Oregon property deeds
Deed rules are state law, and Oregon's differ from its neighbors 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 (Recording Division)
- Witnesses
- Notary only
- Transfer tax
- None
- First-page margin
- 3.5″ top
- Recording fee
- ~$86 first page
- E-recording
- Approved submitters
Deeds Oregon 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 |
Oregon does not recognize lady bird deeds, so recording one here may not do what you want.
How a deed has to be signed in Oregon
Oregon requires the grantor's signature to be acknowledged before a notary public. No witnesses are required.
| Requirement | Rule |
|---|---|
| Notarization | Required. Each signer must appear before the notary and acknowledge the signature. |
| Witnesses | None |
| Preparer statement | Customary, not required |
| Grantee address on the deed | Not required. Oregon requires instead the tax-statement mailing address (ORS 93.260) and the return-to name and address (ORS 205.234(1)(c)), both on page one. Deedly prints those, and the grantee's mailing address too. |
| Prior deed reference | Optional |
| Spousal joinder | Not generally required |
Oregon document formatting rules
A safe layout for Oregon is 8.5 × 11 inch paper with a 3.5-inch clear space at the top of the first page for the county clerk's stamp, 1-inch margins elsewhere, and no type smaller than 10 point. That is the profile Deedly formats every Oregon document to.
- Oregon requires type of at least 10 points on paper no larger than 8.5 × 14 inches (ORS § 205.232). ORS chapter 205 sets no margin rule; the 3.5-inch first-page space is the working room recorders' labels need, applied by Deedly.
- The first page must carry the true and actual consideration and the tax-statement address (ORS 205.234(1)(d), (e); ORS 93.030, 93.260). A deed with no consideration statement cannot be recorded (ORS 93.030(5)). If either item is in the deed but not on page one, a cover sheet carrying it can be attached (ORS 205.234(2)); otherwise the clerk records the deed but charges a $20 penalty (ORS 205.327). Deedly prints both on page one. A transfer-on-death deed needs no consideration statement (ORS 93.030(6)), but Deedly prints the tax-statement address on it too, as Oregon's statutory form does (ORS 93.975).
Oregon transfer tax and recording fees
Oregon has no state real estate transfer tax. Oregon has no statewide transfer tax and bars new local ones. Washington County is grandfathered at $1.00 per $1,000.
Recording fees run about $86 for the first page and roughly $5 per additional page. A one-page deed costs $86 in Multnomah, Washington and Marion counties, $102 in Lane and Deschutes, and $113 in Clackamas (2026 schedules). The fee is $5 a page (ORS 205.320), plus $71 in state fees on each document (ORS 205.323), plus the county's public land corner preservation fee, and some counties add local fees. Lane and Deschutes raised theirs on July 1, 2026. Confirm with your county before you mail a check.
See how Oregon's transfer tax and recording fee compare with other states.
How to hold title in Oregon
- Sole ownership. One person owns everything.
- Tenancy in common. Separate, divisible shares with no survivorship. A deceased owner's share goes to their heirs.
- With right of survivorship. Oregon abolished joint tenancy (ORS 93.180(3)). Co-owners who want the survivor to take the whole property must say so expressly: the deed then creates a tenancy in common for life with cross-contingent remainders (ORS 93.180(2)), which is not the same estate as a joint tenancy. Ask an attorney before relying on being able to end it later.
- Tenancy by the entirety. Married couples, and Oregon registered domestic partners (ORS 106.340), with automatic survivorship that neither can destroy. It is not a creditor shield, though: a creditor of one spouse can take that spouse's interest, including the right to the whole property if that spouse outlives the other, and a federal tax lien can force a sale of the whole property (In re Pletz, 221 F.3d 1114 (9th Cir. 2000)).
What the law presumes for married couples
A conveyance to a married couple in Oregon creates a tenancy by the entirety unless the deed clearly and expressly says otherwise (ORS 93.180(1)(b)). Oregon registered domestic partners have the same right (ORS 106.340).
Where to record a deed in Oregon
Deeds are recorded with the County Clerk (Recording Division) in the county where the property is located. Oregon has 36 counties. Many offices accept e-recording, but usually only from approved submitters such as title companies, attorneys, and lenders.
Multnomah · Washington · Clackamas · Lane · Marion · Jackson · Deschutes · Linn. all Oregon recording offices
Why deeds get rejected in Oregon
- Oregon sets no statutory margin. Each county asks for a blank area on page one for its recording label: 4 × 2 inches in Multnomah and Clackamas, 3 × 3 inches in the top right corner in Washington, and 1.5 × 4 inches in Lane. In Multnomah and Washington counties, a deed without that space costs $5 more for an added page. Deedly leaves the top 3.5 inches of page one clear, which fits each of these labels.
- Oregon deeds must include a statutory warning about land use laws (ORS § 93.040) for most transfers. Deedly includes it automatically.
- Oregon has no statewide transfer tax and bars new local ones. Washington County has its own grandfathered tax of $1 per $1,000 of the selling price.
- Oregon recognizes transfer-on-death deeds under ORS 93.948.
- A conveyance to a married couple creates a tenancy by the entirety by default.
From $29. Every Oregon 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 (Recording Division) 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. Oregon 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 $86 for the first page and roughly $5 per additional page. Oregon has no state transfer tax.
Yes. The statute is ORS § 93.948 et seq. It must be recorded before the owner's death to be effective.
Keep reading
- Oregon quitclaim deedTransfers whatever interest you have in a property, with no promises about the title.
- Oregon general warranty deedTransfers ownership with the strongest title guarantees the law allows.
- Oregon special warranty deedTransfers ownership, but only guarantees the title for the period you owned it.
- Oregon transfer-on-death deedNames who inherits your property, skips probate, and changes nothing while you're alive.
- Oregon 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
Its software and documents are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. We provide self-help software and state-specific deed 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.