Connecticut property deeds
Deed rules are state law, and Connecticut's differ from its neighbours 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
- Town Clerk
- Witnesses
- Notary only
- Transfer tax
- 0.75% up to $800
- First-page margin
- 3″ top
- Recording fee
- ~$60 first page
- E-recording
- Generally available
Deeds Connecticut 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. | No |
| 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 |
Connecticut does not recognize transfer-on-death deeds and lady bird deeds. Recording one here wouldn't achieve what you want.
How a deed has to be signed in Connecticut
Connecticut requires the grantor's signature to be acknowledged before a notary public. No witnesses are required. Connecticut removed the two-witness requirement for deeds in 2021 (P.A. 21-84). Acknowledgment before a notary or other authorized officer is what the statute now requires. Some Connecticut title examiners still prefer to see two witnesses on older-style forms.
| Requirement | Rule |
|---|---|
| Notarization | Required for every signature |
| Witnesses | None |
| Preparer statement | Customary, not required |
| Grantee address on the deed | Required |
| Prior deed reference | Optional |
| Spousal joinder | Not generally required |
Connecticut document formatting rules
Town clerks in Connecticut expect 8.5 × 11 inch paper with a 3-inch top margin on the first page and 1-inch margins elsewhere. Type must be at least 10 point. That top margin is the recorder's stamp area. Writing into it is the most common formatting rejection there is.
Connecticut transfer tax and recording fees
Connecticut charges Real estate conveyance tax at 0.75% up to $800,000, 1.25% above that, 2.25% on residential portions over $2.5M (state), plus a municipal 0.25%–0.5%. Customarily paid by the grantor.
Common exemptions: deeds between spouses, gifts where no consideration passes, and deeds correcting a prior deed.
A form has to travel with the deed
Connecticut requires Form OP-236 Real Estate Conveyance Tax Return with most recorded deeds, including gifts and other exempt transfers. Recorders reject packages that are missing it.
Recording fees run about $60 for the first page plus roughly $5 per additional page. Connecticut town clerks commonly charge $60 for the first page.
How to hold title in Connecticut
- Sole ownership. One person owns everything.
- Tenancy in common. Separate, divisible shares with no survivorship. A deceased owner's share goes to their heirs.
- Joint tenancy with right of survivorship. Equal shares; the survivor takes the whole property automatically.
Where to record a deed in Connecticut
Deeds are recorded with the Town Clerk in the town where the property is located. Connecticut has 169 towns. Most offices accept e-recording through a submitting service, which is usually same-day.
Bridgeport · Stamford · New Haven · Hartford · Waterbury · Norwalk · Danbury · West Hartford · Greenwich. all Connecticut recording offices
Why deeds get rejected in Connecticut
- Connecticut records deeds with the TOWN clerk, not a county office. There are 169 separate land records offices and no county recorders at all.
- Form OP-236 (Real Estate Conveyance Tax Return) must be filed with the deed even when the transfer is exempt.
- Connecticut abolished tenancy by the entirety. Married couples use joint tenancy with survivorship.
- Connecticut does not recognize transfer-on-death deeds. Probate avoidance here means a living trust or survivorship titling.
From $39. Every Connecticut 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 Town Clerk in the town 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 living trust for probate avoidance.
No. Connecticut 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.
About $60 for the first page plus roughly $5 per additional page. Connecticut also charges real estate conveyance tax at 0.75% up to $800,000, 1.25% above that, 2.25% on residential portions over $2.5M (state), plus a municipal 0.25%–0.5%.
No. Connecticut is not among the 32 states plus DC that authorise a transfer-on-death deed. The usual alternatives here are a revocable living trust or survivorship titling.
Keep reading
- Connecticut quitclaim deedTransfers whatever interest you have in a property, with no promises about the title.
- Connecticut general warranty deedTransfers ownership with the strongest title guarantees the law allows.
- Connecticut special warranty deedTransfers ownership, but only guarantees the title for the period you owned it.
- Connecticut life estate deedYou keep the right to live in the property for life; named remaindermen own it after you.
- Connecticut recording officesWhere to file in each town, with fees and contact details.
- Compare all 51 jurisdictionsWitness rules, transfer taxes, and recording fees side by side.
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.