Updated October 11, 2026. Quick answer: A Kentucky deed is admitted to record on the grantor’s acknowledgment before the clerk, on a county clerk’s or notary’s certificate of acknowledgment, or on proof by subscribing witnesses, and a gift deed also needs a sworn, notarized gift certificate. The statewide county clerk fee to record and index a deed of up to five pages is $33.00, plus $3.00 for each additional page and $4.00 for each additional reference relating to the same instrument. The clerk also receives a $10.00 reimbursement for permanent records storage on a recorded deed, so the clerk’s charge for a deed of up to five pages is $43.00 before any transfer tax.
Kentucky quitclaim deed at a glance
| Item | What the documents say |
|---|---|
| Signing | A Kentucky deed must name the grantor and grantee with their mailing addresses, state the full consideration, and give an in-care-of address for the property tax bill. |
| Witnesses | Kentucky does not require witnesses when the grantor acknowledges the deed, though a deed may alternatively be recorded on proof by two subscribing witnesses. |
| Notary or acknowledgment | A Kentucky deed is admitted to record on the grantor’s acknowledgment before the clerk, on a county clerk’s or notary’s certificate of acknowledgment, or on proof by subscribing witnesses, and a gift deed also needs a sworn, notarized gift certificate. |
| Statutory quitclaim form | Not found in the documents read |
| Where to record, and the fee | County clerk’s office of the county where the property is located. The statewide county clerk fee to record and index a deed of up to five pages is $33.00, plus $3.00 for each additional page and $4.00 for each additional reference relating to the same instrument. The clerk also receives a $10.00 reimbursement for permanent records storage on a recorded deed, so the clerk’s charge for a deed of up to five pages is $43.00 before any transfer tax. |
| State transfer tax | Kentucky imposes a state real estate transfer tax on the grantor of fifty cents for each $500 of value or fraction of $500, collected by the county clerk on recording. For a gift or a deed with nominal or no stated consideration, value is the estimated price the property would bring in an open-market sale. |
| Gift from a parent to a child | The tax does not apply to a deed of gift or deed with nominal consideration, or to a transfer between parent and child or grandparent and grandchild with only nominal consideration. |
| Spouse or homestead | Not found in the documents read |
| Source | Kentucky Legislative Research Commission |
Signing, witnesses and the notary in Kentucky
A Kentucky deed must name the grantor and grantee with their mailing addresses, state the full consideration, and give an in-care-of address for the property tax bill.
A Kentucky deed is admitted to record on the grantor’s acknowledgment before the clerk, on a county clerk’s or notary’s certificate of acknowledgment, or on proof by subscribing witnesses, and every deed also needs a sworn, notarized certificate signed by the grantor and grantee: for a sale, that the consideration in the deed is the full consideration paid; for a gift or a deed with nominal or no consideration, that the transfer is a gift, with the estimated fair cash value.
Witnesses: Kentucky does not require witnesses when the grantor acknowledges the deed, though a deed may alternatively be recorded on proof by two subscribing witnesses.
The text itself:
- KRS 382.130 When deeds executed in this state to be admitted to record: “On the acknowledgment, before the proper clerk, by the party”
- KRS 382.130 When deeds executed in this state to be admitted to record: “By the proof of two (2) subscribing witnesses”
- KRS 382.135 Statement of consideration or market value and mailing and in-care-of addresses required in deed: “A statement of the full consideration;”
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’s office of the county where the property is located. The statewide county clerk fee to record and index a deed of up to five pages is $33.00, plus $3.00 for each additional page and $4.00 for each additional reference relating to the same instrument. The clerk also receives a $10.00 reimbursement for permanent records storage on a recorded deed, so the clerk’s charge for a deed of up to five pages is $43.00 before any transfer tax.
The text itself:
- KRS 382.110 Recording of deeds and mortgages: “shall be recorded in the county clerk’s office of the county”
- KRS 64.012 Fees of county clerks: “Twenty-seven dollars ($27) shall be retained by the county clerk”
Transfer tax and a gift to a family member
Kentucky imposes a state real estate transfer tax on the grantor of fifty cents for each $500 of value or fraction of $500, collected by the county clerk on recording. For a gift or a deed with nominal or no stated consideration, value is the estimated price the property would bring in an open-market sale.
Between family members: The tax does not apply to a deed of gift or deed with nominal consideration, or to a transfer between parent and child or grandparent and grandchild with only nominal consideration.
The text itself:
- KRS 142.050 Real estate transfer tax: “fifty cents ($0.50) for each $500 of value or fraction”
- KRS 142.050 Real estate transfer tax: “event of a deed of gift or deed with nominal consideration”
- KRS 142.050 Real estate transfer tax: “Between parent and child or grandparent and grandchild, with only nominal consideration”
Other filings the documents mention
A deed must include the source of the grantor’s title, referring to the prior deed’s office, book and page.
A gift deed needs a sworn, notarized certificate signed by grantor and grantee stating the transfer is a gift and the estimated fair cash value.
The text itself:
- KRS 382.110 Recording of deeds and mortgages: “the deed offered for record shall refer to the former 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky has a statutory quitclaim form: not found in the documents read.
- 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 Kentucky 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 vs warranty deed for a family transfer, Kentucky probate cost, and whether Kentucky has an estate tax.
Sources
- KRS 382.130 When deeds executed in this state to be admitted to record: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=35592
- KRS 382.135 Statement of consideration or market value and mailing and in-care-of addresses required in deed: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=47942
- KRS 382.110 Recording of deeds and mortgages: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=57627
- KRS 64.012 Fees of county clerks: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=57720
- KRS 142.050 Real estate transfer tax: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=43160
- 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.