A DC quitclaim deed transfers whatever interest the grantor currently holds in a District of Columbia property to the grantee, with no promise that the interest is good or free of liens. To make it official, you draft the deed, have the grantor sign it before a notary, complete Form FP-7/C, pay the recordation and transfer taxes, and file everything with the Recorder of Deeds at 1101 4th Street SW within 30 days of signing.1Office of Tax and Revenue. Recorder of Deeds Miss that 30-day window and the District adds a $250 late-filing penalty on top of the regular fees and taxes.2Office of Tax and Revenue. General Recording Requirements and Fees
What Goes Into the Deed
Pull your information together before you draft anything. The grantor’s name on the deed must match the name on the current recorded deed for the property, letter for letter. You need the full legal names and current mailing addresses of every grantor and grantee, because the FP-7/C requires them too.3Office of the Chief Financial Officer – Office of Tax and Revenue. Real Property Recordation and Transfer Tax Form FP 7/C
You also need the property’s Square, Suffix, and Lot number. The District identifies every parcel with this three-part code, and a street address alone will not make the deed valid. Look up the SSL on the Office of Tax and Revenue’s Real Property Tax Database.4Office of Tax and Revenue. Real Property Tax Database Search
State a consideration amount even if the transfer is a gift. When the stated price falls below 30 percent of fair market value, the District treats the consideration as nominal and calculates tax on the assessed value instead.3Office of the Chief Financial Officer – Office of Tax and Revenue. Real Property Recordation and Transfer Tax Form FP 7/C
If more than one person will take title, say how they hold it: joint tenants with right of survivorship, tenants in common, or tenants by the entirety (available to married couples and registered domestic partners). If the deed is silent, D.C. law generally defaults to tenancy in common.
Formatting the Document
Leave at least three inches of blank space at the top of the first page. The Recorder of Deeds uses that area for official stamps and the instrument number. Below the blank space, print a “return to” name and address so the recorded original can be mailed back.
The body of the deed names the grantor, states that the grantor “quitclaims” or “remises, releases, and quitclaims” the property to the grantee, states the consideration, gives the full legal description of the property including the SSL, and names the grantee. D.C. Code § 42-601 provides sample deed language the District recognizes, though you are not required to follow it word for word.5D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 42-601 – Deed, Mortgage, and Lease Forms The deed only needs to make clear who is transferring, what property is being transferred, and to whom.
Signing and Notarization
Only the grantor signs. The grantee does not sign a quitclaim deed. Under D.C. Code § 42-401, the deed takes effect on delivery once it has been executed, acknowledged, and certified as required by law.6D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 42-401 – Effective Date of Deeds; Exception In practice that means the grantor signs in front of a notary public, and the notary block shows the date and jurisdiction of the acknowledgment, confirms the grantor appeared in person, and carries the notary’s printed name, commission expiration date, and seal.
Against creditors and later buyers who don’t know about the deed, the transfer only counts from the moment the Recorder of Deeds receives it, not from the day it was signed.6D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 42-401 – Effective Date of Deeds; Exception That is one reason to record quickly. The 30-day penalty is the other.
Form FP-7/C and the Transfer Taxes
Every deed submitted for recording must be filed with a completed FP-7/C, the Real Property Recordation and Transfer Tax Return, available on the Office of Tax and Revenue website.3Office of the Chief Financial Officer – Office of Tax and Revenue. Real Property Recordation and Transfer Tax Form FP 7/C On the form, check “Deed” (not deed of trust or modification), enter the SSL, mark residential or commercial, and show the percentage of interest being conveyed. For a full transfer, that is 100 percent. Enter the acquisition price broken down into cash and any assumed debt. If the consideration is nominal or zero, enter the current assessed value instead.
Everything on the FP-7/C has to match the deed exactly: same names, same SSL, same consideration. Discrepancies will delay or block recording.
