Updated October 11, 2026. Quick answer: Acknowledgment is not needed for a deed to be valid between the parties, but a deed is not valid against third persons unless acknowledged and recorded, and it may be taken before a notary public or county clerk. County clerks charge a uniform statewide flat fee of $8.00 to record the first page of a deed and $2.00 for each additional page, plus $10.00 for each instrument recorded (Okla. Stat. tit. 28, 32(A) and (C)), so $18.00 for a one-page deed. An instrument that is nonconforming under Section 298(C) of Title 19 is charged $25.00 for the first page and $10.00 for each additional page.
Oklahoma quitclaim deed at a glance
| Item | What the documents say |
|---|---|
| Signing | An Oklahoma deed is valid only if it is in writing and subscribed by the grantors, and a quitclaim deed may follow the warranty-deed form with the word quitclaim inserted. |
| Witnesses | Oklahoma does not require a subscribing witness for a deed to be valid. |
| Notary or acknowledgment | Acknowledgment is not needed for a deed to be valid between the parties, but a deed is not valid against third persons unless acknowledged and recorded, and it may be taken before a notary public or county clerk. |
| Statutory quitclaim form | Oklahoma provides a statutory quitclaim deed form that is substantially the warranty deed form with the word quitclaim inserted. |
| Where to record, and the fee | County clerk. County clerks charge a uniform statewide flat fee of $8.00 to record the first page of a deed and $2.00 for each additional page, plus $10.00 for each instrument recorded (Okla. Stat. tit. 28, 32(A) and (C)), so $18.00 for a one-page deed. An instrument that is nonconforming under Section 298(C) of Title 19 is charged $25.00 for the first page and $10.00 for each additional page. |
| State transfer tax | Oklahoma imposes a documentary stamp tax of seventy-five cents per $500 of consideration on deeds of realty sold for more than $100. |
| Gift from a parent to a child | The tax does not apply to deeds between husband and wife, or parent and child, or any persons related within the second degree of consanguinity, without actual consideration (68 O.S. 3202). |
| Spouse or homestead | A deed affecting the exempt homestead is not valid unless in writing and subscribed by both husband and wife, if both are living and not divorced or legally separated. |
| Source | Oklahoma Legislature / Oklahoma Legislative Service Bureau; Oklahoma State Courts Network (OSCN) |
Signing, witnesses and the notary in Oklahoma
An Oklahoma deed is valid only if it is in writing and subscribed by the grantors, and a quitclaim deed may follow the warranty-deed form with the word quitclaim inserted.
Acknowledgment is not needed for a deed to be valid between the parties, but a deed is not valid against third persons unless acknowledged and recorded, and it may be taken before a notary public or county clerk.
Witnesses: Oklahoma does not require a subscribing witness for a deed to be valid.
Statutory form: Oklahoma provides a statutory quitclaim deed form that is substantially the warranty deed form with the word quitclaim inserted.
The text itself:
- Oklahoma Statutes Title 16. Conveyances: “unless in writing and subscribed by the grantors”
- Oklahoma Statutes Title 16. Conveyances: “No subscribing witness shall be necessary to the validity of any”
- Oklahoma Statutes Title 16. Conveyances: “unless acknowledged and recorded as herein provided”
- Oklahoma Statutes Title 16. Conveyances: “it may be taken before any notary public, county clerk”
- Oklahoma Statutes Title 16. Conveyances: “A quitclaim deed to real estate may be substantially the same as”
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. County clerks charge a uniform statewide flat fee of $8.00 to record the first page of a deed and $2.00 for each additional page, plus $10.00 for each instrument recorded (Okla. Stat. tit. 28, 32(A) and (C)), so $18.00 for a one-page deed. An instrument that is nonconforming under Section 298(C) of Title 19 is charged $25.00 for the first page and $10.00 for each additional page.
The text itself:
- Oklahoma Statutes Title 28. Fees (28 O.S. 32 County clerk: Fees): “flat fees to be uniform throughout the state regardless”
Transfer tax and a gift to a family member
Oklahoma imposes a documentary stamp tax of seventy-five cents per $500 of consideration on deeds of realty sold for more than $100.
Between family members: The tax does not apply to deeds between husband and wife, or parent and child, or any persons related within the second degree of consanguinity, without actual consideration (68 O.S. 3202).
The text itself:
- 68 O.S. 3201 Imposition of Tax: Definitions: “seventy-five cents ($0.75) for each Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00)”
- 68 O.S. 3202 Exemptions: “Deeds between husband and wife, or parent and child”
Spouse and homestead
A deed affecting the exempt homestead is not valid unless in writing and subscribed by both husband and wife, if both are living and not divorced or legally separated.
The text itself:
- Oklahoma Statutes Title 16. Conveyances: “unless in writing and subscribed by both husband and wife”
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 Oklahoma 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
- County or city transfer taxes and local recording surcharges were not read unless named above.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the Oklahoma 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, Oklahoma transfer on death deed, Oklahoma probate cost, and whether Oklahoma has an estate tax.
Sources
- Oklahoma Statutes Title 16. Conveyances: https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os16.pdf
- Oklahoma Statutes Title 28. Fees (28 O.S. 32 County clerk: Fees): https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os28.pdf
- 68 O.S. 3201 Imposition of Tax: Definitions: https://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=93207
- 68 O.S. 3202 Exemptions: https://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=93208
- 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.