Alaska general warranty deed
Here is what Alaska actually requires on a general warranty deed. The witness rules, the notary block, the margins, the forms that have to travel with it, and where to record it, plus what the deed does and does not do.
- Recording office
- State Recorder's Office (District Recorder)
- Witnesses
- Notary only
- Transfer tax
- None
- First-page margin
- 3″ top
- Recording fee
- $20 first page
- E-recording
- Approved submitters
What a general warranty deed does in Alaska
A general warranty deed transfers ownership and adds the full set of title covenants: the grantor promises they own the property, have the right to sell it, that it is free of undisclosed encumbrances, and that they will defend the title against any claim, including claims that arose long before they owned it. It is the standard instrument for an arm's-length sale between private parties.
The Alaska law behind this deed
Start with Alaska Stat. § 34.15.030 if you want to read the statute's own language. The table below lists the main statutes behind the rules on this page.
| What it governs | Citation |
|---|---|
| General warranty deeds specifically | Alaska Stat. § 34.15.030 |
| Conveyances generally | Alaska Stat. § 34.15.010 |
| Recording with the State Recorder's Office (District Recorder) | Alaska Stat. § 40.17.030 |
| Homestead and spousal consent | Alaska Stat. § 34.15.010(b) |
When Alaska property owners use a general warranty deed
- Sell a property directly to a buyer without an agent
- Transfer a property where the buyer expects full title protection
- Satisfy a purchase contract that calls for a warranty deed
- Convey property where a title company requires warranty covenants
What Alaska requires on the deed
These are the execution and formatting rules for Alaska deeds. The Recorder will not accept a deed that does not name its recording district, give a return name and address, and give the mailing address of everyone who grants or acquires an interest (Alaska Stat. § 40.17.030(a)). A deed that misses the margin rules is still recorded, as a nonstandard document, for $50 more (11 AAC 06.040(a)(3); 11 AAC 05.200).
| Requirement | What Alaska says |
|---|---|
| Recording office | State Recorder's Office (District Recorder) |
| Recording district | Required. Every Alaska document must name the recording district where it is to be recorded, such as Anchorage Recording District (Alaska Stat. § 40.17.030(a)(9)). Deedly prints it under the title on page one. |
| Notarization | Required. Each signer must appear before the notary and acknowledge the signature. Signing in front of the notary is the safest practice. |
| Witnesses | None required. A notarial acknowledgment is enough. |
| Legal description | Required, copied exactly from the prior recorded deed. A street address is not sufficient. |
| Grantee's address | Required. An Alaska deed must give the mailing address of everyone who grants or acquires an interest (Alaska Stat. § 40.17.030(a)(8)). Deedly prints the grantors' and grantees' addresses. |
| Return address | Include a 'when recorded, return to' block so the original comes back to you. Deedly always prints one. |
| Preparer statement | Not required, but customary. |
| Prior deed reference | Not required, though it keeps the chain of title clean. |
| Page setup | Alaska requires at least 2 inches of blank space across the top of page one, 1-inch margins everywhere else, and type no smaller than 10 point (11 AAC 06.040(a)(3)). Deedly prints 8.5 × 11 in pages and leaves 3 inches at the top of page one. |
| Marital status | Required. The deed must state the marital status of the people acquiring title (Alaska Stat. § 34.15.110(b)). Deedly prints it after each new owner's name, or a blank to fill in before signing. |
In Alaska your spouse must sign a deed of your family home
When a married person conveys the family home or homestead, the spouse must also sign the deed, even if the spouse is not on the title (Alaska Stat. § 34.15.010(b)). Signing gives the spouse no ownership interest (§ 34.15.010(c)). A spouse who did not sign has one year after recording to sue to set the deed aside or to record a notice of interest (§ 34.15.010(d)).
How to complete and record it in Alaska
- Find your current deedYou need the legal description from it, word for word. If you can't find your copy, the State Recorder's Office (District Recorder) can provide one, usually for a few dollars.
- Identify everyone by full legal nameNames must match the current deed and government ID exactly, middle names included. A mismatch creates a gap in the chain of title that shows up years later at closing.
- Complete the deedDeedly builds it with the wording, notary certificate, and 3-inch first-page margin used for Alaska deeds.
- Sign in front of a notaryBring photo ID. Wait to sign until you are in front of the notary: you have to appear before the notary anyway, and signing there leaves no question about who signed.
- Record it with the State Recorder's Office (District Recorder)File in the recording district where the property is located and pay the recording fee. Alaska's Recorder's Office accepts e-recording statewide through Simplifile, CSC and ePN, usually only from title companies, attorneys, lenders and other approved submitters. A title company may e-record your deed for a fee. Otherwise, record in person or by mail. Keep the stamped receipt. It fixes your priority date.
- Update insurance and tax recordsA change of ownership can affect your homeowner's policy, your homestead or senior exemption, and in some states the assessed value. Do this within a few weeks.
What it costs in Alaska
| Cost | Typical amount |
|---|---|
| Recording fee | $20 for the first page and $5 per additional page |
| Transfer tax | None in this state |
| Notary | Alaska law sets no maximum notary fee, but a notary must give you a fee schedule before notarizing (Alaska Stat. § 44.50.062(4)). |
| Deedly | $49, one time (launch price, regular $69) |
| Attorney (for comparison) | $150–$700 for the same statutory document |
Alaska imposes no state real estate transfer tax, so the recording fee is normally your only cost beyond notarization.
