Vermont property deeds
Deed rules are state law, and Vermont'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
- Town Clerk
- Witnesses
- Notary only
- Transfer tax
- 1.25% generally
- First-page margin
- 3″ top
- Recording fee
- ~$15 first page
- E-recording
- Usually not
Deeds Vermont 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. | Yes, less common |
| 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 |
Vermont does not recognize transfer-on-death deeds. Recording one here wouldn't achieve what you want.
How a deed has to be signed in Vermont
Vermont requires the grantor's signature to be acknowledged before a notary public. No witnesses are required. Vermont eliminated the witness requirement for deeds in 2004. An acknowledgment before a notary or other authorized officer is what 27 V.S.A. § 341 requires today.
| 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 |
Vermont document formatting rules
Town clerks in Vermont expect 8.5 × 11 inch paper with a 3-inch top margin on the first page and 1-inch margins elsewhere. Type must be at least 10 point. That top margin is the recorder's stamp area. Writing into it is the most common formatting rejection there is.
Vermont transfer tax and recording fees
Vermont charges Property transfer tax at 1.25% generally; 0.5% on the first $100,000 of a principal residence, then 1.25%. Customarily paid by the grantee. A Vermont Land Use Change Tax certificate and an Act 250 disclosure may also be required.
Common exemptions: transfers between spouses, gifts with no consideration, and transfers to or from a revocable trust.
A form has to travel with the deed
Vermont requires Vermont Property Transfer Tax Return (filed electronically through myVTax) with most recorded deeds, including gifts and other exempt transfers. Recorders reject packages that are missing it.
Recording fees run about $15 for the first page plus roughly $15 per additional page. Vermont town clerks charge per page.
How to hold title in Vermont
- 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.
Where to record a deed in Vermont
Deeds are recorded with the Town Clerk in the town where the property is located. Vermont has 246 towns. Most Vermont town clerks do not offer e-recording. Expect to record in person or by mail.
Burlington · Essex · South Burlington · Colchester · Rutland · Bennington. all Vermont recording offices
Why deeds get rejected in Vermont
- Vermont records deeds with the TOWN clerk. There are 246 separate offices, one per municipality, and no county recorders at all.
- Most Vermont towns do not accept e-recording, so plan on mail or an in-person trip.
- A Vermont Property Transfer Tax Return must be filed electronically through myVTax before recording, even for exempt transfers.
- Vermont eliminated the witness requirement in 2004. A notary alone is sufficient today.
- Vermont is one of the five states generally listed as recognizing lady bird deeds, but they are uncommon here in practice.
From $39. Every Vermont 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 Town Clerk in the town 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 lady bird deed for probate avoidance.
No. Vermont 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 $15 for the first page plus roughly $15 per additional page. Vermont also charges property transfer tax at 1.25% generally; 0.5% on the first $100,000 of a principal residence, then 1.25%.
No. Vermont is not among the 32 states plus DC that authorise a transfer-on-death deed. Vermont does recognize the lady bird deed, which achieves something similar.
Keep reading
- Vermont quitclaim deedTransfers whatever interest you have in a property, with no promises about the title.
- Vermont general warranty deedTransfers ownership with the strongest title guarantees the law allows.
- Vermont special warranty deedTransfers ownership, but only guarantees the title for the period you owned it.
- Vermont lady bird deedAn enhanced life estate deed: you keep total control for life, and the property passes automatically at death.
- Vermont recording officesWhere to file in each town, 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.