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

Updated October 11, 2026. Quick answer: A deed that carries a signed notary or officer certificate of acknowledgment is entitled to be recorded with the county recorder, and a document executed and acknowledged in the prescribed manner gives notice to all persons once recorded. Utah law has the county recorder charge $40 for recording an instrument not otherwise provided for, plus $2 for each description beyond 10 in the instrument, and a county of the second through sixth class charges an additional $5 unless its restricted recording account has a balance (Utah Code 17-71-407(3)); only one recording fee is charged per instrument.

Utah quitclaim deed at a glance

ItemWhat the documents say
SigningA Utah conveyance of land may substantially follow the statutory short quitclaim form, which names the grantor and grantee, describes the land by county, and closes with the words “Witness the hand of said grantor” and a date.
WitnessesNot found in the documents read
Notary or acknowledgmentA deed that carries a signed notary or officer certificate of acknowledgment is entitled to be recorded with the county recorder, and a document executed and acknowledged in the prescribed manner gives notice to all persons once recorded.
Statutory quitclaim formUtah Code 57-1-13 sets out a short statutory form of quitclaim deed that a conveyance may substantially follow.
Where to record, and the feeCounty recorder of the county where the land is located. Utah law has the county recorder charge $40 for recording an instrument not otherwise provided for, plus $2 for each description beyond 10 in the instrument, and a county of the second through sixth class charges an additional $5 unless its restricted recording account has a balance (Utah Code 17-71-407(3)); only one recording fee is charged per instrument.
State transfer taxNot found in the documents read (UNVERIFIED.)
Gift from a parent to a childNot found in the documents read
Spouse or homesteadNot found in the documents read
SourceUtah Legislature, Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel

Signing, witnesses and the notary in Utah

A Utah conveyance of land may substantially follow the statutory short quitclaim form, which names the grantor and grantee, describes the land by county, and closes with the words “Witness the hand of said grantor” and a date.

A deed that carries a signed notary or officer certificate of acknowledgment is entitled to be recorded with the county recorder, and a document executed and acknowledged in the prescribed manner gives notice to all persons once recorded.

Statutory form: Utah Code 57-1-13 sets out a short statutory form of quitclaim deed that a conveyance may substantially follow.

The text itself:

  • Utah Code 57-1-13 Form of quitclaim deed: “A conveyance of land may also be substantially in the following form”
  • Utah Code 57-1-13 Form of quitclaim deed: “Witness the hand of said grantor this”
  • Utah Code 57-3-101 Certificate of acknowledgment, proof of execution, jurat, or other certificate required: “entitles the document and the certificate to be recorded”
  • Utah Code 57-3-102 Record imparts notice: “executed, acknowledged, and certified, in the manner prescribed by this title”

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.

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Recording: where to file and what it costs

Recording office: County recorder of the county where the land is located. Utah law has the county recorder charge $40 for recording an instrument not otherwise provided for, plus $2 for each description beyond 10 in the instrument, and a county of the second through sixth class charges an additional $5 unless its restricted recording account has a balance (Utah Code 17-71-407(3)); only one recording fee is charged per instrument.

The text itself:

  • Utah Code 17-71-407 Fees: Fees paid in advance: “other than bonds of public officers, $40”

Transfer tax and a gift to a family member

UNVERIFIED

Between family members: Not found in the documents read.

Other filings the documents mention

A deed conveying title must name the grantees, recite a mailing address for assessment and taxation, and include a legal description of the property.

The text itself:

  • Utah Code 57-3-105 Legal description of real property and names and addresses required in documents: “recites a mailing address to be used for assessment and taxation”

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 Utah 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 Utah 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 Utah 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.
  • le.utah.gov serves script-only shells, so the versioned statute files were archived with curl; the text is the official page’s own.
  • 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, Utah transfer on death deed, and Utah 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.