Updated October 11, 2026. Quick answer: A deed must be acknowledged by the grantor before registration, and the register of deeds will not accept an instrument needing acknowledgment unless it appears acknowledged before an authorized officer. North Carolina’s uniform statewide fee for registering an instrument is $26.00 for the first 15 pages plus $4.00 for each additional page or fraction of a page. A document that contains more than one separately executed instrument costs an additional $10.00 for each additional instrument, and an instrument listing more than 20 parties costs an additional $2.00 for each party over 20.
North Carolina quitclaim deed at a glance
| Item | What the documents say |
|---|---|
| Signing | North Carolina requires a deed to be acknowledged by the grantor (or the signature proven on oath by witnesses) before registration, and a registered deed passes title without livery of seizin. |
| Witnesses | The documents read do not say that a deed must be witnessed. G.S. 47-17 lets a deed be registered on the grantor’s acknowledgment or on the signature proven on oath by one or more witnesses. |
| Notary or acknowledgment | A deed must be acknowledged by the grantor before registration, and the register of deeds will not accept an instrument needing acknowledgment unless it appears acknowledged before an authorized officer. |
| Statutory quitclaim form | Not found in the documents read |
| Where to record, and the fee | Register of Deeds of the county where the land lies. North Carolina’s uniform statewide fee for registering an instrument is $26.00 for the first 15 pages plus $4.00 for each additional page or fraction of a page. A document that contains more than one separately executed instrument costs an additional $10.00 for each additional instrument, and an instrument listing more than 20 parties costs an additional $2.00 for each party over 20. |
| State transfer tax | North Carolina’s excise tax is $1.00 for each $500, or fractional part of $500, of the consideration or value of the interest conveyed, and the transferor pays it to the register of deeds of the county where the land lies before recording. |
| Gift from a parent to a child | The article does not apply to a transfer by gift or one where no consideration in property or money is due or paid by the transferee. |
| Spouse or homestead | To waive a spouse’s elective life estate, a conveyance affecting a married person’s land must be executed by the husband or wife, except where other statutes provide otherwise. |
| Source | North Carolina General Assembly |
Signing, witnesses and the notary in North Carolina
North Carolina requires a deed to be acknowledged by the grantor (or the signature proven on oath by witnesses) before registration, and a registered deed passes title without livery of seizin.
A deed must be acknowledged by the grantor before registration, and the register of deeds will not accept an instrument needing acknowledgment unless it appears acknowledged before an authorized officer.
The text itself:
- G.S. 47-17 Probate and registration sufficient without livery of seizin, etc.: “shall be acknowledged by the grantor, lessor or the person executing”
- G.S. 47-14 Register of deeds to verify the presence of proof or acknowledgement: “shall not accept for registration any instrument that requires proof or acknowledgement”
- G.S. 47-17 Probate and registration sufficient without livery of seizin, etc.: “shall be valid, and pass title and estates without”
If you want a ready-made form
Review LawDepot’s quitclaim deed form
LawDepot builds a quit claim deed from guided questions for your state. Compare the form with the signing, notary and recording rules on this page before you sign anything.
A deed moves title and can change a family’s tax and benefit position. If you need advice about your situation, ask a real estate attorney before choosing a document service.
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Review LawDepot’s quitclaim deedOpens on LawDepot. Follow the signing, notary and recording rules for your state.
How our partner relationships workRecording: where to file and what it costs
Recording office: Register of Deeds of the county where the land lies. North Carolina’s uniform statewide fee for registering an instrument is $26.00 for the first 15 pages plus $4.00 for each additional page or fraction of a page. A document that contains more than one separately executed instrument costs an additional $10.00 for each additional instrument, and an instrument listing more than 20 parties costs an additional $2.00 for each party over 20.
The text itself:
- G.S. 161-10 Uniform fees of registers of deeds: “twenty‑six dollars ($26.00) for the first 15 pages”
Transfer tax and a gift to a family member
North Carolina’s excise tax is $1.00 for each $500, or fractional part of $500, of the consideration or value of the interest conveyed, and the transferor pays it to the register of deeds of the county where the land lies before recording.
Between family members: The article does not apply to a transfer by gift or one where no consideration in property or money is due or paid by the transferee.
The text itself:
- G.S. 105-228.30 Imposition of excise tax; distribution of proceeds: “The tax rate is one dollar ($1.00) on each five hundred dollars”
- G.S. 105-228.30 Imposition of excise tax; distribution of proceeds: “The transferor must pay the tax to the register of deeds”
- G.S. 105-228.29 Exemptions: “By gift.”
- G.S. 105-228.29 Exemptions: “If no consideration in property or money is due or paid by”
Spouse and homestead
To waive a spouse’s elective life estate, a conveyance affecting a married person’s land must be executed by the husband or wife, except where other statutes provide otherwise.
The text itself:
- G.S. 39-7 Instruments affecting married person’s title; joinder of spouse; exceptions: “must be executed by such husband or wife”
A worked example: a parent deeds the home to an adult child
An illustration, not a return: a parent bought a home for $100,000, and it is worth $300,000 when the parent deeds it to an adult child by quitclaim deed, with no payment. The child later sells it for $350,000. For a gift, federal law says the child’s basis is “the same as it would be in the hands of the donor”, so the basis stays $100,000 and the gain is $250,000 ($350,000 minus $100,000). Had the child received the same home at the parent’s death, when it was worth $300,000, the statute sets the basis at “fair market value of the property at the date of the decedent’s”, so the gain would be $50,000 ($350,000 minus $300,000). Federal gift tax filing rules are outside this page and outside the documents read.
Read the North Carolina transfer-tax rule above for the state side of the same transfer. See CMG’s quitclaim vs warranty deed for a family transfer page for the choice of deed.
What the documents do not say
- Whether North Carolina requires witnesses on a deed: the documents read do not say, though G.S. 47-17 lets the signature be proven on oath by one or more witnesses in place of the grantor’s acknowledgment.
- Whether North Carolina has a statutory quitclaim form: not found in the documents read.
- County or city transfer taxes and local recording surcharges were not read unless named above.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the North Carolina transfer-tax exemption for family gifts also removes the federal basis consequence shown in the example.
- Assuming the answer for one state applies to another, or that signing a deed ends the paperwork before recording.
Related: quitclaim deeds by state, quitclaim vs warranty deed for a family transfer, North Carolina probate cost, and whether North Carolina has an estate tax.
Sources
- G.S. 47-17 Probate and registration sufficient without livery of seizin, etc.: https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_47/GS_47-17.pdf
- G.S. 161-10 Uniform fees of registers of deeds: https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_161/GS_161-10.pdf
- G.S. 105-228.30 Imposition of excise tax; distribution of proceeds: https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_105/GS_105-228.30.pdf
- G.S. 105-228.29 Exemptions: https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_105/GS_105-228.29.pdf
- G.S. 39-7 Instruments affecting married person’s title; joinder of spouse; exceptions: https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_39/GS_39-7.pdf
- G.S. 47-14 Register of deeds to verify the presence of proof or acknowledgement: https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_47/GS_47-14.pdf
- 26 U.S.C. 1015, Basis of property acquired by gifts and transfers in trust (U.S. Code, GovInfo): https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title26/html/USCODE-2023-title26-subtitleA-chap1-subchapO-partII-sec1015.htm
- 26 U.S.C. 1014, Basis of property acquired from a decedent (U.S. Code, GovInfo): https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title26/html/USCODE-2023-title26-subtitleA-chap1-subchapO-partII-sec1014.htm
Sources: the primary documents linked above, read on October 11, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a tax professional or the state agency itself is the right place to confirm anything consequential.