Alabama Quitclaim Deed
Transfer your interest in a Alabama property — between family, into a trust or LLC, or after a divorce — and download a print-ready PDF with Alabama’s signing rules built in. Free, no signup.
Maintained by Rapi Stack · Every state-specific figure on this page is cited to its statute or official agency page · Dataset last verified 2026 · Not legal advice.
Alabama deed rules · as of 2026
- Witnesses (besides notary)
- None — notary only
- Where to record
- Judge of Probate (county Probate Office)
- Transfer tax
- Yes — see below
Source: Ala. Code § 35-4-20 · verify ↗. A deed moves real property — have someone qualified review it before you sign, and record it promptly.
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Alabama signing & recording
No — in Alabama the grantor's notarized signature is enough; no separate witnesses are required (Ala. Code § 35-4-20 — statute requires attestation by 1 witness (2 if grantor signs by mark or another signs for him), but a notarial acknowledgment is held to satisfy the attestation requirement, so a notarized deed needs 0 additional witnesses, as of 2026). To be recorded (and self-proving) a conveyance must be acknowledged or proved according to law — Ala. Code § 35-4-65 (acknowledged/proved + recorded conveyances received in evidence without further proof); recording is in the probate office of the county where the land lies (Ala. Code §§ 35-4-50, 35-4-62). Probate offices accept deeds that are either notarized or witness-attested. Record the signed deed with the Judge of Probate (county Probate Office). Transfer tax: Deed recording privilege tax, Ala. Code § 40-22-1: $0.50 per $500 (or fraction) of value, paid at recording; NO general gift exemption — no-consideration transfers are taxed on the property's actual value (proof of value required), less assumed mortgage amounts already taxed Check the current Alabama deed rules before recording.
Married? If the property is (or may be) your homestead, your spouse may need to sign the deed even if they are not on title — several states require it, and a deed missing that signature can be rejected for recording or invalid. Use the “Co-grantor / spouse” field above to add their signature line, and check your state’s rule before recording.
Existing mortgage? Transferring mortgaged property can trigger the loan’s “due-on-sale” clause. Federal law (12 U.S.C. §1701j-3(d), the Garn–St Germain Act) bars lenders from enforcing it for several transfers of residential property with fewer than five dwelling units — including a transfer to the borrower’s spouse or children, a transfer resulting from a divorce decree, and a transfer into an inter vivos (living) trust in which the borrower is and remains a beneficiary. The loan itself stays in place either way — nobody is released until it is refinanced. Read the statute ↗
Frequently asked questions
Does Alabama require witnesses on a quitclaim deed?
No — in Alabama the grantor's notarized signature is enough; no separate witnesses are required (Ala. Code § 35-4-20 — statute requires attestation by 1 witness (2 if grantor signs by mark or another signs for him), but a notarial acknowledgment is held to satisfy the attestation requirement, so a notarized deed needs 0 additional witnesses, as of 2026). To be recorded (and self-proving) a conveyance must be acknowledged or proved according to law — Ala. Code § 35-4-65 (acknowledged/proved + recorded conveyances received in evidence without further proof); recording is in the probate office of the county where the land lies (Ala. Code §§ 35-4-50, 35-4-62). Probate offices accept deeds that are either notarized or witness-attested.
Where do I record the deed in Alabama?
With the Judge of Probate (county Probate Office) where the property is located. Recording is what makes the transfer visible to the world — an unrecorded deed can be valid between the parties but lose to a later buyer or lender who records first. Take the original signed deed, pay the recording fee, and keep the returned stamped copy.
Is there a transfer tax in Alabama?
Deed recording privilege tax, Ala. Code § 40-22-1: $0.50 per $500 (or fraction) of value, paid at recording; NO general gift exemption — no-consideration transfers are taxed on the property's actual value (proof of value required), less assumed mortgage amounts already taxed Check the current rate and exemptions before recording — the recorder will not accept the deed without the required tax forms or stamps.
How does Alabama compare? See the deed witness requirements in all 50 states, every rule cited to statute.
How Alabama compares
Computed from our 51-jurisdiction dataset (as of 2026). Source for Alabama: Ala. Code § 35-4-20 ↗.
- Alabama is one of 38 of 51 jurisdictions that charge a transfer or documentary tax when a deed is recorded (13 charge no state transfer tax on deeds).
- Witnesses required (beyond the notary)
Witnesses required (beyond the notary): 0, exactly the national median.
This is the most common figure nationally — shared by 45 other states.
Witnesses required (beyond the notary) in neighboring states — Florida (2), Georgia (1), Mississippi (0), Tennessee (0).
The rest of what Alabama requires
The figures below are Alabama's, not national averages — each one is the value we verified for this state, with the statute it comes from. Follow a row to the full Alabama page for that document.
- Security deposit cap · as of 2026
- 1 month's rent Ala. Code §35-9A-201 ↗
- Deposit return deadline · as of 2026
- 60 days after move-out Ala. Code §35-9A-201 ↗
- Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy · as of 2026
- 30 days Ala. Code §35-9A-201 ↗
- Notice for unpaid rent · as of 2026
- 7 days to pay or quit Ala. Code § 35-9A-421 ↗
- Notice to cure a lease violation · as of 2026
- 7 days Ala. Code § 35-9A-421 ↗
- Small claims limit · as of 2026
- $6,000 Ala. Code §12-12-31 ↗
- Where you file · as of 2026
- Small Claims Division (Small Claims Docket) of the District Court · filing fee $35 (claims up to $1,500) / $109 ($1,500-$3,000) / $198 (over $3,000) per Ala. Code §12-19-71, plus service costs and county-specific add-ons Ala. Code §12-12-31 ↗
- Rental application fee · as of July 2026
- No statutory limit Alabama URLTA ↗
- Bill of sale notarization · as of 2026
- Not required Alabama DOR / DMV.ORG ↗
- Power of attorney signing · as of 2026
- Notarization recommended Ala. Code §26-1A-105 (form §26-1A-301) ↗
- LLC operating agreement · as of 2026
- Not required by statute, but it controls over the default rules Ala. Code § 10A-5A-1.02(l) ↗
Quitclaim deed in other states
More Alabama legal forms
Different state? See quitclaim deeds by state →