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Michigan Quitclaim Deed Form (2026): Requirements, Notary, Recording Fee

Updated October 11, 2026. Quick answer: A deed executed in Michigan must be acknowledged before a judge, court clerk or notary public, and the register of deeds may not record a deed that is not acknowledged or proved. The statewide statutory fee for a register of deeds to enter and record a document is $30 regardless of the number of pages.

Michigan quitclaim deed at a glance

ItemWhat the documents say
SigningA Michigan deed must be signed and sealed by the person conveying the interest, who must be of lawful age, and then acknowledged and recorded.
WitnessesNot found in the documents read
Notary or acknowledgmentA deed executed in Michigan must be acknowledged before a judge, court clerk or notary public, and the register of deeds may not record a deed that is not acknowledged or proved.
Statutory quitclaim formMCL 565.152 treats a conveyance worded in substance as ’A.B. quit claims to C.D.’ plus the premises and consideration as a good quitclaim conveyance once signed, sealed and acknowledged by the grantor.
Where to record, and the feeCounty register of deeds. The statewide statutory fee for a register of deeds to enter and record a document is $30 regardless of the number of pages.
State transfer taxThe State Real Estate Transfer Tax Act levies $3.75 for each $500 or fraction of $500 of the total value of the property transferred, and the Act exempts a conveyance from an individual to that individual’s child, stepchild or adopted child, and to a grandchild. A separate county tax under MCL 207.504 adds 55 cents for each $500 or fraction of $500 of total value in a county with a population under 2,000,000, and not more than 75 cents, as the county board sets, in a county with 2,000,000 or more. The archived text does not say who pays either tax or whether the county tax carries the same family exemptions.
Gift from a parent to a childMCL 207.526 exempts a conveyance from an individual to that individual’s child, stepchild or adopted child, and likewise to a grandchild.
Spouse or homesteadNot found in the documents read
SourceMichigan Legislature

Signing, witnesses and the notary in Michigan

A Michigan deed must be signed and sealed by the person conveying the interest, who must be of lawful age, and then acknowledged and recorded.

A deed executed in Michigan must be acknowledged before a judge, court clerk or notary public, and the register of deeds may not record a deed that is not acknowledged or proved.

Statutory form: MCL 565.152 treats a conveyance worded in substance as ’A.B. quit claims to C.D.’ plus the premises and consideration as a good quitclaim conveyance once signed, sealed and acknowledged by the grantor.

The text itself:

  • MCL 565.1 Conveyance of land made by deed: “signed and sealed by the person from whom the estate or interest”
  • MCL 565.152 Form; quit claim deed: “quit claims to C.D.”
  • MCL 565.8 Deeds; execution; witnesses; acknowledgment: “acknowledged before any judge, clerk of a court of record”
  • MCL 565.47 Recording by register of deeds; acknowledgment required: “shall not be recorded by the register of deeds”

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.

The link goes to LawDepot, a paid legal-document service, not Clear Money Guide and not a law firm. LawDepot pays Clear Money Guide a commission if you buy a document there, at no extra cost to you. You are under no obligation to buy anything. We are not a law firm and this is not legal advice.

Review LawDepot’s quitclaim deed

Opens on LawDepot. Follow the signing, notary and recording rules for your state.

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Recording: where to file and what it costs

Recording office: County register of deeds. The statewide statutory fee for a register of deeds to enter and record a document is $30 regardless of the number of pages.

The text itself:

  • MCL 600.2567 Register of deeds; fees: “recording a document, regardless of the number of pages, $30”

Transfer tax and a gift to a family member

The State Real Estate Transfer Tax Act levies $3.75 for each $500 or fraction of $500 of the total value of the property transferred, and the Act exempts a conveyance from an individual to that individual’s child, stepchild or adopted child, and to a grandchild. A separate county tax under MCL 207.504 adds 55 cents for each $500 or fraction of $500 of total value in a county with a population under 2,000,000, and not more than 75 cents, as the county board sets, in a county with 2,000,000 or more. The archived text does not say who pays either tax or whether the county tax carries the same family exemptions.

Between family members: MCL 207.526 exempts a conveyance from an individual to that individual’s child, stepchild or adopted child, and likewise to a grandchild.

The text itself:

  • MCL 207.525 Tax rate; statement of total value: “levied at the rate of $3.75 for each $500.00”
  • MCL 207.526 Written instruments and transfers exempt from tax: “A conveyance from an individual to that individual’s child”

Other filings the documents mention

A transfer tax statement of the total value must appear on the face of a taxable instrument or in an attached affidavit.

To be recorded, the deed must show the printed name of each signer, the grantee’s address and the name and business address of the drafter.

A conveyance by deed is a ’transfer of ownership’ under the General Property Tax Act, which resets the property’s taxable value.

The text itself:

  • MCL 565.201 Requirements for recording with register of deeds: “The address of each of the grantees in each deed of conveyance”
  • MCL 211.27a Property tax assessment; taxable value; transfer of ownership: “A conveyance by deed.”

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 Michigan 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 Michigan requires witnesses on a deed: not found in the documents read, and that is not a statement that none are needed.
  • Whether a spouse must join in the deed: 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 Michigan 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, Michigan transfer on death deed, Michigan probate cost, and whether Michigan has an estate tax.

Sources

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.