Ohio quitclaim deed
Here is what Ohio actually requires on a quitclaim deed. The witness rules, the notary block, the margins, the forms that have to travel with it, and where to record it, plus what the deed does and does not do.
- Recording office
- County Recorder
- Witnesses
- Notary only
- Transfer tax
- $1.00 per $1
- First-page margin
- 3″ top
- Recording fee
- ~$34 first page
- E-recording
- Generally available
What a quitclaim deed does in Ohio
A quitclaim deed moves your interest in a property to someone else immediately, without guaranteeing that the title is clean. That makes it the wrong tool for a sale to a stranger and the right tool for transfers between people who already trust each other. Spouses, family members, a trust you control, or an LLC you own. It is the most-used deed in America for exactly that reason.
When Ohio homeowners use a quitclaim deed
- Add a spouse to the deed after marriage
- Remove an ex-spouse after a divorce
- Transfer property into a living trust
- Move property into an LLC you own
- Transfer between family members
- Correct a misspelled name or a scrivener's error on a prior deed
- Clear a possible cloud on title
What Ohio requires on the deed
These are the execution and formatting rules county recorders enforce. Getting any of them wrong is the usual reason a deed comes back in the mail.
| Requirement | What Ohio says |
|---|---|
| Recording office | County Recorder |
| Notarization | Required. Every signature must be made in the notary's presence. |
| Witnesses | None required. A notarial acknowledgment is enough. |
| Legal description | Required, copied exactly from the prior recorded deed. A street address is not sufficient. |
| Grantee's address | Must appear on the face of the deed. |
| Return address | A 'when recorded, return to' block is required. |
| Preparer statement | Required. The deed must name who drafted it. |
| Prior deed reference | Not required, though it keeps the chain of title clean. |
| Page setup | 8.5 × 11 in, 3-inch top margin on the first page, 1-inch elsewhere, 10pt minimum type. |
| Accompanying form | Form DTE 100 (Real Property Conveyance Fee Statement) or DTE 100(EX) for exempt transfers |
A spouse may have to sign even if they are not an owner
A spouse must sign to release dower rights in Ohio. This catches almost every DIY Ohio deed.
How to complete and record it in Ohio
- Find your current deedYou need the legal description from it, word for word. If you can't find your copy, the County Recorder can provide one, usually for a few dollars.
- Identify everyone by full legal nameNames must match the current deed and government ID exactly, middle names included. A mismatch creates a gap in the chain of title that shows up years later at closing.
- Complete the deedDeedly builds it with Ohio's statutory language, the correct notary block, and the 3-inch first-page margin county recorders expect.
- Sign in front of a notaryBring photo ID. Do not sign in advance. The signature has to be made in the notary's presence.
- Complete Form DTE 100 (Real Property Conveyance Fee Statement) or DTE 100(EX) for exempt transfersOhio requires this alongside the deed, including for exempt transfers. Your filing packet explains which boxes apply to your situation.
- Record it with the County RecorderFile in the county where the property is located and pay the recording fee. Most offices in this state also accept e-recording, which is usually same-day. Keep the stamped receipt. It fixes your priority date.
- Update insurance and tax recordsA change of ownership can affect your homeowner's policy, your homestead or senior exemption, and in some states the assessed value. Do this within a few weeks.
What it costs in Ohio
| Cost | Typical amount |
|---|---|
| Recording fee | About $34 for the first page plus about $8 per additional page |
| Transfer tax | Conveyance fee: $1.00 per $1,000 of value at the state level, plus a permissive county fee of up to $3.00 per $1,000 |
| Notary | Typically $5–$25 per signature; often free at your bank |
| Deedly | $39, one time |
| Attorney (for comparison) | $300–$1,200 for the same statutory document |
Ohio charges a conveyance fee of $1.00 per $1,000 of value at the state level, plus a permissive county fee of up to $3.00 per $1,000. It is customarily paid by the grantor. Cities and counties may add their own on top, so check the municipality rather than just the county.
Exemptions that commonly apply to a transfer like this: transfers between spouses, gifts with no consideration, transfers to or from a revocable trust, and transfer on death designation affidavits. You have to claim the exemption. The recorder won't apply it for you.
Where to record it in Ohio
Ohio deeds are recorded with the County Recorder in the county where the property sits, not where you live. There are 88 counties in Ohio.
Most Ohio recording offices accept e-recording through vendors such as Simplifile, CSC, or ePN, which is usually same-day. Check your county's website for the list it works with.
