Alaska property deeds
Deed rules are state law, and Alaska's differ from its neighbors in ways that decide whether your document records or comes back. Here is the whole picture: which deeds exist here, how they have to be signed, what the recorder wants on the page, and what it costs.
- Recording office
- State Recorder's Office (District Recorder)
- Witnesses
- Notary only
- Transfer tax
- None
- First-page margin
- 3″ top
- Recording fee
- $20 first page
- E-recording
- Approved submitters
Deeds Alaska recognizes
| Deed | What it does | Available? |
|---|---|---|
| Quitclaim deed | Transfers whatever interest you have in a property, with no promises about the title. | Yes |
| General warranty deed | Transfers ownership with the strongest title guarantees the law allows. | Yes |
| Special warranty deed | Transfers ownership, but only guarantees the title for the period you owned it. | Yes |
| Transfer-on-death deed | Names who inherits your property, skips probate, and changes nothing while you're alive. | Yes |
| Lady Bird Deed | An enhanced life estate deed: you keep total control for life, and the property passes automatically at death. | No |
| Life estate deed | You keep the right to live in the property for life; named remaindermen own it after you. | Yes, less common |
| Gift deed | Transfers property to someone as an outright gift, for no payment. | Yes, less common |
Alaska does not recognize lady bird deeds, so recording one here may not do what you want.
How a deed has to be signed in Alaska
Alaska requires the grantor's signature to be acknowledged before a notary public. No witnesses are required.
| Requirement | Rule |
|---|---|
| Notarization | Required. Each signer must appear before the notary and acknowledge the signature. |
| Witnesses | None |
| Preparer statement | Customary, not required |
| Grantee address on the deed | Required |
| Prior deed reference | Optional |
| Spousal joinder | When a married person conveys the family home or homestead, the spouse must also sign the deed, even if the spouse is not on the title (Alaska Stat. § 34.15.010(b)). Signing gives the spouse no ownership interest (§ 34.15.010(c)). A spouse who did not sign has one year after recording to sue to set the deed aside or to record a notice of interest (§ 34.15.010(d)). |
Alaska document formatting rules
A safe layout for Alaska is 8.5 × 11 inch paper with a 3-inch clear space at the top of the first page for the state recorder's office's stamp, 1-inch margins elsewhere, and no type smaller than 10 point. That is the profile Deedly formats every Alaska document to.
- Alaska requires at least 2 inches of blank space across the top of page one, 1-inch margins everywhere else, and type no smaller than 10 point (11 AAC 06.040(a)(3)). Deedly leaves 3 inches. A document that misses the margins is recorded as a nonstandard document, for $50 more (11 AAC 05.200).
Alaska transfer tax and recording fees
Alaska has no state real estate transfer tax. The Department of Revenue lists no tax on transfers of real property, and state law bars a state sales or use tax on them (Alaska Stat. § 43.98.035). State law also bars a municipality from levying one (Alaska Stat. §§ 29.45.650(l), 29.45.700(h)), but that ban does not reach a tax adopted before the law took effect.
Recording fees run $20 for the first page and $5 per additional page. These fees are set statewide by 11 AAC 05.200. Add $2 for each name over six that has to be indexed. Make checks payable to the Department of Natural Resources.
See how Alaska's transfer tax and recording fee compare with other states.
How to hold title in Alaska
- Sole ownership. One person owns everything.
- Tenancy in common. Separate, divisible shares with no survivorship. A deceased owner's share goes to their heirs.
- Tenancy by the entirety. Married couples only, with automatic survivorship. In Alaska it does not protect the property from one spouse's creditors (Alaska Stat. § 09.38.100(a)).
Alaska abolished joint tenancy in real estate (Alaska Stat. § 34.15.130). Co-owners who are not married to each other hold as tenants in common, even if the deed says joint tenants. A co-owner who wants their share to pass to the other at death can sign a transfer-on-death deed (Alaska Stat. § 13.48.010).
What the law presumes for married couples
When two or more people who are not married to each other take title in Alaska, they hold as tenants in common (Alaska Stat. §§ 34.15.110(a), 34.15.130). A married couple who take title together hold as tenants by the entirety unless the deed says otherwise (§ 34.15.110(b)). Alaska spouses can make property community property only by a signed community property agreement or community property trust (Alaska Stat. §§ 34.77.030, 34.77.060). If you have one, talk to an attorney before signing a deed: spouses must act together to convey community property held in both names (§ 34.77.040(b)).
Where to record a deed in Alaska
Deeds are recorded with the State Recorder's Office (District Recorder) in the recording district where the property is located. Alaska has 34 recording districts. Alaska's Recorder's Office accepts e-recording statewide through Simplifile, CSC and ePN, usually only from title companies, attorneys, lenders and other approved submitters. A title company may e-record your deed for a fee. Otherwise, record in person or by mail.
Anchorage Recording District · Palmer Recording District · Fairbanks Recording District · Kenai Recording District · Juneau Recording District · Ketchikan Recording District. all Alaska recording offices
Why deeds get rejected in Alaska
- Alaska has no counties. Deeds are recorded by the State Recorder's Office in one of 34 recording districts, which do not follow borough lines. The deed must name the district where the property sits.
- The State Recorder's Office has two offices, in Anchorage and Fairbanks, and each records documents for its own set of districts. Both take deeds in person and by mail.
- The Recorder will not accept a deed that does not name its recording district, give a return name and address, and give the mailing address of everyone who grants or acquires an interest (Alaska Stat. § 40.17.030(a)(7)-(9)). Deedly prints all three.
- All Alaska recording districts are administered by the Department of Natural Resources, so formatting rules are uniform statewide.
- Alaska has no state real estate transfer tax, and state law bars municipalities from levying a sales or use tax on the transfer of real property (Alaska Stat. §§ 29.45.650(l), 29.45.700(h)).
From $29. Every Alaska rule above is applied automatically, and you read the finished document before you pay.
Common questions
You sign a deed, have it notarized, and record it with the State Recorder's Office (District Recorder) in the recording district where the property sits. Which deed depends on what you're doing: a quitclaim for family transfers and adding or removing a name, a warranty deed for a sale, and a transfer-on-death deed for probate avoidance.
No. Alaska does not require an attorney to prepare or record a deed. Use one when ownership is disputed, when the owner has died and the estate has not been probated, when the estate is large enough to owe tax, or when Medicaid planning is involved.
$20 for the first page and $5 per additional page. Alaska has no state transfer tax.
Yes. The statute is Alaska Stat. § 13.48.010 et seq. It must be recorded before the owner's death to be effective.
Keep reading
- Alaska quitclaim deedTransfers whatever interest you have in a property, with no promises about the title.
- Alaska general warranty deedTransfers ownership with the strongest title guarantees the law allows.
- Alaska special warranty deedTransfers ownership, but only guarantees the title for the period you owned it.
- Alaska transfer-on-death deedNames who inherits your property, skips probate, and changes nothing while you're alive.
- Alaska recording officesWhere to file in each recording district, with fees and contact details.
- Compare all 51 jurisdictionsWitness rules, transfer taxes, and recording fees side by side.
Deedly is not a law firm
Its software and documents are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. We provide self-help software and state-specific deed 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.