Indiana property deeds
Deed rules are state law, and Indiana'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
- County Recorder
- Witnesses
- Notary only
- Transfer tax
- None
- First-page margin
- 3″ top
- Recording fee
- ~$25 first page
- E-recording
- Generally available
Deeds Indiana 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 |
Indiana does not recognize lady bird deeds. Recording one here wouldn't achieve what you want.
How a deed has to be signed in Indiana
Indiana requires the grantor's signature to be acknowledged before a notary public. No witnesses are required.
| Requirement | Rule |
|---|---|
| Notarization | Required for every signature |
| Witnesses | None |
| Preparer statement | Required |
| Grantee address on the deed | Required |
| Prior deed reference | Optional |
| Spousal joinder | Not generally required |
Indiana document formatting rules
County recorders in Indiana 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.
Indiana transfer tax and recording fees
Indiana has no state real estate transfer tax. Indiana has no transfer tax, but a Sales Disclosure Form must be filed with the county auditor before the recorder will accept most deeds.
A form has to travel with the deed
Indiana requires Sales Disclosure Form (Form 46021) for most conveyances with most recorded deeds, including gifts and other exempt transfers. Recorders reject packages that are missing it.
Recording fees run about $25 for the first page. Typical figure. Counties set their own fees. Confirm with your recorder before mailing.
How to hold title in Indiana
- 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.
- Tenancy by the entirety. Married couples only, with automatic survivorship and, in most states that allow it, protection from one spouse's creditors.
What the law presumes for married couples
A conveyance to a married couple in Indiana is presumed to create a tenancy by the entirety (Ind. Code § 32-17-3-1).
Where to record a deed in Indiana
Deeds are recorded with the County Recorder in the county where the property is located. Indiana has 92 counties. Most offices accept e-recording through a submitting service, which is usually same-day.
Marion · Lake · Allen · Hamilton · St. Joseph · Elkhart · Tippecanoe · Vanderburgh · Hendricks · Porter. all Indiana recording offices
Why deeds get rejected in Indiana
- Indiana deeds must state who prepared the document and include an affirmation that the preparer took reasonable care to redact Social Security numbers (Ind. Code § 36-2-11-15).
- A Sales Disclosure Form must be stamped by the county auditor before the recorder will take the deed. This is a two-office trip in most counties.
- Indiana has no real estate transfer tax.
- A deed to a married couple is presumed to create a tenancy by the entirety unless it says otherwise.
From $39. Every Indiana 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 County Recorder in the county 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. Indiana 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 $25 for the first page. Indiana has no state transfer tax.
Yes. The statute is Ind. Code § 32-17-14. It must be recorded before the owner's death to be effective.
Keep reading
- Indiana quitclaim deedTransfers whatever interest you have in a property, with no promises about the title.
- Indiana general warranty deedTransfers ownership with the strongest title guarantees the law allows.
- Indiana special warranty deedTransfers ownership, but only guarantees the title for the period you owned it.
- Indiana transfer-on-death deedNames who inherits your property, skips probate, and changes nothing while you're alive.
- Indiana recording officesWhere to file in each county, 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.