Skip to content
Independent money guidance
Clear Money Guide
Start here
Menu

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

Updated October 11, 2026. Quick answer: A deed must be acknowledged before a notary public, and an unacknowledged and unrecorded deed does not hold the land against anyone but the grantor and heirs. The statutory town clerk fee for recording a document is $15.00 per page, plus $15.00 to record the property transfer return.

Vermont quitclaim deed at a glance

ItemWhat the documents say
SigningA Vermont deed must be signed by the party granting the land and acknowledged by the grantor before a notary public, then recorded in the town clerk’s office.
WitnessesNot found in the documents read
Notary or acknowledgmentA deed must be acknowledged before a notary public, and an unacknowledged and unrecorded deed does not hold the land against anyone but the grantor and heirs.
Statutory quitclaim formNot found in the documents read
Where to record, and the feeTown clerk of the town where the land lies. The statutory town clerk fee for recording a document is $15.00 per page, plus $15.00 to record the property transfer return.
State transfer taxVermont imposes a property transfer tax of 1.25 percent of value (minimum $1.00). When the property is the transferee’s principal residence the rate is 0.5 percent on the first $200,000.00 and 1.25 percent on the value above that. The transferee is liable unless the parties agree otherwise. The same section sets 3.4 percent for a year-round residence that will not be the principal residence of the transferee and needs no landlord certificate (32 V.S.A. 9602(1) and (4)). A separate Clean Water Surcharge of 0.22 percent of value applies under 32 V.S.A. 9602a, except that there is no surcharge on the first $200,000.00 in value of property to be used for the principal residence of the transferee.
Gift from a parent to a childTransfers between spouses, parent and child or child’s spouse, and grandparent and grandchild or grandchild’s spouse, without actual consideration, are exempt from the tax.
Spouse or homesteadNot found in the documents read
SourceVermont General Assembly (Vermont Statutes Online)

Signing, witnesses and the notary in Vermont

A Vermont deed must be signed by the party granting the land and acknowledged by the grantor before a notary public, then recorded in the town clerk’s office.

A deed must be acknowledged before a notary public, and an unacknowledged and unrecorded deed does not hold the land against anyone but the grantor and heirs.

The text itself:

  • 27 V.S.A. 341 Requirements generally; recording: “signed by the party granting the same and acknowledged by”
  • 27 V.S.A. 341 Requirements generally; recording: “acknowledged by the grantor before a notary public”
  • 27 V.S.A. 342 Acknowledgment and recording required: “unless the deed or other conveyance is acknowledged and recorded”

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.

How our partner relationships work

Recording: where to file and what it costs

Recording office: Town clerk of the town where the land lies. The statutory town clerk fee for recording a document is $15.00 per page, plus $15.00 to record the property transfer return.

The text itself:

  • 27 V.S.A. 341 Requirements generally; recording: “recorded at length in the clerk’s office of the town”
  • 32 V.S.A. 1671 Town clerk: “a fee of $15.00 per page shall be charged”

Transfer tax and a gift to a family member

Vermont imposes a property transfer tax of 1.25 percent of value (minimum $1.00). When the property is the transferee’s principal residence the rate is 0.5 percent on the first $200,000.00 and 1.25 percent on the value above that. The transferee is liable unless the parties agree otherwise. The same section sets 3.4 percent for a year-round residence that will not be the principal residence of the transferee and needs no landlord certificate (32 V.S.A. 9602(1) and (4)). A separate Clean Water Surcharge of 0.22 percent of value applies under 32 V.S.A. 9602a, except that there is no surcharge on the first $200,000.00 in value of property to be used for the principal residence of the transferee.

Between family members: Transfers between spouses, parent and child or child’s spouse, and grandparent and grandchild or grandchild’s spouse, without actual consideration, are exempt from the tax.

The text itself:

  • 32 V.S.A. 9602 Tax on transfer of title to property: “equals 1.25 percent of the value of the property transferred”
  • 32 V.S.A. 9602 Tax on transfer of title to property: “0.5 percent of the first $200,000.00”
  • 32 V.S.A. 9604 Liability for tax: “is the liability of the transferee of the title”
  • 32 V.S.A. 9603 Exemptions: “Transfers between two spouses, or parent and child or child’s spouse”

Other filings the documents mention

A property transfer return must be delivered to the town clerk when the deed is delivered for recording, and it states the basis for any claimed exemption.

The town clerk may not record a deed without an attached transfer tax return and a Land Use Review Board and Tax Commissioner certificate on 10 V.S.A. chapter 151 compliance.

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).

See CMG’s quitclaim vs warranty deed for a family transfer page for the choice of deed.

What the documents do not say

  • Whether Vermont requires witnesses on a deed: not found in the documents read, and that is not a statement that none are needed.
  • Whether Vermont 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 in Vermont were not read unless named above.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming the Vermont transfer-tax exemption for family gifts also removes the federal basis consequence shown in the example.
  • Assuming the Vermont rules above govern land in another state, or that signing the deed ends the paperwork before it is recorded with the town clerk.

Related: quitclaim vs warranty deed for a family transfer, Vermont transfer on death deed, and Vermont probate cost.

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.