Tennessee property deeds
Deed rules are state law, and Tennessee'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
- Register of Deeds
- Witnesses
- Notary only
- Transfer tax
- $0.37 per $100 of the consideration or the property's value
- First-page margin
- 3″ top
- Recording fee
- $12 up to 2 pages
- E-recording
- Professional filers
Deeds Tennessee 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. | No |
| 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 |
| Quitclaim deed (gift) | Transfers property to someone as an outright gift, for no payment. | Yes, less common |
Tennessee does not recognize transfer-on-death deeds and lady bird deeds, so recording one here may not do what you want.
How a deed has to be signed in Tennessee
Tennessee 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 | Required |
| Grantee address on the deed | Required |
| Prior deed reference | Required |
| Spousal joinder | If you are married and the property is your home, have your spouse sign the deed and the acknowledgment too, even if only you are on the title. Tennessee's homestead right in a married couple's home cannot be given up without both spouses' consent (Tenn. Code Ann. § 26-2-301(b)). |
Tennessee document formatting rules
A safe layout for Tennessee is 8.5 × 11 inch paper with a 3-inch clear space at the top of the first page for the register of deeds' stamp, 1-inch margins elsewhere, and no type smaller than 10 point. That is the profile Deedly formats every Tennessee document to. Writing into the recorder's stamp area is the most common formatting rejection there is.
Tennessee transfer tax and recording fees
Tennessee charges Realty transfer tax at $0.37 per $100 of the consideration or the property's value, whichever is greater (a quitclaim deed: the consideration only). The grantee pays it (Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-4-409(a)(1)(F)). A quitclaim deed is taxed only on the consideration actually paid (§ 67-4-409(a)(1)(D)). Tennessee has no gift or family exemption. There is no transfer tax form: the grantee swears to the consideration or value in an oath on the deed, and an exempt transfer states its exemption on the deed instead (§ 67-4-409(a)(1)(C), (E)).
Common exemptions: transfers between spouses that create or end a tenancy by the entirety, transfers between divorcing spouses under a divorce decree or property settlement, and transfers into your own (or your spouse's) revocable living trust, and from that trust back to you or your spouse.
Recording fees run $12 for up to 2 pages and $5 for each page after that. Set by state law, the same in every county (Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-21-1001): $12 covers a deed of up to two pages ($10 plus a $2 data-processing fee), then $5 for each page after the second. When transfer tax is paid, the register adds $1 for the tax receipt (Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-4-409(d)(3)).
See how Tennessee's transfer tax and recording fee compare with other states.
How to hold title in Tennessee
- 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 Tennessee creates a tenancy by the entirety by default.
Where to record a deed in Tennessee
Deeds are recorded with the Register of Deeds in the county where the property is located. Tennessee has 95 counties. Since July 1, 2025, Tennessee law lets only attorneys, banks and other lenders, title insurance companies and agents, and government bodies e-record (Tenn. Code Ann. § 47-10-118(d)). If you prepared the deed yourself, record it in person or by mail.
Shelby · Davidson · Knox · Hamilton · Rutherford · Williamson · Montgomery · Sumner. all Tennessee recording offices
Why deeds get rejected in Tennessee
- Tennessee deeds must include a DERIVATION CLAUSE: a reference to the deed, will or court decree the grantor took title under (or, for an inheritance, the last recorded instrument), with book and page or instrument number. A Tennessee deed without one gets rejected (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-24-110).
- Tennessee also requires a sworn oath of the consideration or value on the face of the deed. The grantee or the grantee's agent swears it before a notary or the register. A transfer exempt from the tax states its exemption instead (Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-4-409(a)(1)(E), (F)).
- The deed must show the name and address of the new owner and of the person who receives the tax bills (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-24-114), the assessor's map and parcel number (§ 66-24-122), and the name and address of whoever prepared it (§ 66-24-115). Registers refuse deeds missing any of them.
- Tennessee does not recognize transfer-on-death deeds.
- A conveyance to a married couple creates a tenancy by the entirety by default.
From $29. Every Tennessee 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 living trust for probate avoidance.
No. Tennessee 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.
$12 for up to 2 pages and $5 for each page after that. Tennessee also charges realty transfer tax at $0.37 per $100 of the consideration or the property's value, whichever is greater (a quitclaim deed: the consideration only).
No. Tennessee is not among the 34 states plus DC that authorize a transfer-on-death deed. The usual alternatives here are a revocable living trust or survivorship titling.
Keep reading
- Tennessee quitclaim deedTransfers whatever interest you have in a property, with no promises about the title.
- Tennessee general warranty deedTransfers ownership with the strongest title guarantees the law allows.
- Tennessee special warranty deedTransfers ownership, but only guarantees the title for the period you owned it.
- Tennessee life estate deedYou keep the right to live in the property for life; named remaindermen own it after you.
- Tennessee 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.