Washington Quitclaim Deed
Transfer your interest in a Washington property — between family, into a trust or LLC, or after a divorce — and download a print-ready PDF with Washington’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.
Washington deed rules · as of 2026
- Witnesses (besides notary)
- None — notary only
- Where to record
- County Auditor (the 'recording officer' of the county where the property is situated, RCW 65.08.070; in a few charter counties a separate Recorder's Office)
- Transfer tax
- Yes — see below
Source: RCW 64.04.020 · verify ↗. A deed moves real property — have someone qualified review it before you sign, and record it promptly.
Need the document itself?
Fill in a Washington quitclaim deed and download a print-ready PDF — free, no signup, and it runs entirely in your browser.
Open the generator →The generator opens with Washington already selected.
Washington signing & recording
No — in Washington the grantor's notarized signature is enough; no separate witnesses are required (RCW 64.04.020 — 'Every deed shall be in writing, signed by the party bound thereby, and acknowledged'; no witnesses required, as of 2026). RCW 64.04.020 (deed must be acknowledged to be valid) and RCW 65.08.070 (a conveyance 'when acknowledged... may be recorded'); unrecorded conveyance void against a subsequent good-faith purchaser who records first. Record the signed deed with the County Auditor (the 'recording officer' of the county where the property is situated, RCW 65.08.070; in a few charter counties a separate Recorder's Office). Transfer tax: Real Estate Excise Tax (REET): graduated 1.1% / 1.28% / 2.75% / 3.0% of selling price (thresholds $500k/$1.5M/$3M as enacted, CPI-adjusted every 4 years — currently ~$525k/$1.525M/$3.025M; flat 1.28% for timber/agricultural land), RCW 82.45.060, plus local REET (typically 0.25-0.5%); transfers 'by gift, devise, or inheritance' are excluded from the definition of 'sale' (RCW 82.45.010(3)(a); WAC 458-61A-201) — but relief from underlying debt counts as consideration and is taxed. Check the current Washington 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 Washington require witnesses on a quitclaim deed?
No — in Washington the grantor's notarized signature is enough; no separate witnesses are required (RCW 64.04.020 — 'Every deed shall be in writing, signed by the party bound thereby, and acknowledged'; no witnesses required, as of 2026). RCW 64.04.020 (deed must be acknowledged to be valid) and RCW 65.08.070 (a conveyance 'when acknowledged... may be recorded'); unrecorded conveyance void against a subsequent good-faith purchaser who records first.
Where do I record the deed in Washington?
With the County Auditor (the 'recording officer' of the county where the property is situated, RCW 65.08.070; in a few charter counties a separate Recorder's 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 Washington?
Real Estate Excise Tax (REET): graduated 1.1% / 1.28% / 2.75% / 3.0% of selling price (thresholds $500k/$1.5M/$3M as enacted, CPI-adjusted every 4 years — currently ~$525k/$1.525M/$3.025M; flat 1.28% for timber/agricultural land), RCW 82.45.060, plus local REET (typically 0.25-0.5%); transfers 'by gift, devise, or inheritance' are excluded from the definition of 'sale' (RCW 82.45.010(3)(a); WAC 458-61A-201) — but relief from underlying debt counts as consideration and is 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 Washington compare? See the deed witness requirements in all 50 states, every rule cited to statute.
How Washington compares
Computed from our 51-jurisdiction dataset (as of 2026). Source for Washington: RCW 64.04.020 ↗.
- Washington 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 — Idaho (0), Oregon (0). Every neighboring state with a rule matches Washington.
The rest of what Washington requires
The figures below are Washington'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 Washington page for that document.
- Security deposit cap · as of 2026
- No statutory limit Rev. Code Wash. §59.18.280 (30-day rule eff. 7/23/2023) ↗
- Deposit return deadline · as of 2026
- 30 days after move-out Rev. Code Wash. §59.18.280 (30-day rule eff. 7/23/2023) ↗
- Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy · as of 2026
- 20 days Rev. Code Wash. §59.18.280 (30-day rule eff. 7/23/2023) ↗
- Notice for unpaid rent · as of 2026
- 14 days to pay or quit RCW 59.12.030; RCW 59.18.650 (just-cause) ↗
- Notice to cure a lease violation · as of 2026
- 10 days RCW 59.12.030; RCW 59.18.650 (just-cause) ↗
- Small claims limit · as of 2026
- $10,000 RCW ch. 12.40 (limit at RCW 12.40.010) ↗
- Where you file · as of 2026
- Small Claims Department of the District Court · filing fee $35 plus a dispute-resolution-center surcharge (up to $15) in participating counties, so typically $35-$50 total (RCW 12.40.020; RCW 7.75.035). RCW ch. 12.40 (limit at RCW 12.40.010) ↗
- Rental application fee · as of July 2026
- Limited to the actual cost of screening Washington Legislature ↗
- Bill of sale notarization · as of 2026
- Not required Washington DOL (Form TD-420-065) ↗
- Power of attorney signing · as of 2026
- Notarization required Rev. Code Wash. §11.125.050 ↗
- LLC operating agreement · as of 2026
- Not required by statute, but it controls over the default rules RCW 25.15.006(8); RCW 25.15.018 ↗
Quitclaim deed in other states
More Washington legal forms
Different state? See quitclaim deeds by state →