Oregon property deeds
Deed rules are state law, and Oregon'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 (Recording Division)
- Witnesses
- Notary only
- Transfer tax
- None
- First-page margin
- 3.5″ top
- Recording fee
- ~$93 first page
- E-recording
- Generally available
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. Recording one here wouldn't achieve 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 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 |
Oregon document formatting rules
County clerks in Oregon expect 8.5 × 11 inch paper with a 3.5-inch top margin on the first page and 1-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.
- Oregon requires a 3.5-inch top margin on the first page for the recorder's label, and 1-inch margins elsewhere (ORS § 205.234).
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 $93 for the first page plus roughly $5 per additional page. Oregon adds substantial statutory surcharges; totals near $93 for a first page are typical.
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.
- 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 Oregon creates a tenancy by the entirety (ORS § 93.180).
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. Most offices accept e-recording through a submitting service, which is usually same-day.
Multnomah · Washington · Clackamas · Lane · Marion · Jackson · Deschutes · Linn. all Oregon recording offices
Why deeds get rejected in Oregon
- Oregon requires a 3.5-inch top margin on page one. The deepest in the country. Deeds that violate it are recorded but incur a non-standard document fee.
- 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 only Washington County's grandfathered $1 per $1,000 tax survives.
- 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 $39. 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 $93 for the first page plus 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
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.