Missouri property deeds
Deed rules are state law, and Missouri'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
- Recorder of Deeds
- Witnesses
- Notary only
- Transfer tax
- None
- First-page margin
- 3″ top
- Recording fee
- ~$24 first page
- E-recording
- Generally available
Deeds Missouri 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 |
| Beneficiary 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 |
Missouri does not recognize lady bird deeds. Recording one here wouldn't achieve what you want.
How a deed has to be signed in Missouri
Missouri 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 |
Missouri document formatting rules
Recorders of deeds in Missouri expect 8.5 × 11 inch paper with a 3-inch top margin on the first page and 0.75-inch margins elsewhere. Type must be at least 8 point. That top margin is the recorder's stamp area. Writing into it is the most common formatting rejection there is.
- Missouri requires a 3-inch top margin on the first page and 0.75-inch margins elsewhere (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 59.310).
Missouri transfer tax and recording fees
Missouri has no state real estate transfer tax. Missouri imposes no real estate transfer tax, and the state constitution bars local governments from creating one.
Recording fees run about $24 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 Missouri
- 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 Missouri is presumed to create a tenancy by the entirety.
Where to record a deed in Missouri
Deeds are recorded with the Recorder of Deeds in the county where the property is located. Missouri has 115 counties. Most offices accept e-recording through a submitting service, which is usually same-day.
St. Louis County · Jackson · St. Charles · Greene · St. Louis City · Clay · Jefferson · Boone. all Missouri recording offices
Why deeds get rejected in Missouri
- Missouri invented the beneficiary deed. It authorized the instrument in 1989, before any other state, and Missouri practitioners still use the term 'beneficiary deed' rather than 'transfer on death deed'.
- Missouri has no real estate transfer tax, and the Missouri Constitution prohibits local governments from imposing one.
- St. Louis City is independent of St. Louis County and has its own Recorder of Deeds. Filing in the wrong one is a common and expensive mistake.
- A conveyance to a married couple creates a tenancy by the entirety by default, which is strong creditor protection.
From $39. Every Missouri 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 Recorder 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. Missouri 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 $24 for the first page plus roughly $3 per additional page. Missouri has no state transfer tax.
Yes. The statute is Mo. Rev. Stat. § 461.025. Missouri calls it a beneficiary deed. It must be recorded before the owner's death to be effective.
Keep reading
- Missouri quitclaim deedTransfers whatever interest you have in a property, with no promises about the title.
- Missouri general warranty deedTransfers ownership with the strongest title guarantees the law allows.
- Missouri special warranty deedTransfers ownership, but only guarantees the title for the period you owned it.
- Missouri beneficiary deedNames who inherits your property, skips probate, and changes nothing while you're alive.
- Missouri 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.