Where to record it in Alaska
Alaska deeds are recorded with the State Recorder's Office (District Recorder) in the recording district where the property sits, not where you live. There are 34 recording districts in Alaska.
Alaska's Recorder's Office accepts e-recording statewide through Simplifile, CSC and ePN, usually only from title companies, attorneys, lenders and other approved submitters. A title company may e-record your deed for a fee. Otherwise, record in person or by mail.
Recording offices we cover in Alaska: Anchorage Recording District, Palmer Recording District, Fairbanks Recording District, Kenai Recording District, Juneau Recording District, Ketchikan Recording District. See all Alaska recording offices.
What a general warranty deed does NOT do
Being honest about the limits is more useful than a sales pitch. Every one of these catches somebody out.
- The covenants only bind the grantor personally. If they have no assets, a covenant claim may be worth little.
- It does not replace title insurance or a title search. It gives you a claim after the fact, not clean title today.
- It does not avoid probate and cannot be revoked once delivered and recorded.
- Signing one when you don't actually know the property's history exposes you to real liability. Where that is a concern, a special warranty deed is the safer instrument.
Quirks of Alaska law that catch people out
- Alaska has no counties. Deeds are recorded by the State Recorder's Office in one of 34 recording districts, which do not follow borough lines. The deed must name the district where the property sits.
- The State Recorder's Office has two offices, in Anchorage and Fairbanks, and each records documents for its own set of districts. Both take deeds in person and by mail.
- The Recorder will not accept a deed that does not name its recording district, give a return name and address, and give the mailing address of everyone who grants or acquires an interest (Alaska Stat. § 40.17.030(a)(7)-(9)). Deedly prints all three.
- All Alaska recording districts are administered by the Department of Natural Resources, so formatting rules are uniform statewide.
- Alaska has no state real estate transfer tax, and state law bars municipalities from levying a sales or use tax on the transfer of real property (Alaska Stat. §§ 29.45.650(l), 29.45.700(h)).
How to hold title in Alaska
Forms of co-ownership available in Alaska: tenancy by the entirety (married couples only) and tenancy in common.
Married couples
When two or more people who are not married to each other take title in Alaska, they hold as tenants in common (Alaska Stat. §§ 34.15.110(a), 34.15.130). A married couple who take title together hold as tenants by the entirety unless the deed says otherwise (§ 34.15.110(b)). Alaska spouses can make property community property only by a signed community property agreement or community property trust (Alaska Stat. §§ 34.77.030, 34.77.060). If you have one, talk to an attorney before signing a deed: spouses must act together to convey community property held in both names (§ 34.77.040(b)).
Alaska abolished joint tenancy in real estate (Alaska Stat. § 34.15.130). Co-owners who are not married to each other hold as tenants in common, even if the deed says joint tenants. A co-owner who wants their share to pass to the other at death can sign a transfer-on-death deed (Alaska Stat. § 13.48.010). Tenancy by the entirety gives a married couple automatic survivorship (§ 34.15.140(a)), but in Alaska it does not protect the property from one spouse's creditors (Alaska Stat. § 09.38.100(a)).
$49, one time. Your finished deed appears in full before you pay, with Alaska's witness rules, margins, and recording instructions already applied.
Common questions
No. Alaska has no requirement that an attorney prepare a deed. What matters is the correct statutory language, an accurate legal description, proper notarization, and recording with the State Recorder's Office (District Recorder). Deedly produces all of that for $49, versus roughly $150–$700 for an attorney to draft the same document. If ownership is disputed, the current owner has died without probate, or the transfer is tax-sensitive, use an attorney.
Expect $20 for the first page and $5 per additional page. Alaska has no state real estate transfer tax, so the recording fee is normally the whole cost. These fees are set statewide by 11 AAC 05.200. Add $2 for each name over six that has to be indexed. Make checks payable to the Department of Natural Resources.
No. Alaska requires only that the grantor's signature be acknowledged before a notary public. Forms that show witness lines are usually generic templates borrowed from another state.
With the State Recorder's Office (District Recorder) in the recording district where the property is located, not where you live, and not where the buyer lives. Alaska has 34 recording districts. Alaska's Recorder's Office accepts e-recording statewide through Simplifile, CSC and ePN, usually only from title companies, attorneys, lenders and other approved submitters. A title company may e-record your deed for a fee. Otherwise, record in person or by mail.
No, and this is the single most common misunderstanding about deeds. A deed changes who owns the property. The mortgage is a separate contract with the lender, and only a refinance or a written release from the lender removes a borrower. Someone can be off the deed and still fully liable on the loan.
If you are married and the deed conveys your family home, yes. When a married person conveys the family home or homestead, the spouse must also sign the deed, even if the spouse is not on the title (Alaska Stat. § 34.15.010(b)). Signing gives the spouse no ownership interest (§ 34.15.010(c)). A spouse who did not sign has one year after recording to sue to set the deed aside or to record a notice of interest (§ 34.15.010(d)). Deedly prints a signature line and acknowledgment for your spouse when you are married and the property is your home.
Keep reading
- Alaska quitclaim deedTransfers whatever interest you have in a property, with no promises about the title.
- Alaska special warranty deedTransfers ownership, but only guarantees the title for the period you owned it.
- Alaska transfer-on-death deedNames who inherits your property, skips probate, and changes nothing while you're alive.
- Alaska life estate deedYou keep the right to live in the property for life; named remaindermen own it after you.
- All deed rules for AlaskaRecording offices, transfer tax, witness rules, and fees.
- Alaska recording officesWhere to file in each recording district.
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.