Updated October 11, 2026. Quick answer: Every Arizona deed of real property must be signed by the grantor and duly acknowledged before an officer authorized to take acknowledgments. Arizona law sets a statewide county recorder fee of $30 per instrument for recording papers where no other fee is specified.
Arizona quitclaim deed at a glance
| Item | What the documents say |
|---|---|
| Signing | An Arizona deed must be in writing, signed by the grantor, delivered, and duly acknowledged. |
| Witnesses | Not found in the documents read |
| Notary or acknowledgment | Every Arizona deed of real property must be signed by the grantor and duly acknowledged before an officer authorized to take acknowledgments. |
| Statutory quitclaim form | A.R.S. 33-402 gives a sufficient short quit claim form: the grantor hereby quit claims to the grantee all of the grantor’s interest in the described real property. |
| Where to record, and the fee | County recorder of the county where the property is located. Arizona law sets a statewide county recorder fee of $30 per instrument for recording papers where no other fee is specified. |
| State transfer tax | Not found in the documents read (No state transfer tax statute was read; the archived statutes cover only the affidavit of legal value that must accompany a recorded deed and its exemptions.) |
| Gift from a parent to a child | The affidavit of legal value and its fee do not apply to a deed of gift, to a quitclaim deed executed for no monetary consideration, or to nominal-consideration residential transfers between parent and child. |
| Spouse or homestead | Arizona requires joinder of both spouses in any transaction disposing of an interest in community real property (other than an unpatented mining claim or lease under one year). |
| Source | Arizona State Legislature |
Signing, witnesses and the notary in Arizona
An Arizona deed must be in writing, signed by the grantor, delivered, and duly acknowledged.
Every Arizona deed of real property must be signed by the grantor and duly acknowledged before an officer authorized to take acknowledgments.
Statutory form: A.R.S. 33-402 gives a sufficient short quit claim form: the grantor hereby quit claims to the grantee all of the grantor’s interest in the described real property.
The text itself:
- A.R.S. 33-401 Formal requirements of conveyance: “subscribed and delivered by the party disposing of the estate”
- A.R.S. 33-401 Formal requirements of conveyance: “must be signed by the grantor and must be duly acknowledged”
- A.R.S. 33-402 Forms for conveyances; quit claim: “I hereby quit claim to A.B. all my interest in the following”
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 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: County recorder of the county where the property is located. Arizona law sets a statewide county recorder fee of $30 per instrument for recording papers where no other fee is specified.
The text itself:
- A.R.S. 11-475 Fees; exemptions: “not otherwise specified in this section, $30 per instrument”
Transfer tax and a gift to a family member
No state transfer tax statute was read; the archived statutes cover only the affidavit of legal value that must accompany a recorded deed and its exemptions.
Between family members: The affidavit of legal value and its fee do not apply to a deed of gift, to a quitclaim deed executed for no monetary consideration, or to nominal-consideration residential transfers between parent and child.
The text itself:
- A.R.S. 11-1134 Exemptions: “or otherwise executed for no monetary consideration”
- A.R.S. 11-1134 Exemptions: “Parent and child, including natural or adopted children and their descendants”
Spouse and homestead
Arizona requires joinder of both spouses in any transaction disposing of an interest in community real property (other than an unpatented mining claim or lease under one year).
The text itself:
- A.R.S. 25-214 Management and control: “joinder of both spouses is required in any of the following cases”
Other filings the documents mention
Each recorded deed must have an affidavit of legal value appended unless the instrument notes a claimed statutory exemption.
An exempt instrument must note the specific exemption claimed on its face at the time of recording.
The text itself:
- A.R.S. 11-1133 Affidavit of legal value: “shall have appended at the time of recording an affidavit”
- A.R.S. 11-1134 Exemptions: “shall note the exemption on the face of the instrument”
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 Arizona affidavit of legal value exemption above for the state paperwork 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 Arizona requires witnesses on a deed: not found in the documents read, and that is not a statement that none are needed.
- Whether Arizona has a state transfer tax on deeds: 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 Arizona exemption from the affidavit of legal value for a family gift 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, Arizona transfer on death deed, Arizona probate cost, and whether Arizona has an estate tax.
Sources
- A.R.S. 33-401 Formal requirements of conveyance: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/33/00401.htm
- A.R.S. 33-402 Forms for conveyances; quit claim: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/33/00402.htm
- A.R.S. 11-475 Fees; exemptions: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/11/00475.htm
- A.R.S. 11-1133 Affidavit of legal value: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/11/01133.htm
- A.R.S. 11-1134 Exemptions: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/11/01134.htm
- A.R.S. 25-214 Management and control: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/25/00214.htm
- 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.