Kentucky Quitclaim Deed
Transfer your interest in a Kentucky property — between family, into a trust or LLC, or after a divorce — and download a print-ready PDF with Kentucky’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.
Kentucky deed rules · as of 2026
- Witnesses (besides notary)
- None — notary only
- Where to record
- County Clerk (KRS 382.110(1) — recorded 'in the county clerk's office of the county in which the property ... is located')
- Transfer tax
- Yes — see below
Source: KRS 382.130; KRS 382.135 · verify ↗. A deed moves real property — have someone qualified review it before you sign, and record it promptly.
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Kentucky signing & recording
No — in Kentucky the grantor's notarized signature is enough; no separate witnesses are required (KRS 382.130 — deed is recordable on acknowledgment before the county clerk or a notary, OR alternatively on proof by two subscribing witnesses; witnesses are an alternative to notarization, not a requirement, as of 2026). KRS 382.130 (acknowledgment or proof required for recording) + KRS 382.135 (deed must also contain a sworn, notarized consideration certificate — or gift/fair-cash-value statement — signed by both grantor and grantee; clerks may not record without it) Record the signed deed with the County Clerk (KRS 382.110(1) — recorded 'in the county clerk's office of the county in which the property ... is located'). Transfer tax: Kentucky real estate transfer tax: $0.50 per $500 of value (or fraction), imposed on the grantor (KRS 142.050); gift/nominal-consideration deeds are valued at fair market value, but transfers between spouses (incl. divorce), parent-child, and grandparent-grandchild with only nominal consideration are exempt (KRS 142.050(7)) Check the current Kentucky 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 Kentucky require witnesses on a quitclaim deed?
No — in Kentucky the grantor's notarized signature is enough; no separate witnesses are required (KRS 382.130 — deed is recordable on acknowledgment before the county clerk or a notary, OR alternatively on proof by two subscribing witnesses; witnesses are an alternative to notarization, not a requirement, as of 2026). KRS 382.130 (acknowledgment or proof required for recording) + KRS 382.135 (deed must also contain a sworn, notarized consideration certificate — or gift/fair-cash-value statement — signed by both grantor and grantee; clerks may not record without it)
Where do I record the deed in Kentucky?
With the County Clerk (KRS 382.110(1) — recorded 'in the county clerk's office of the county in which the property ... is located') 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 Kentucky?
Kentucky real estate transfer tax: $0.50 per $500 of value (or fraction), imposed on the grantor (KRS 142.050); gift/nominal-consideration deeds are valued at fair market value, but transfers between spouses (incl. divorce), parent-child, and grandparent-grandchild with only nominal consideration are exempt (KRS 142.050(7)) Check the current rate and exemptions before recording — the recorder will not accept the deed without the required tax forms or stamps.
How does Kentucky compare? See the deed witness requirements in all 50 states, every rule cited to statute.
How Kentucky compares
Computed from our 51-jurisdiction dataset (as of 2026). Source for Kentucky: KRS 382.130; KRS 382.135 ↗.
- Kentucky 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 — Illinois (0), Indiana (0), Missouri (0), Ohio (0), Tennessee (0), Virginia (0), West Virginia (0). Every neighboring state with a rule matches Kentucky.
The rest of what Kentucky requires
The figures below are Kentucky'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 Kentucky page for that document.
- Security deposit cap · as of 2026
- No statutory limit Ky. Rev. Stat. §383.580 ↗
- Deposit return deadline · as of 2026
- 30 days after move-out Ky. Rev. Stat. §383.580 ↗
- Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy · as of 2026
- 30 days Ky. Rev. Stat. §383.580 ↗
- Notice for unpaid rent · as of 2026
- 7 days to pay or quit KRS § 383.660; § 383.695 (URLTA jurisdictions only) ↗
- Notice to cure a lease violation · as of 2026
- 14 days KRS § 383.660; § 383.695 (URLTA jurisdictions only) ↗
- Small claims limit · as of 2026
- $2,500 KRS 24A.230; KRS 24A.270 (fee) ↗
- Where you file · as of 2026
- Small Claims Division of the District Court · filing fee Set as the District Court filing fee for claims of $500 or less (KRS 24A.270); in practice roughly $50-$70 including certified-mail or sheriff service — confirm the current amount with the circuit court clerk or kycourts.gov. KRS 24A.230; KRS 24A.270 (fee) ↗
- Rental application fee · as of July 2026
- No statutory limit Kentucky Revised Statutes ↗
- Bill of sale notarization · as of 2026
- Not required Kentucky KYTC / DMV.ORG ↗
- Power of attorney signing · as of 2026
- Notarization recommended Ky. Rev. Stat. §457.050 (form §457.420) ↗
- LLC operating agreement · as of 2026
- Not required by statute, but it controls over the default rules KRS 275.015(21) (definition); KRS 275.180 (written-agreement requirements for certain waivers) ↗
Quitclaim deed in other states
More Kentucky legal forms
Different state? See quitclaim deeds by state →