Vermont property deeds
Deed rules are state law, and Vermont'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
- Town or City Clerk
- Witnesses
- Notary only
- Transfer tax
- 1.47% 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 |
| 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, so recording one here may not do 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 dropped the witness requirement for deeds on July 1, 2004. Today 27 V.S.A. § 341 requires only the grantor's signature, acknowledged before a notary public.
| 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 by Vermont law, but Deedly prints it. The property's street address should appear on the deed, and the buyer's mailing address goes on the Property Transfer Tax Return. |
| Prior deed reference | Optional |
| Spousal joinder | Required if you are married (or in a civil union) and the property is your home. Your spouse must sign and acknowledge the deed before the notary, even if your spouse is not on title (27 V.S.A. §§ 141, 349). Without that signature the deed does not pass the homestead. A deed to your own spouse needs no joinder. |
Vermont document formatting rules
A safe layout for Vermont is 8.5 × 11 inch paper with a 3-inch clear space at the top of the first page for the town or city clerk's stamp, 1-inch margins elsewhere, and no type smaller than 10 point. That is the profile Deedly formats every Vermont document to. Writing into the recorder's stamp area is the most common formatting rejection there is.
Vermont transfer tax and recording fees
Vermont charges Property transfer tax at 1.47% generally (1.25% plus a 0.22% clean water surcharge); on the new owner's principal residence, 0.5% of the first $200,000 (no surcharge) and 1.47% above that; on a home fit for year-round use that will not be the new owner's principal residence or a long-term rental, 3.62% (3.4% plus the surcharge). Customarily paid by the grantee. The tax is figured on the price paid, or on fair market value for a gift. A life estate or lady bird deed is valued as the interest transferred, using the grand list value and the IRS factor for the owner's age (32 V.S.A. § 9601(6)). If the deed divides a parcel, attach the Act 250 Disclosure Statement (32 V.S.A. § 9608). If the land is enrolled in Current Use, say so on the return; a land use change tax lien can follow the land, and a new owner who wants to stay enrolled must apply within 30 days after recording.
Common exemptions: transfers between spouses or civil union partners for no consideration (32 V.S.A. § 9603(5)), gifts for no consideration between parent and child or child's spouse, or grandparent and grandchild or grandchild's spouse (32 V.S.A. § 9603(5)), transfers into a trust to the extent it benefits you or those relatives, and transfers from that trust back to them for no consideration (32 V.S.A. § 9603(5)), deeds that confirm or correct an earlier recorded deed, for no added consideration (32 V.S.A. § 9603(4)), changes in the form of ownership with no change in who owns it beneficially (32 V.S.A. § 9603(6)), and transfers under a divorce decree dividing the couple's real estate (32 V.S.A. § 9603(19)).
A form has to travel with the deed
Vermont requires Form PTT-172, Vermont Property Transfer Tax Return (file it online in myVTax, or on the paper form if you file fewer than five returns a year) with most recorded deeds, including gifts and other exempt transfers. Recorders reject packages that are missing it.
Recording fees run $15 for the first page and $15 per additional page. Set by state law: $15 per page (32 V.S.A. § 1671), plus $15 to file the Property Transfer Tax Return.
See how Vermont's transfer tax and recording fee compare with other states.
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 and civil union partners (15 V.S.A. § 1204(e)(1)), with automatic survivorship.
What the law presumes for married couples
Vermont's rule that co-owners take as tenants in common unless the deed says otherwise does not apply to a deed to spouses (27 V.S.A. § 2(a)). Tenancy by the entirety is available to married couples and civil union partners (15 V.S.A. § 1204(e)(1)). Deedly states the form of ownership on the deed, so nothing is left to presumption.
Where to record a deed in Vermont
Deeds are recorded with the Town or City Clerk in the town where the property is located. Vermont has 247 towns. Each town or city clerk decides whether to accept electronic recording (27 V.S.A. § 624). If you prepared the deed yourself, plan to record in person or by mail.
Burlington · Essex · South Burlington · Colchester · Rutland · Bennington · Essex Junction · Rutland Town. all Vermont recording offices
Why deeds get rejected in Vermont
- Vermont records deeds with the town or city clerk of the municipality where the land lies, not with the county. There are 247 town and city clerks. Deeds for land in one of Vermont's few unorganized towns or gores go to the county clerk (27 V.S.A. § 403).
- Every Vermont deed needs a Property Transfer Tax Return (Form PTT-172), even when the transfer is exempt, and the town clerk cannot record the deed without it. File it online in myVTax or, if you file fewer than five returns a year, on the paper form delivered with the deed. The clerk charges $15 to receive it. Pay any tax to the Vermont Department of Taxes (online or with Form PTT-173), not to the town, within 30 days of the transfer.
- If you are married and the property is your home, your spouse must sign and acknowledge the deed too, even if your spouse is not on title (27 V.S.A. §§ 141, 349).
- Vermont eliminated the witness requirement in 2004. A notary alone is sufficient today.
- Vermont is one of the few states with a lady bird deed statute, the Enhanced Life Estate Deed Act (27 V.S.A. chapter 6). The deed is subject to property transfer tax when recorded, valued as a remainder interest, unless an exemption applies (27 V.S.A. § 654(d); 32 V.S.A. § 9601(6)).
From $29. 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 or City 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.
$15 for the first page and $15 per additional page. Vermont also charges property transfer tax at 1.47% generally (1.25% plus a 0.22% clean water surcharge); on the new owner's principal residence, 0.5% of the first $200,000 (no surcharge) and 1.47% above that; on a home fit for year-round use that will not be the new owner's principal residence or a long-term rental, 3.62% (3.4% plus the surcharge).
No. Vermont is not among the 34 states plus DC that authorize 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
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.