Massachusetts Quitclaim Deed

Transfer your interest in a Massachusetts property — between family, into a trust or LLC, or after a divorce — and download a print-ready PDF with Massachusetts’s signing rules built in. Free, no signup.

Reflects current Massachusetts rules · 2026 Official source linked Free PDF · no signup · nothing uploaded

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.

Massachusetts deed rules · as of 2026

Witnesses (besides notary): None — notary only
Where to record: Registry of Deeds (county/district; registered (Torrens) land goes through the Land Court registry districts)
Transfer tax: Yes — see below

Source: G.L. c. 183, § 29 · verify ↗. A deed moves real property — have someone qualified review it before you sign, and record it promptly.

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Massachusetts signing & recording

No — in Massachusetts the grantor's notarized signature is enough; no separate witnesses are required (G.L. c. 183, § 29 — recording requires only a certificate of acknowledgment or of proof of execution; no witness requirement, as of 2026). G.L. c. 183, § 29 — 'No deed shall be recorded unless a certificate of its acknowledgment or of the proof of its due execution ... is endorsed upon or annexed to it' Record the signed deed with the Registry of Deeds (county/district; registered (Torrens) land goes through the Land Court registry districts). Transfer tax: Massachusetts deeds excise: statutory $2.00 per $500 of consideration (G.L. c. 64D, § 1) plus a 14% surcharge = effective $2.28 per $500 ($4.56 per $1,000; different total in Barnstable County); no excise when consideration is $100 or less (c. 64D, § 1); paid by the grantor and evidenced by excise stamps Check the current Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts require witnesses on a quitclaim deed?

Where do I record the deed in Massachusetts?

With the Registry of Deeds (county/district; registered (Torrens) land goes through the Land Court registry districts) 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 Massachusetts?

Massachusetts deeds excise: statutory $2.00 per $500 of consideration (G.L. c. 64D, § 1) plus a 14% surcharge = effective $2.28 per $500 ($4.56 per $1,000; different total in Barnstable County); no excise when consideration is $100 or less (c. 64D, § 1); paid by the grantor and evidenced by excise stamps Check the current rate and exemptions before recording — the recorder will not accept the deed without the required tax forms or stamps.

How does Massachusetts compare? See the deed witness requirements in all 50 states, every rule cited to statute.

How Massachusetts compares

Computed from our 51-jurisdiction dataset (as of 2026). Source for Massachusetts: G.L. c. 183, § 29 ↗.

Massachusetts 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 — Connecticut (2), New Hampshire (0), New York (0), Rhode Island (0), Vermont (0).

The rest of what Massachusetts requires

The figures below are Massachusetts'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 Massachusetts page for that document.

Security deposit cap · as of 2026: 1 month's rent Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186 §15B ↗
Deposit return deadline · as of 2026: 30 days after move-out Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186 §15B ↗
Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy · as of 2026: 30 days Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186 §15B ↗
Notice for unpaid rent · as of 2026: 14 days to pay or quit M.G.L. c. 186, §§ 11, 11A, 12 ↗
Small claims limit · as of 2026: $7,000 Mass. Gen. Laws c. 218 § 21; Uniform Small Claims Rules ↗
Where you file · as of 2026: Small Claims sessions of the District Court, Boston Municipal Court, and Housing Court · filing fee Tiered with surcharge: $40 (claims to $500), $45 ($501-$2,000), $50 ($2,001-$5,000), $150 ($5,001-$7,000) — mass.gov confirms the $40-$150 range. Mass. Gen. Laws c. 218 § 21; Uniform Small Claims Rules ↗
Rental application fee · as of July 2026: Application fees are prohibited Massachusetts AG advisory ↗
Bill of sale notarization · as of 2026: Not required Massachusetts RMV / DMV.ORG ↗
Power of attorney signing · as of 2026: Notarization recommended Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 190B §5-501/§5-502 ↗
LLC operating agreement · as of 2026: Not required by statute, but it controls over the default rules M.G.L. ch. 156C, § 2(9) ↗

Quitclaim deed in other states

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