Nevada property deeds

Deeds Nevada recognizes

Nevada does not recognize lady bird deeds, so recording one here may not do what you want.

How a deed has to be signed in Nevada

Nevada requires the grantor's signature to be acknowledged before a notary public. No witnesses are required.

Nevada document formatting rules

A safe layout for Nevada is 8.5 × 11 inch paper with a 3.5-inch clear space at the top of the first page for the county recorder's stamp, 1-inch margins elsewhere, and no type smaller than 10 point. That is the profile Deedly formats every Nevada document to. Writing into the recorder's stamp area is the most common formatting rejection there is.

• Nevada requires 1-inch margins on the left, right and bottom of each page, a blank 3-inch by 3-inch space at the upper right corner of the first page, and a 1-inch top margin on later pages (NRS 247.110(3)).
• Print on white 20-pound paper, 8.5 × 11 inches, on one side only, with nothing stapled or attached. Text must be black and no smaller than 10-point Times New Roman, and no stamp or seal may overlap text or a signature (NRS 247.110(3)). Sign in black or blue ink: Clark County accepts no other color for signatures.

Nevada transfer tax and recording fees

Nevada charges Real property transfer tax at $1.95 per $500 of value in most counties; $2.05 in Washoe and Churchill counties; $2.55 in Clark County (no tax if the value is $100 or less). Nevada cities do not levy a separate transfer tax: the rate above is the whole tax, and the county recorder collects it when the deed is recorded. The state's share is $1.30 per $500 (NRS 375.023); the rest is the county's (NRS 375.020, 375.026). A gift, or a deed that states only a nominal price such as $10, is taxed on the property's estimated market value (the assessor's taxable value, or the price paid within the last five years if higher) unless an exemption applies (NRS 375.010). Buyer and seller can agree who pays, but both remain liable to the recorder for the tax and any penalty (NRS 375.030).

Common exemptions: transfers between spouses or registered domestic partners (NRS 375.090(5)), transfers between a parent and a child or the child's spouse (NRS 375.090(5); a grandchild does not qualify), transfers to or from a trust without consideration when a certificate of trust is presented at recording (NRS 375.090(7)), transfers without consideration from one joint tenant or tenant in common to the remaining co-owners (NRS 375.090(4)), transfers between former spouses under a divorce decree (NRS 375.090(6)), and transfers to a company the grantor owns 100 percent (NRS 375.090(9)).

Recording fees run about $43 per document. Nevada charges one flat fee per document, whatever the page count, but the amount varies by county. The statute sets a $25 base fee and a mandatory $7 fee, and a county may add up to $5 for technology and up to $6 by ordinance (NRS 247.305), so the total is between $32 and $43. Washoe and Lyon counties charge $43. Clark County's fee schedule, effective January 1, 2020, lists $42. The Declaration of Value is recorded free (NRS 375.060(3)).

See how Nevada's transfer tax and recording fee compare with other states.

How to hold title in Nevada

• 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.
• Community property. Property acquired during marriage belongs to both spouses equally.
• Community property with right of survivorship, usually the best choice for married couples here: probate avoidance plus a full step-up in basis on the whole property at the first death.

Where to record a deed in Nevada

Deeds are recorded with the County Recorder in the county where the property is located. Nevada has 16 counties. Many offices accept e-recording, but usually only from approved submitters such as title companies, attorneys, and lenders.

Clark · Washoe · Lyon · Carson City · Elko · Douglas. all Nevada recording offices

Why deeds get rejected in Nevada

• Nevada calls a transfer-on-death deed a 'deed upon death' (NRS § 111.671).
• The assessor's parcel number must be at the top left corner of page one, or the recorder cannot record the deed (NRS 111.312(1)). Deedly prints it there as "APN". Copy it in the assessor's format exactly (in Clark County, 11 digits such as 123-45-678-901).
• Every Nevada deed must name the person to whom property tax statements are to be mailed, with an address (NRS 111.312(3)). Deedly prints a "Mail tax statements to" block on page one.
• A Declaration of Value must accompany every Nevada deed that transfers title, including exempt transfers and a deed upon death. An exemption is claimed on it by its NRS 375.090 section number, and recorders audit the claim.
• Nevada is a community property state with community property with right of survivorship available, usually the best married-couple titling here.
• Nevada requires a blank 3-inch by 3-inch square at the upper right corner of page one for the recorder (NRS 247.110(3)).