Recording offices we cover in Ohio: Franklin, Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Montgomery, Summit, Lucas, Butler, Stark, Lorain, Warren, Delaware. See all Ohio recording offices.
What a quitclaim deed does NOT do
Being honest about the limits is more useful than a sales pitch. Every one of these catches somebody out.
- It gives the new owner no warranty that the title is good. If a lien or a competing claim surfaces later, the grantee has no claim against the grantor under the deed.
- It does not remove anyone from the mortgage. The lender's loan is a separate contract; only a refinance or a release from the lender does that.
- It does not by itself avoid probate. The transfer happens now, not at death.
- Most title insurers will not insure a chain of title that rests only on a quitclaim from an unknown party.
Quirks of Ohio law that catch people out
- Ohio does not use transfer-on-death deeds anymore. Since December 2009 the correct instrument is a transfer on death designation AFFIDAVIT under R.C. 5302.22. A TOD deed signed in Ohio today does nothing.
- Ohio still has DOWER. A married owner's spouse must sign the deed to release dower rights even when the spouse's name is nowhere on the title. This is the single most common Ohio DIY deed failure.
- Ohio eliminated the old two-witness requirement in 2002; a notary alone is sufficient. Online forms still showing witness lines are outdated.
- Form DTE 100 (or DTE 100EX for exempt transfers) must be filed with the county auditor, who stamps the deed before the recorder will accept it.
- Ohio abolished tenancy by the entirety for tenancies created after April 4, 1985. Use a survivorship tenancy under R.C. 5302.17 instead.
How to hold title in Ohio
When two or more people take title in Ohio and the deed says nothing more, the law presumes a tenancy in common, which means no automatic survivorship. If you want the survivor to take the whole property, the words have to be on the deed. Forms of co-ownership available in Ohio: joint tenancy with right of survivorship and tenancy in common.
Ohio abolished tenancy by the entirety for tenancies created after April 4, 1985. Married couples use survivorship tenancy under Ohio Rev. Code § 5302.17.
Dower and curtesy still exist here
Ohio is one of the last states to retain dower. A married owner's spouse must sign to release dower rights even if not on the title (Ohio Rev. Code § 2103.02).
$39, one time. Your finished deed appears in full before you pay, with Ohio's witness rules, margins, and recording instructions already applied.
Common questions
No. Ohio has no requirement that an attorney prepare a deed. What matters is the correct statutory language, an accurate legal description, proper notarization, and recording with the County Recorder. Deedly produces all of that for $39, versus roughly $300–$1,200 for an attorney to draft the same document. If ownership is disputed, the current owner has died without probate, or the transfer is tax-sensitive, use an attorney.
Expect around $34 for the first page and about $8 per additional page. Ohio also charges conveyance fee of $1.00 per $1,000 of value at the state level, plus a permissive county fee of up to $3.00 per $1,000, though gifts and family transfers are often exempt. Typical figure. Counties set their own fees. Confirm with your recorder before mailing.
No. Ohio requires only that the grantor's signature be acknowledged before a notary public. Ohio eliminated the two-witness requirement for deeds effective February 1, 2002. A notarial acknowledgment is all the statute requires today (Ohio Rev. Code § 5301.01).
With the County Recorder in the county where the property is located, not where you live, and not where the buyer lives. Ohio has 88 counties. Most offices also accept e-recording through a submitting service.
No, and this is the single most common misunderstanding about deeds. A deed changes who owns the property. The mortgage is a separate contract with the lender, and only a refinance or a written release from the lender removes a borrower. Someone can be off the deed and still fully liable on the loan.
Often, yes. A spouse must sign to release dower rights in Ohio. This catches almost every DIY Ohio deed. That surprises people, because the spouse is not becoming an owner. They are releasing rights the law gives them automatically. Deedly adds a joinder block for the signature when it applies.
Keep reading
- Ohio general warranty deedTransfers ownership with the strongest title guarantees the law allows.
- Ohio special warranty deedTransfers ownership, but only guarantees the title for the period you owned it.
- Ohio transfer on death designation affidavitNames who inherits your property, skips probate, and changes nothing while you're alive.
- Ohio life estate deedYou keep the right to live in the property for life; named remaindermen own it after you.
- All deed rules for OhioRecording offices, transfer tax, witness rules, and fees.
- Ohio recording officesWhere to file in each county.
Deedly is not a law firm
We provide self-help software and state-specific statutory forms; you make your own decisions about your property. Using Deedly does not create an attorney-client relationship, and nothing here is legal advice. If your situation is complex or contested, talk to a licensed attorney in your state.