A Maryland quitclaim deed is a useful tool that a property’s owner can use to transfer real interest in a property to another party. With a quitclaim deed, the property’s owner (grantor) does not guarantee the buyer (grantee) that they have a good title or own the property. If a buyer and seller want the property to have a warranty on the title, they need to use a warranty deed.
A quitclaim deed works best in cases where the two parties know each other well, such as when transferring property between family members or into a trust for estate planning needs.
Laws & Requirements
Statute: Maryland Code Title 3 – Recordation.
Signing Requirements: Maryland Code, Real Property, § 4-101: The grantor must sign a quitclaim deed in Maryland before a notary public.
Recording Requirements: Maryland Code, Real Property, § 3-104: You must file Maryland quitclaim deeds with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the property’s county. Each county has recording fees, and some require a municipal lien release fee.
Transfer Tax: Yes. Deeds transferring property require state and county transfer taxes (Maryland Code, Tax Property § 13-101). However, some transfers are exempt from certain taxes, such as gifts of property to parents, children, or spouses (Maryland Code, Tax Property § 13-207).
Additional Documents: To submit the quitclaim deed to the Clerk of the Circuit Court, you must complete a Land Instrument Intake Sheet to determine transfer and recordation tax, if any.
Sample
Below, you can find what a Maryland quitclaim deed typically looks like.