Free Vermont Quitclaim Deed Form

For a quitclaim deed to be valid in Vermont, it must meet certain legal requirements under 27 VT § 341 Chapter 5. There are certain details and formatting requirements your form must meet to be accepted.

Information to Include

Your quitclaim deed form must clearly identify the people involved and the property being transferred (27 VT § 341). Your deed should generally include the following information:

• Full names and addresses of both grantor and grantee
• Consideration, which is the amount paid for the property
• Property address and legal description
• Ownership details, especially if there are multiple people involved in the property
• Language that releases or quitclaims property interest to the grantee

Formatting Requirements

Vermont law sets basic formatting standards for documents submitted to the town clerk for recording. Under 32 VT § 1671, quitclaim deed forms in Vermont should generally follow these standards:

• A page may measure no more than 7 and a half inches by 14 inches.
• The text must be at least one-sixteenth of an inch high or eight-point type or larger.
• Each recorded page counts as one page of recorded information.

Below is a sample Vermont quitclaim deed form that shows all the details typically required. Once you’ve gathered all the information, use our step-by-step questionnaire to complete yours and download it as a PDF or Word file.

Follow the steps below to complete your Vermont quitclaim deed form correctly and record it with the town clerk without any delays.

Step 1 – Obtain the Prior Deed

Get the previously recorded deed for the property. You can copy the legal description for the property directly from here to help ensure it is correctly identified when the new deed is recorded.

Step 2 – Fill Out the Vermont Quitclaim Deed Form

Complete the Vermont quitclaim deed form with the required information about the property transfer. You can use Legal Templates’s free Vermont quitclaim deed form to speed up the process. Our guided form makes it easy to fill out step by step in minutes.

Step 3 – Sign in Front of a Notary

The grantor must sign the quitclaim deed form in Vermont before it can be recorded (27 VT § 341). The signatures must also be acknowledged by a notary public to confirm that the grantor signed the document willingly. Without proper notarization, the town clerk may refuse to record your deed. You can use a free Vermont notary acknowledgment form if you need a separate document.

Step 4 – Complete Form PT-172

You must also file a Property Transfer Tax Return (Form PTT-172) when recording your quitclaim deed form in Vermont. This form reports the property transfer and helps determine whether the Vermont property transfer tax applies. This form is required even when no money is exchanged, and the transfer qualifies for a tax exemption. By submitting this form alongside your deed form, you can avoid delays with the town clerk.

Step 5 – Record With the Town Clerk

Vermont keeps property records at the town level, not the county level, so the deed must be recorded with the town clerk where the property is located. Submit both your quitclaim deed and the completed PTT-172 form. The clerk will record the deed in the town’s land records and return a recorded copy to the address listed on the document.

Vermont also follows a race-notice recording system, meaning recording your deed helps protect your ownership interest if someone else later tries to claim or purchase the same property (27 VT § 342).

Recording a Vermont quitclaim deed involves two main costs, including recording fees and Vermont property transfer tax. The exact amount you may have to pay will depend on the number of pages in your deed. It can also vary based on the value of the property being transferred.

Recording Fees

Vermont town clerks charge a $15 per-page recording fee for documents that become part of the public land records (32 VT § 1671).

Vermont Property Transfer Tax

Vermont imposes a property transfer tax on most real estate transfers. Even if the transfer involves no payment, Vermont still requires that you submit a Property Transfer Tax Return (PTT-172), which incurs an additional $15 recording fee. Typically, the person receiving the property pays the transfer tax. However, the parties may agree to handle the costs differently as they see fit.

Transfer Tax Rates

The standard Vermont property transfer tax rate is 1.25% of the property’s value or $1, whichever is greater, as per 32 VT § 9602. Some reduced rates may apply in specific situations. For example:

• If the grantee plans to use the property as a principal residence, the tax rate is 0.50% on the first $100,000 of the value.
• Any value above $100,000 is taxed at the 1.25% standard rate.

Some homebuyers may also qualify for additional tax relief when purchasing a principal residence through certain housing assistance programs, such as those administered by the Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) or the USDA Rural Development housing program, depending on eligibility requirements.

Common Transfer Tax Exemptions

Some property transfers do not require payment of the Vermont property transfer tax under 32 VT § 9603.

• Transfers between spouses or close family members
• Transfers that correct a title defect
• Transfers to government agencies
• Transfers to qualifying nonprofit organizations
• Transfers made in lieu of foreclosure