Updated October 11, 2026. Quick answer: Oregon conveyances are made by deed that is acknowledged or proved and recorded, and a conveyance acknowledged or proved in the prescribed manner is entitled to be recorded. The county clerk charges $5 for each page (minimum $5) under ORS 205.320, where a page is one side of a sheet 14 inches or less long and 8 1/2 inches or less wide, plus additional statutory fees of $1, $10 and $60 under ORS 205.323 on recorded instruments unless an exception applies.
Oregon quitclaim deed at a glance
| Item | What the documents say |
|---|---|
| Signing | An Oregon deed must be signed by the grantor, who must be of lawful age, and no seal is required; the deed must also state the true consideration paid. |
| Witnesses | Not found in the documents read |
| Notary or acknowledgment | Oregon conveyances are made by deed that is acknowledged or proved and recorded, and a conveyance acknowledged or proved in the prescribed manner is entitled to be recorded. |
| Statutory quitclaim form | ORS 93.865 gives a short statutory quitclaim deed form that conveys only whatever title the grantor has at the date of the deed. |
| Where to record, and the fee | County clerk. The county clerk charges $5 for each page (minimum $5) under ORS 205.320, where a page is one side of a sheet 14 inches or less long and 8 1/2 inches or less wide, plus additional statutory fees of $1, $10 and $60 under ORS 205.323 on recorded instruments unless an exception applies. |
| State transfer tax | Not found in the documents read (UNVERIFIED at the state level: ORS 306.815 bars cities, counties and other local bodies from taxing a transfer of a fee estate, with listed exceptions, but no document read states a state-level rate.) |
| Gift from a parent to a child | Not found in the documents read |
| Spouse or homestead | Not found in the documents read |
| Source | Oregon Legislature (Legislative Counsel) |
Signing, witnesses and the notary in Oregon
An Oregon deed must be signed by the grantor, who must be of lawful age, and no seal is required; the deed must also state the true consideration paid.
Oregon conveyances are made by deed that is acknowledged or proved and recorded, and a conveyance acknowledged or proved in the prescribed manner is entitled to be recorded.
Statutory form: ORS 93.865 gives a short statutory quitclaim deed form that conveys only whatever title the grantor has at the date of the deed.
The text itself:
- ORS Chapter 93 Conveyancing and Recording: “signed by the person of lawful age from whom the estate”
- ORS Chapter 93 Conveyancing and Recording: “No seal of the grantor, corporate or otherwise, shall be required”
- ORS Chapter 93 Conveyancing and Recording: “Quitclaim deeds may be in the following form”
- ORS Chapter 93 Conveyancing and Recording: “acknowledged or proved, and recorded without any other act or ceremony”
- ORS Chapter 93 Conveyancing and Recording: “is entitled to be recorded in the county where”
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 clerk. The county clerk charges $5 for each page (minimum $5) under ORS 205.320, where a page is one side of a sheet 14 inches or less long and 8 1/2 inches or less wide, plus additional statutory fees of $1, $10 and $60 under ORS 205.323 on recorded instruments unless an exception applies.
The text itself:
- ORS Chapter 205 County Clerk; Recording: “recording any instrument required or permitted by law to be recorded”
- ORS Chapter 205 County Clerk; Recording: “Deeds and mortgages of real property”
Transfer tax and a gift to a family member
UNVERIFIED at the state level: ORS 306.815 bars cities, counties and other local bodies from taxing a transfer of a fee estate, with listed exceptions, but no document read states a state-level rate.
Between family members: Not found in the documents read.
The text itself:
- ORS Chapter 306 Property Tax Administration: “shall not impose, by ordinance or other law, a tax”
Other filings the documents mention
The first page of a deed must carry the true and actual consideration and the tax statement information required by ORS 93.260, and the clerk may not accept an instrument without the consideration statement.
A deed transferring fee title must include the ORS 93.040(1) notice about land use laws and property rights in its body.
The text itself:
- ORS Chapter 93 Conveyancing and Recording: “may not be accepted for recording by any county clerk”
- ORS Chapter 205 County Clerk; Recording: “the tax statement information required by ORS 93.260”
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 Oregon 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 Oregon requires witnesses on a deed: not found in the documents read, and that is not a statement that none are needed.
- Whether a gift from a parent to a child is exempt from the transfer tax: not found in the documents read.
- Whether Oregon has a state transfer tax on deeds: not found in the documents read.
- Whether a spouse must join in the deed: not found in the documents read.
- The $5 figure is the base per-page county clerk fee; the statute adds further fees, so it is not the total cost of recording.
- County or city transfer taxes and local recording surcharges were not read unless named above.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the answer for one state applies to another, or that signing a deed ends the paperwork before recording.
Related: quitclaim vs warranty deed for a family transfer, Oregon transfer on death deed, and Oregon probate cost.
Sources
- ORS Chapter 93 Conveyancing and Recording: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors093.html
- ORS Chapter 205 County Clerk; Recording: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors205.html
- ORS Chapter 306 Property Tax Administration: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors306.html
- 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.