Kentucky property deeds
Deed rules are state law, and Kentucky'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 Clerk
- Witnesses
- Notary only
- Transfer tax
- $0.50 per $500 of value
- First-page margin
- 3″ top
- Recording fee
- ~$50 first page
- E-recording
- Generally available
Deeds Kentucky 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 |
Kentucky 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 Kentucky
Kentucky 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 | A spouse must join to release dower or curtesy rights in Kentucky. |
Kentucky document formatting rules
County clerks in Kentucky 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.
Kentucky transfer tax and recording fees
Kentucky charges Real estate transfer tax at $0.50 per $500 of value ($1.00 per $1,000). Customarily paid by the grantor.
Common exemptions: transfers between spouses, gifts between parent and child, and transfers to or from a trust for the grantor's benefit.
Recording fees run about $50 for the first page plus roughly $3 per additional page. Typical figure. Counties set their own fees. Confirm with your recorder before mailing.
How to hold title in Kentucky
- 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.
Dower or curtesy still applies here
Kentucky retains dower and curtesy (KRS § 392.020). A spouse should join to release those rights.
Where to record a deed in Kentucky
Deeds are recorded with the County Clerk in the county where the property is located. Kentucky has 120 counties. Most offices accept e-recording through a submitting service, which is usually same-day.
Jefferson · Fayette · Kenton · Warren · Boone · Hardin · Daviess. all Kentucky recording offices
Why deeds get rejected in Kentucky
- Kentucky requires a sworn consideration certificate signed by BOTH the grantor and the grantee, notarized, on the face of the deed. A deed without it will be rejected.
- Kentucky still recognizes dower and curtesy. A married owner's spouse should sign to release those rights even if not on the title.
- The deed must state the grantee's mailing address and where property tax bills should go.
- Kentucky does not recognize transfer-on-death deeds.
From $39. Every Kentucky 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 Clerk 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 living trust for probate avoidance.
No. Kentucky 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 $50 for the first page plus roughly $3 per additional page. Kentucky also charges real estate transfer tax at $0.50 per $500 of value ($1.00 per $1,000).
No. Kentucky 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
- Kentucky quitclaim deedTransfers whatever interest you have in a property, with no promises about the title.
- Kentucky general warranty deedTransfers ownership with the strongest title guarantees the law allows.
- Kentucky special warranty deedTransfers ownership, but only guarantees the title for the period you owned it.
- Kentucky life estate deedYou keep the right to live in the property for life; named remaindermen own it after you.
- Kentucky 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.