The District imposes two separate taxes on the transfer, and both use the same rate structure. For residential property valued under $400,000, each tax is 1.1 percent of the consideration or fair market value. At $400,000 or more, each rate rises to 1.45 percent on the full amount.7Office of the Chief Financial Officer. Tax Rates and Revenues, Property Taxes So a $350,000 residential transfer carries a combined tax of 2.2 percent ($7,700), and a $500,000 transfer is taxed at a combined 2.9 percent ($14,500). The 1.45 percent figure is a 1.1 percent base plus a 0.35 percent surcharge on transfers of $400,000 or more.8D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 47-903 – Imposition of Tax; Rate; Returns; Liability for Tax Both taxes are due in full at the time of recording unless an exemption applies.
Exemptions That Often Apply
Several categories of quitclaim transfers are fully exempt from one or both taxes. You claim an exemption by checking the right box on the FP-7/C and citing the D.C. Code section. Common ones:
- Transfers between spouses, parent and child, grandparent and grandchild, or registered domestic partners, where no actual consideration changes hands.9D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 42-1102 – Deeds Exempt From Tax
- Deeds conveying bare legal title to the trustee of a revocable trust, without consideration, where the grantor is the trust beneficiary.9D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 42-1102 – Deeds Exempt From Tax
- Transfers of residential property into or out of a qualifying special needs trust for a beneficiary with a disability.9D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 42-1102 – Deeds Exempt From Tax
- Deeds transferring property to a beneficiary under a revocable transfer-on-death deed after the grantor’s death.9D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 42-1102 – Deeds Exempt From Tax
Even when an exemption zeroes out the tax, you still file the FP-7/C. The Recorder of Deeds will not accept the deed without it.
Where and How to Record
You can record in person or electronically. The Recorder of Deeds office is at 1101 4th Street SW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20024.1Office of Tax and Revenue. Recorder of Deeds For electronic submissions, the District accepts filings through three approved vendors: CSC/Ingeo, Simplifile, and ePN.10Office of Tax and Revenue. Electronic Recording All document types can be filed electronically.
The recording fee for a deed is $25, plus a $5 surcharge under D.C. Code § 42-1211, for a total of $30.2Office of Tax and Revenue. General Recording Requirements and Fees A standard quitclaim deed falls under that $25 category. At the window, payment is usually by certified check or money order; the electronic vendors handle payment digitally.
If you record more than 30 days after the deed was signed and notarized, the District adds a $250 late fee to the recording fee and taxes.2Office of Tax and Revenue. General Recording Requirements and Fees Sign the deed and get it in promptly.
What a Quitclaim Deed Does Not Do
A quitclaim deed is the lowest level of title protection in use. Before you file one, understand what you are and aren’t getting.
The grantor makes no promise that the title is clear, that there are no liens, or even that the grantor owns the property. If a title problem surfaces later, the grantee has no claim against the grantor based on the deed. Most title insurance companies will not issue a new policy on a property acquired by quitclaim, which can create problems if the grantee later tries to sell or refinance. That is why quitclaim deeds are common for family transfers, trust funding, and title cleanup, and risky for arm’s-length purchases.
A quitclaim does not remove the grantor from an existing mortgage. The loan stays with the grantor, and because ownership has changed, the lender can invoke a due-on-sale clause and demand full repayment. Federal law protects certain transfers from due-on-sale enforcement, including transfers between spouses incident to divorce and transfers into a trust where the borrower remains a beneficiary. Outside those exceptions, the lender can call the balance due.
Quitclaiming property to someone for less than fair value can trigger federal gift tax reporting. The 2026 annual gift tax exclusion is $19,000 per recipient, and married couples who elect gift splitting can exclude up to $38,000.11Internal Revenue Service. Gifts and Inheritances Anything above the exclusion counts against your lifetime gift and estate tax exemption and requires IRS Form 709. On a $350,000 home transferred for no consideration, a gift tax return is required even if no tax ends up owed.
If the grantor is a foreign person, the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act may require the grantee to withhold 15 percent of the amount realized and send it to the IRS within 20 days of closing. The grantor can provide a certification of non-foreign status to avoid withholding, and reduced rates or exemptions may apply depending on price and intended use. A grantee who should have withheld but didn’t is personally liable for the tax.