Michigan Quitclaim Deed
Transfer your interest in a Michigan property — between family, into a trust or LLC, or after a divorce — and download a print-ready PDF with Michigan’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.
Michigan deed rules · as of 2026
- Witnesses (besides notary)
- None — notary only
- Where to record
- County Register of Deeds
- Transfer tax
- Yes — see below
Source: MCL 565.8 · verify ↗. A deed moves real property — have someone qualified review it before you sign, and record it promptly.
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Michigan signing & recording
No — in Michigan the grantor's notarized signature is enough; no separate witnesses are required (MCL 565.8, as amended by 2002 PA 23 — the former witness requirement was abolished; deeds need only acknowledgment before a judge, clerk of a court of record, or notary public, with an endorsed certificate, as of 2026). MCL 565.8 (acknowledgment with certificate endorsed, showing true date); MCL 565.201 (recording requirements: printed/typed names beneath signatures, notary's name printed, drafter's name and business address, 2.5-inch top margin) Record the signed deed with the County Register of Deeds. Transfer tax: Michigan State Real Estate Transfer Tax: $3.75 per $500 (MCL 207.525) plus county real estate transfer tax $0.55 per $500 (MCL 207.504); exempt when consideration is less than $100, and for conveyances to the grantor's child/stepchild/adopted child or grandchild and certain spousal/entireties conveyances (MCL 207.526) Check the current Michigan 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 Michigan require witnesses on a quitclaim deed?
No — in Michigan the grantor's notarized signature is enough; no separate witnesses are required (MCL 565.8, as amended by 2002 PA 23 — the former witness requirement was abolished; deeds need only acknowledgment before a judge, clerk of a court of record, or notary public, with an endorsed certificate, as of 2026). MCL 565.8 (acknowledgment with certificate endorsed, showing true date); MCL 565.201 (recording requirements: printed/typed names beneath signatures, notary's name printed, drafter's name and business address, 2.5-inch top margin)
Where do I record the deed in Michigan?
With the County Register of Deeds 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 Michigan?
Michigan State Real Estate Transfer Tax: $3.75 per $500 (MCL 207.525) plus county real estate transfer tax $0.55 per $500 (MCL 207.504); exempt when consideration is less than $100, and for conveyances to the grantor's child/stepchild/adopted child or grandchild and certain spousal/entireties conveyances (MCL 207.526) Check the current rate and exemptions before recording — the recorder will not accept the deed without the required tax forms or stamps.
How does Michigan compare? See the deed witness requirements in all 50 states, every rule cited to statute.
How Michigan compares
Computed from our 51-jurisdiction dataset (as of 2026). Source for Michigan: MCL 565.8 ↗.
- Michigan 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 — Indiana (0), Ohio (0), Wisconsin (0). Every neighboring state with a rule matches Michigan.
The rest of what Michigan requires
The figures below are Michigan'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 Michigan page for that document.
- Security deposit cap · as of 2026
- 1.5 months' rent Mich. Comp. Laws §554.602 ↗
- Deposit return deadline · as of 2026
- 30 days after move-out Mich. Comp. Laws §554.602 ↗
- Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy · as of 2026
- 30 days Mich. Comp. Laws §554.602 ↗
- Notice for unpaid rent · as of 2026
- 7 days to pay or quit MCL 554.134 ↗
- Notice to cure a lease violation · as of 2026
- 30 days MCL 554.134 ↗
- Small claims limit · as of 2026
- $7,000 MCL 600.8401 (limit); MCL 600.8408 (no attorneys); MCL 600.8420 (fees) ↗
- Where you file · as of 2026
- Small Claims Division of the District Court · filing fee Statutory tiers under MCL 600.8420: $25 (claims to $600), $45 ($600.01-$1,750), $65 (over $1,750); court fee schedules commonly show $30/$50/$70 with the statewide $5 electronic filing fee added. MCL 600.8401 (limit); MCL 600.8408 (no attorneys); MCL 600.8420 (fees) ↗
- Rental application fee · as of July 2026
- No statutory limit Michigan Legislature ↗
- Bill of sale notarization · as of 2026
- Not required Michigan SoS / DMV.ORG ↗
- Power of attorney signing · as of 2026
- Notarization required Mich. Comp. Laws §556.205 (form §556.401) ↗
- LLC operating agreement · as of 2026
- Not required by statute, but it controls over the default rules MCL 450.4102(2)(r) ↗
Quitclaim deed in other states
More Michigan legal forms
Different state? See quitclaim deeds by state →