Ohio Quitclaim Deed Form

What Is an Ohio Quitclaim Deed?

A quitclaim deed conveys a property interest as-is. The grantor doesn't promise a clear title, only whatever ownership they currently hold.

A warranty deed goes further: it guarantees the title is free of hidden claims, which a quitclaim deed doesn’t. Anyone selling to a stranger at full market price should ask for a warranty deed instead, since a quitclaim deed offers little protection.

Ohio lays out its statutory quitclaim wording in ORC 5302.11. The standard form already includes a line for the grantor's spouse to release dower rights, a detail most other states dropped from their deed forms.

Ohio Quitclaim Deed Requirements

A quitclaim deed form in Ohio needs to meet a few requirements before a county recorder will accept it:

• The grantor's signature, acknowledged before a notary public or another authorized official
• A full legal description of the property, not just the parcel number or street address
• A 3-inch top margin on the first page and at least 1 inch on every other side, with type no smaller than 10-point
• The name of the person who prepared the deed, plus a mailing address for the new owner
• The spouse's signature releasing dower rights, if the grantor is married

Most counties charge an extra $20 to record the deed if you get the margins wrong (rather than rejecting it outright). That’s different from most states, where they simply send it back unrecorded.

Common Uses for an Ohio Quitclaim Deed

A quitclaim deed works best for property transfers where a title guarantee wouldn't change anything. In Ohio, that usually means:

• Putting a new spouse's name on the deed, or taking an ex's name off after a divorce
• Placing a home in a family trust, or moving it back to an individual's name
• Handing a paid-off home down to a child or grandchild
• Correcting the property's legal description after a survey update
• Transferring a share of inherited property between heirs

A quitclaim deed's tax treatment depends on whether money changes hands. A gift between family members usually qualifies for a conveyance fee exemption, while a sale at market value doesn't.

Anyone researching quitclaim deed taxes in Ohio should confirm the exact exemption code with the county auditor, since they review each transfer individually.

Create Your Ohio Quitclaim Deed

Ohio Quitclaim Deed with Mortgage

The mortgage doesn't follow the title. Recording a quitclaim deed only changes ownership on paper, while the original borrower keeps owing the loan exactly as before.

Divorce decrees often assume a quitclaim deed also clears an ex-spouse from the mortgage. It doesn't. Removing an ex-spouse's name from the deed leaves their name on the loan until a refinance or a lender-approved assumption removes it.

Federal law (the Garn-St. Germain Act) lets a lender demand the full loan balance the moment a property's ownership changes. However, lenders rarely use this against a family transfer or a move into a living trust, though it remains part of every standard mortgage.

How to File a Quitclaim Deed in Ohio

Filing a quitclaim deed doesn’t require any legal background. All you need is the seven-step Lumr process:

1. 1

   Pin down the legal description

   Enter the property’s legal description from the current deed. A street address won't work on its own. County recorders check this against their records before accepting anything.

2. 2

   Enter the grantor's and grantee's names

   Spell out both parties' full legal names as they appear on the current deed, and include the grantee's mailing address.

3. 3

   Build the deed

   Lumr's template already follows the wording ORC 5302.11 sets out, so there's no legal drafting to do beyond filling in the details.

4. 4

   Get the spouse's signature

   If the grantor is married, their spouse must also sign, releasing any dower interest in the property. Skipping this leaves the deed open to a later dower claim.

5. 5

   Sign and notarize

   A notary public or another authorized official witnesses the grantor's signature and completes the acknowledgment. The spouse signs the same way (if their signature is required).

6. 6

   Settle the conveyance fee

   Calculate Ohio's conveyance fee, up to $4 per $1,000 of the sale price in most counties, or file for an exemption if none is owed.

7. 7

   Record with the county

   Take the signed deed and the conveyance fee payment, or the exemption form, to the county recorder in the county where the property is located. Recording puts the transfer on the public record.

   Lumr makes the hard part easy. We provide the Ohio quitclaim deed PDF; you provide the signatures.