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, an Ohio 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, the fact that Ohio actually involves two different county offices, whether the conveyance fee applies to your situation, and whether a spouse needs to sign to release dower rights.
The good news is that many of the most common reasons people use a quitclaim deed here — gifting a home to a child, adding a spouse, funding a trust, or settling an estate among heirs — are specifically exempt from Ohio's conveyance fee.
Good News for Family Transfers:
Ohio specifically exempts gifts between spouses, or between parent and child (or the spouse of either), from the conveyance fee. Transfers among heirs or devisees with no money paid, and many transfers into or out of a revocable trust, are exempt as well.
You still need to file the right exemption form with the county auditor to claim it, but for most of the situations described on this page, the conveyance fee itself is not the obstacle it might first appear to be.
What You Need Before Filling Out the Deed
Before you start typing names into a deed form, gather the information Ohio county offices commonly expect.
- Current deed or previously recorded deed
- Grantor's full legal name and mailing address
- Grantee's full legal name and mailing address
- Complete legal description of the property
- Ohio county where the property is located
- Notary acknowledgment for the grantor's signature
- Your spouse's signature, to release dower rights if you are married
- A Real Property Conveyance Fee Statement of Value (Form DTE 100), or an exemption form (DTE 100EX)
- Recording fees, conveyance fee (if any), and the county auditor's approval
How to Fill Out an Ohio Quitclaim Deed
Step 1: Understand Ohio's Two-Office Process
Ohio deeds go through two county offices before they are final. The County Auditor reviews and approves the transfer and processes the conveyance fee (or exemption) first. The County Recorder then records the deed itself.
Some counties, such as Cuyahoga, combine these functions into a single office, often called the Fiscal Officer. Either way, both steps happen in the county where the property is located.
Step 2: Enter the Grantor Information
The grantor is the current owner transferring their interest in the property.
Use the grantor's full legal name and mailing address, matching the name on the current deed.
Step 3: Enter the Grantee Information
The grantee is the person receiving the property interest.
Include the grantee's full legal name and mailing address, since this is used to route future property tax bills.
Step 4: Choose the Ownership Wording Carefully
If there is more than one grantee, be clear about the ownership form: tenants in common, or a survivorship deed that passes the property automatically to the surviving co-owner. When married couples hold property together, both spouses typically execute the deed to keep the title clear.
Step 5: Add the Legal Description
Use the complete legal description from the current deed or a previously recorded deed. A street address may help identify the property, but it is not a substitute for the full legal description.
Step 6: Consider Whether Your Spouse Should Sign
Ohio's dower law gives a married person's spouse a potential claim on real estate they don't otherwise own. Because of this, it is common practice for the grantor's spouse to also sign the deed to release dower rights, even on a quitclaim deed.
A deed that omits this release is not automatically invalid, but it can leave a lingering claim, so most preparers include the spouse's signature as a precaution.
Step 7: Sign and Notarize the Deed
The grantor must sign the deed in the presence of a notary public or other authorized official .
Ohio 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 auditor and recorder will accept a remotely notarized deed. Learn more on our Remote Online Notarization by State page.
Step 8: File With the County Auditor
Before recording, take the deed to the county auditor's office. If a conveyance fee is due, complete Form DTE 100. If your transfer qualifies for an exemption, such as a gift between spouses or parent and child, complete Form DTE 100EX instead and cite the applicable exemption.
The auditor stamps the deed to show the fee has been paid or that it is exempt, which is required before the recorder will accept it.
Step 9: Record the Deed
Take the auditor-stamped deed to the County Recorder's office along with the recording fee. Many Ohio counties also accept electronic recording through approved vendors.
Bring a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want the original returned by mail, and double-check your specific county's formatting standards beforehand to avoid a nonconforming document fee.
Will You Owe a Conveyance Fee?
For a lot of the situations that bring people to this page, the answer is: often not.
Ohio's conveyance fee applies to most deed transfers, but the state specifically exempts gifts between spouses or between parent and child, transfers among heirs or devisees with no consideration, and many transfers into or out of a revocable trust. These cover most of the family and estate-planning situations described on this page.
You still file paperwork to claim the exemption, using Form DTE 100EX with the county auditor, but the fee itself is often not a cost you need to plan around.
For transfers that do not qualify for an exemption, the mandatory state portion of the fee is $1 for every $1,000 of value, and most counties add a permissive local portion on top of that, often bringing the combined rate to around $3 or $4 per $1,000. There is also a small separate transfer fee of $0.50 per parcel.
Ohio Signing and Recording Notes
- Ohio deeds go through the County Auditor first, then the County Recorder, in the county where the property is located.
- The grantor's signature must be notarized.
- It's common practice for a married grantor's spouse to also sign to release dower rights.
- Gifts between spouses or between parent and child are exempt from the conveyance fee.
- Transfers among heirs and many trust transfers are also exempt.
- An exemption still requires filing Form DTE 100EX with the county auditor.
- Use the complete legal description, not just the street address.
- Ohio follows a race-notice recording system, so recording promptly protects the transfer.
- Formatting standards, such as paper size and font, vary slightly and can trigger extra fees if not followed.
- Assuming a quitclaim deed changes responsibility for a mortgage is a common misconception.
Official Ohio Sources
Common Ohio Quitclaim Deed Mistakes
- Taking the deed straight to the recorder and skipping the county auditor's approval
- Assuming a gift transfer needs no paperwork at all instead of filing Form DTE 100EX
- Using only the street address instead of the legal description
- Forgetting the spouse's signature to release dower rights
- Forgetting that the deed needs a notary acknowledgment
- Not checking a specific county's formatting standards before submitting
- Leaving out the grantee's mailing address
- Using unclear ownership wording when there is more than one grantee
- Delaying recording after signing, given Ohio's race-notice system
- Assuming a quitclaim deed changes responsibility for a mortgage
How This Fits Into the Ohio Quitclaim Deed Process
An Ohio 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 the dower release, notarize it correctly, and take it through both the county auditor and county recorder, since Ohio's two-step process trips up more people than the deed itself does.
Ohio Quitclaim Deed FAQ
Where do I record an Ohio quitclaim deed?
The deed first goes to the County Auditor for approval, then to the County Recorder in the county where the property is located. Some counties combine both offices into one.
Will I owe a conveyance fee if I give my house to a family member?
Often not. Ohio specifically exempts gifts between spouses or between parent and child, along with several trust and estate transfers, from the conveyance fee. You still file an exemption form with the county auditor.
Does an Ohio quitclaim deed need to be notarized?
Yes. The grantor must sign the deed in the presence of a notary public or other authorized official.
Does my spouse need to sign the deed too?
If the grantor is married, it is common practice to have the spouse sign as well to release dower rights, even though a missing release does not automatically make the deed defective.
Is this legal advice?
No. This page provides general educational information and is not legal advice.