Maine property deeds
Deed rules are state law, and Maine'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
- Register of Deeds
- Witnesses
- Notary only
- Transfer tax
- $2.20 per $500 of value
- First-page margin
- 3″ top
- Recording fee
- ~$22 first page
- E-recording
- Generally available
Deeds Maine 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 |
Maine does not recognize lady bird deeds. Recording one here wouldn't achieve what you want.
How a deed has to be signed in Maine
Maine 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 | Customary, not required |
| Grantee address on the deed | Required |
| Prior deed reference | Optional |
| Spousal joinder | Not generally required |
Maine document formatting rules
Registers of deeds in Maine 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.
Maine transfer tax and recording fees
Maine charges Real estate transfer tax at $2.20 per $500 of value, split equally between grantor and grantee ($1.10 each). Customarily paid by the negotiated.
Common exemptions: deeds between spouses, parent and child, or grandparent and grandchild, gifts with no consideration, and deeds correcting a prior deed.
A form has to travel with the deed
Maine requires Real Estate Transfer Tax Declaration (RETTD), filed electronically with most recorded deeds, including gifts and other exempt transfers. Recorders reject packages that are missing it.
Recording fees run about $22 for the first page. Typical figure. Counties set their own fees. Confirm with your recorder before mailing.
How to hold title in Maine
- 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 Maine
Deeds are recorded with the Register of Deeds in the county where the property is located. Maine has 16 counties. Most offices accept e-recording through a submitting service, which is usually same-day.
Cumberland · York · Penobscot · Kennebec · Androscoggin · Oxford. all Maine recording offices
Why deeds get rejected in Maine
- Maine's transfer tax is split evenly between buyer and seller, $1.10 per $500 each, which is unusual.
- The Real Estate Transfer Tax Declaration is filed electronically and the receipt goes to the register with the deed.
- Maine recognizes transfer-on-death deeds under its Probate Code (18-C M.R.S. § 6-401).
- Family transfers between spouses, parents and children, and grandparents and grandchildren are exempt from Maine's transfer tax.
From $39. Every Maine 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 Register of Deeds 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. Maine 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 $22 for the first page. Maine also charges real estate transfer tax at $2.20 per $500 of value, split equally between grantor and grantee ($1.10 each).
Yes. The statute is 18-C M.R.S. § 6-401 et seq. It must be recorded before the owner's death to be effective.
Keep reading
- Maine quitclaim deedTransfers whatever interest you have in a property, with no promises about the title.
- Maine general warranty deedTransfers ownership with the strongest title guarantees the law allows.
- Maine special warranty deedTransfers ownership, but only guarantees the title for the period you owned it.
- Maine transfer-on-death deedNames who inherits your property, skips probate, and changes nothing while you're alive.
- Maine 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.