Colorado Quitclaim Deed
Transfer your interest in a Colorado property — between family, into a trust or LLC, or after a divorce — and download a print-ready PDF with Colorado’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.
Colorado deed rules · as of 2026
- Witnesses (besides notary)
- None — notary only
- Where to record
- County Clerk and Recorder
- Transfer tax
- Yes — see below
Source: C.R.S. § 38-30-113 · verify ↗. A deed moves real property — have someone qualified review it before you sign, and record it promptly.
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Colorado signing & recording
No — in Colorado the grantor's notarized signature is enough; no separate witnesses are required (C.R.S. § 38-30-113 — statutory deed forms require only the grantor's signature; acknowledgment 'may' be taken per §§ 38-35-101 / 24-21-515; no witness requirement, as of 2026). Unusual rule: acknowledgment is not a strict prerequisite to recording — C.R.S. § 38-35-106(1) makes a recorded instrument notice 'whether acknowledged, unacknowledged, or defectively acknowledged' (unacknowledged instruments deemed properly acknowledged after 10 years of record, § 38-35-106(2)); an acknowledged deed is self-proving/prima facie evidence under § 38-35-101. Universal practice is still to notarize. Record the signed deed with the County Clerk and Recorder. Transfer tax: Documentary fee (not a true transfer tax), C.R.S. § 39-13-102: $0.01 per $100 of consideration, only when total consideration exceeds $500 — no-consideration and ≤$500 transfers pay nothing; TABOR (Colo. Const. art. X, § 20(8)(a)) bars new state/local transfer taxes Check the current Colorado 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 Colorado require witnesses on a quitclaim deed?
No — in Colorado the grantor's notarized signature is enough; no separate witnesses are required (C.R.S. § 38-30-113 — statutory deed forms require only the grantor's signature; acknowledgment 'may' be taken per §§ 38-35-101 / 24-21-515; no witness requirement, as of 2026). Unusual rule: acknowledgment is not a strict prerequisite to recording — C.R.S. § 38-35-106(1) makes a recorded instrument notice 'whether acknowledged, unacknowledged, or defectively acknowledged' (unacknowledged instruments deemed properly acknowledged after 10 years of record, § 38-35-106(2)); an acknowledged deed is self-proving/prima facie evidence under § 38-35-101. Universal practice is still to notarize.
Where do I record the deed in Colorado?
With the County Clerk and Recorder 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 Colorado?
Documentary fee (not a true transfer tax), C.R.S. § 39-13-102: $0.01 per $100 of consideration, only when total consideration exceeds $500 — no-consideration and ≤$500 transfers pay nothing; TABOR (Colo. Const. art. X, § 20(8)(a)) bars new state/local transfer taxes Check the current rate and exemptions before recording — the recorder will not accept the deed without the required tax forms or stamps.
How does Colorado compare? See the deed witness requirements in all 50 states, every rule cited to statute.
How Colorado compares
Computed from our 51-jurisdiction dataset (as of 2026). Source for Colorado: C.R.S. § 38-30-113 ↗.
- Colorado 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 — Arizona (0), Kansas (0), Nebraska (0), New Mexico (0), Oklahoma (0), Utah (0), Wyoming (0). Every neighboring state with a rule matches Colorado.
The rest of what Colorado requires
The figures below are Colorado'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 Colorado page for that document.
- Security deposit cap · as of 2026
- 2 months' rent C.R.S. §38-12-102.5 ↗
- Deposit return deadline · as of 2026
- 30 days after move-out C.R.S. §38-12-102.5 ↗
- Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy · as of 2026
- 21 days C.R.S. §38-12-102.5 ↗
- Notice for unpaid rent · as of 2026
- 10 days to pay or quit Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-40-104; § 13-40-107 ↗
- Notice to cure a lease violation · as of 2026
- 10 days Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-40-104; § 13-40-107 ↗
- Small claims limit · as of 2026
- $7,500 Colo. Rev. Stat. §13-6-403 (limit); §13-6-407 (attorneys) ↗
- Where you file · as of 2026
- Small Claims Court (a division of County Court) · filing fee $31 (claims up to $500) / $55 ($500.01-$7,500) per the Colorado Judicial Branch fee schedule (JDF 1) Colo. Rev. Stat. §13-6-403 (limit); §13-6-407 (attorneys) ↗
- Rental application fee · as of July 2026
- Limited to the actual cost of screening Colorado General Assembly (HB19-1106) ↗
- Bill of sale notarization · as of 2026
- Not required Colorado DMV (Form DR 2173) ↗
- Power of attorney signing · as of 2026
- Notarization recommended Colo. Rev. Stat. §15-14-705 (form §15-14-741) ↗
- LLC operating agreement · as of 2026
- Not required by statute, but it controls over the default rules Colo. Rev. Stat. § 7-80-102(11)(a) ↗
Quitclaim deed in other states
More Colorado legal forms
Different state? See quitclaim deeds by state →