Utah property deeds

Deeds Utah recognizes

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

How a deed has to be signed in Utah

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

Utah document formatting rules

A safe layout for Utah is 8.5 × 11 inch paper with a 3-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 Utah document to. Writing into the recorder's stamp area is the most common formatting rejection there is.

• Utah recorders may require white 8.5 x 11 inch paper printed on one side in black ink, 1-inch margins on the left, right and bottom, a blank space 2.5 inches down and 4.5 inches across the upper right corner of page one, a 1-inch top margin on later pages, and text no smaller than seven lines per vertical inch (Utah Code § 17-71-402(4)).
• Deedly leaves the whole top 3 inches of page one blank, which Davis County asks for.

Utah transfer tax and recording fees

Utah has no state real estate transfer tax. Utah Code Title 59 (Revenue and Taxation) has no real estate transfer tax.

Recording fees run about $40 per document. Utah law sets the base fee to record a deed at $40 per document, whatever the page count, plus $2 for each legal description over ten (Utah Code § 17-71-407(3)(a)). Counties of the second through sixth class add $5 unless the county has a balance in its restricted account (§ 17-71-407(3)(b)), so the fee depends on the county: Salt Lake and Utah counties charge $40, and Davis, Weber, Washington and Cache counties charge $45. Confirm your county's fee before you mail a check.

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

How to hold title in Utah

• 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.

Where to record a deed in Utah

Deeds are recorded with the County Recorder in the county where the property is located. Utah has 29 counties. Every Utah county recorder accepts electronic recording (Utah Code § 17-71-402(2)), through vendors such as Simplifile, CSC, or ePN. Those vendors usually take filings only from approved submitters such as title companies, attorneys, and lenders, so if you prepared the deed yourself, plan to record in person or by mail.

Salt Lake · Utah · Davis · Weber · Washington · Cache. all Utah recording offices

Why deeds get rejected in Utah

• The legal description must be one Utah Code § 57-3-105(4) allows: a lot in a recorded plat, a metes-and-bounds or government-survey description, or another form that section lists. A street address is not enough.
• A deed must name the grantees and give a mailing address to be used for property tax notices (Utah Code § 57-3-105(3)). Deedly prints it in a MAIL TAX NOTICE TO block on page one.
• The notary's seal must be legible (Utah Code § 17-71-402(3)(f)). A smudged or unreadable seal gets a deed sent back.
• Each signer's name must be typed or printed just beneath the signature (Utah Code § 17-71-403). Deedly prints it.
• A recorder may require a blank space 2.5 inches down and 4.5 inches across the upper right corner of page one (Utah Code § 17-71-402(4)). Write nothing at the top of page one.
• A deed to a trustee must give the trustee's name and address and the trust's name and date (Utah Code § 75B-2-816(3)).
• Utah has no tenancy by the entirety: a deed that uses it is treated as a joint tenancy (Utah Code § 57-1-5(7)). Since May 1, 2024, a deed to two or more people that says nothing more is presumed to create a joint tenancy with right of survivorship (§ 57-1-5(1)(a)(i)(C)), so co-owners who want separate shares must say "as tenants in common".
• Water rights tied to the land pass with it unless the deed reserves them (Utah Code § 73-1-11). If the property has a well, irrigation rights or water shares, you may attach Utah's Water Rights Addendum, available from the Division of Water Rights; it is optional (Utah Code § 57-3-109). Shares in a water company are not part of the land and do not pass with it; transfer them through the company (§ 73-1-11(4)).
• Utah Code Title 59 (Revenue and Taxation) has no real estate transfer tax.
• Utah's statutory warranty deed form under Utah Code § 57-1-12 conveys full covenants in just a few lines.
• Utah recognizes transfer-on-death deeds under its Uniform Real Property Transfer on Death Act.