the Deed
Before you start typing names into a deed form, gather the information Colorado county clerks commonly expect.
- Current deed or property record
- Grantor's full legal name
- Grantee's full legal name and mailing address
- Complete legal description of the property, including the surveyor's name if the description is from a recent survey
- Colorado county where the property is located
- The name and address of whoever prepared the deed
- Return mailing address after recording
- Your spouse's signature, or a homestead waiver, if the property is a homestead
- Notary acknowledgment for the grantor's signature
- A completed Real Property Transfer Declaration (TD-1000)
- Recording fees and any documentary fee due
How to Fill Out a Colorado Quitclaim Deed
Step 1: Identify the Correct County Clerk and Recorder
Colorado deeds are recorded with the County Clerk and Recorder in the county where the real property is located. Colorado has 64 counties, and Denver is a consolidated city and county with its own recording office.
If the property spans more than one county, you can pay the documentary fee in a single transaction, and the counties divide it based on how much of the property sits in each.
Step 2: Enter the Preparer and Return Address Information
Include the name and address of whoever prepared the deed, plus the mailing address where the recorded deed should be returned.
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, matching the current deed.
Step 4: Enter the Grantee Information
The grantee is the person receiving the property interest.
Include the grantee's full legal name and mailing address.
Step 5: Choose the Ownership Wording Carefully
If there is more than one grantee, be specific about the ownership form, such as tenancy in common or joint tenancy with right of survivorship, so the deed reflects what you actually intend.
Step 6: Add the Legal Description
Use the complete legal description from the current deed or official county property records. A street address may help identify the property, but it is not a substitute for the full legal description.
Step 7: Check Whether Your Spouse Needs to Sign
Colorado is not a community property state, so property titled in one spouse's name generally belongs to that spouse, and only the titled owner needs to sign. The exception is homestead property: if the home is a marital homestead, both spouses typically need to sign, or the non-titled spouse needs to sign a waiver of homestead rights.
Step 8: Sign and Notarize the Deed
The grantor must sign the deed before a notary public , presenting government-issued photo identification.
Colorado 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 county clerk and recorder will accept a remotely notarized deed. Learn more on our Remote Online Notarization by State page.
Step 9: Complete the Real Property Transfer Declaration
Fill out the Real Property Transfer Declaration (TD-1000), which reports the consideration and helps the county assessor value the property for tax purposes. For a genuine gift, enter $0 consideration. This form isn't part of the public land record, but the County Clerk generally won't accept a deed without it.
Step 10: Record the Deed
Submit the signed and notarized deed, the TD-1000, and the recording fee and any documentary fee due to the County Clerk and Recorder in the county where the property is located.
As of July 1, 2025, Colorado moved to a flat statewide recording fee of $43 per document, regardless of page count, which replaced the older per-page fee schedule.
Will You Owe the Documentary Fee?
For a lot of the situations that bring people to this page, the answer is: usually not.
Colorado exempts gift transfers, transfers of $500 or less, and deeds correcting a previously recorded deed from the documentary fee. Transfers to or from a government agency are exempt as well. These cover most of the family, trust, and estate-planning transfers described on this page.
Even on an exempt transfer, the Real Property Transfer Declaration is still required, generally showing $0 consideration for a genuine gift.
For transfers that do involve consideration over $500, the fee is $0.01 for every $100 of consideration, and it's the grantee's responsibility to pay it. This is one of the lowest transfer costs of any state.
Colorado Signing and Recording Notes
- Colorado deeds are recorded with the County Clerk and Recorder in the county where the property is located.
- The grantor's signature must be notarized.
- Colorado is not a community property state; only the titled owner generally needs to sign.
- Homestead property is the exception, generally requiring a spouse's signature or a waiver.
- Gift transfers and transfers of $500 or less are exempt from the documentary fee.
- A Real Property Transfer Declaration (TD-1000) is required with every deed, exempt or not.
- Colorado moved to a flat $43 recording fee per document as of July 1, 2025.
- Use the complete legal description, not just the street address.
- Colorado has no state estate tax or inheritance tax.
- Assuming a quitclaim deed changes responsibility for a mortgage is a common misconception.
Official Colorado Sources
Common Colorado Quitclaim Deed Mistakes
- Recording in the wrong county
- Using only the street address instead of the legal description
- Forgetting the TD-1000, even on a $0 gift transfer
- Forgetting a spouse's signature or waiver on homestead property
- Forgetting that the deed needs a notary acknowledgment
- Leaving off the grantee's mailing address
- Not checking a specific county's formatting expectations
- Using "convey" instead of "quitclaim" in the deed's operative language
- Using unclear ownership wording when there is more than one grantee
- Assuming a quitclaim deed changes responsibility for a mortgage
How This Fits Into the Colorado Quitclaim Deed Process
A Colorado 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 prepare the deed carefully, address homestead and spousal-signature questions, notarize it correctly, complete the Real Property Transfer Declaration, and record it with the right county clerk and recorder. Since Colorado's documentary fee is low and often exempt for family gifts, the paperwork tends to be the main thing to get right.
Colorado Quitclaim Deed FAQ
Where do I record a Colorado quitclaim deed?
Record the deed with the County Clerk and Recorder in the Colorado county where the property is located.
Will I owe the documentary fee if I give property to a family member?
Usually not. Colorado exempts gift transfers, and transfers of $500 or less, from the documentary fee. A Real Property Transfer Declaration is still required with the deed either way.
Does a Colorado quitclaim deed need to be notarized?
Yes. The grantor's signature must be acknowledged before a notary public, with government-issued photo identification.
Do both spouses need to sign?
Colorado is not a community property state, so only the titled owner generally needs to sign. The exception is homestead property, where both spouses typically need to sign or one must sign a waiver.
Is this legal advice?
No. This page provides general educational information and is not legal advice.