How to Fill Out and Record a Palm Beach County Quitclaim Deed

To file a Palm Beach County quitclaim deed, download the free form from the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller’s Recording Department page, fill in the parties, consideration, and legal description, sign it before two witnesses and a notary, then record it with the Clerk along with the documentary stamp tax and recording fees. The deed transfers whatever interest the grantor has in the property, with no promises about the state of the title.

Where to Get the Form

The official form is posted for free under “Forms for Recording” on the Clerk’s Recording Department page.¹ Blank copies are also available at any Clerk branch location. The form tracks the statutory language in Florida Statute 689.025, which sets the required format for quitclaim deeds statewide.²

What to Have Ready Before You Fill It Out

Gather these items before you start so you can complete the deed in one sitting.

Full legal names and post office addresses of the grantor (the person giving up the interest) and the grantee (the person receiving it).
The grantor’s marital status. If the property is homestead, the spouse must sign even if not on title.
The Property Control Number, a 17-digit identifier assigned by the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser. You can look it up on the Appraiser’s site. Leaving it off does not invalidate the deed, but including it helps the Clerk index the document correctly.³
The legal description of the property. This is not the street address. Copy the lot, block, plat book references, or metes-and-bounds language verbatim from your prior deed or title policy. Small errors create real disputes about what was transferred.
The consideration amount. For a family gift, a nominal figure such as $10 is common, but any outstanding mortgage balance also counts as consideration for the documentary stamp tax.
The name and post office address of the person who prepared the deed. Florida Statute 695.26 requires this on the face of the document, and it must be a natural person.⁴

Filling Out the Deed

The form’s key fields are the date of execution, the grantor block, the grantee block, the consideration amount, the legal description (legibly printed, typed, or stamped), the county (“Palm Beach”), and the PCN.²

Leave the 3-inch by 3-inch space at the top right of the first page blank. The Clerk uses that area for the recording stamp. Every additional page needs a 1-inch by 3-inch blank in the same corner.⁴

Signing, Witnesses, and Notarization

Florida law requires the grantor to sign in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.⁵ Each witness signs the deed and has their name and post office address printed or typed beneath the signature.⁴ Missing a witness address is a common reason the Clerk rejects a deed.

The deed also needs to be notarized before it can be recorded. The notary verifies the grantor’s identity and completes the acknowledgment block with an official seal. Florida caps notary fees at $10 per notarial act.⁶ Witnesses may participate remotely under Florida’s online notarization rules if the statutory requirements for electronic witnessing are met.⁵

Homestead Property Requires Spousal Joinder

If the property is the grantor’s homestead, the grantor’s spouse must also sign, even if the spouse has no ownership interest. The Florida Constitution requires the owner to be joined by the spouse if married to alienate homestead real estate by sale, gift, or mortgage. Skipping this step can void the transfer, so a married grantor conveying a homestead should have both spouses sign in front of the notary and witnesses.

Documentary Stamp Tax

Florida charges a documentary stamp tax on every deed that transfers an interest in real property. In Palm Beach County the rate is $0.70 for every $100 of consideration, rounded up to the next full $100.⁷ A transfer with $175,000 in consideration owes $1,225 in tax.

Consideration is broader than a sale price. Any mortgage balance, lien, or other encumbrance on the property at transfer counts as taxable consideration, whether the grantee formally assumes the debt or not.⁸ So if you quitclaim a house to a sibling as a gift but the property carries a $200,000 mortgage, the tax is calculated on at least $200,000.

Spousal and Divorce Exemptions

Deeds transferring property between spouses or former spouses incident to a divorce are exempt from documentary stamp tax, regardless of consideration. Transfers of homestead property between spouses where the only consideration is the existing mortgage are also exempt.⁷ Note the exemption on the deed so the Clerk knows why no tax is being paid.

How to Record the Deed

The Clerk’s Recording Department accepts deeds in person, by mail, or electronically. Nothing gets recorded without full payment of the documentary stamp tax and recording fees.

In Person

Bring the deed to the main courthouse at 205 N. Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach or any of the branch courthouses in Palm Beach Gardens, Royal Palm Beach, Delray Beach, or Belle Glade.⁹ This is the fastest way to confirm acceptance.

By Mail

Send the original signed and notarized deed, a check for the recording fees and documentary stamp tax, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Without the return envelope, the Clerk has no way to send the recorded deed back.¹⁰

Regular mail: Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, P.O. Box 4177, West Palm Beach, FL 33402
Express mail: Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, 205 N. Dixie Highway, Room 4.2500, West Palm Beach, FL 33401¹¹

E-Recording

Palm Beach County accepts e-recorded documents through approved third-party vendors. Submissions can be sent any time, and the current vendor list and instructions are on the Clerk’s Recording Department page.¹⁰

Recording Fees

Florida sets recording fees by statute: $10.00 for the first page and $8.50 for each additional page. A one-page quitclaim deed costs $10.00 to record, plus the documentary stamp tax.

What a Quitclaim Deed Does Not Do

A quitclaim deed transfers only whatever interest the grantor actually holds, with no promises about it. If the grantor owns free and clear, the grantee takes full ownership. If the grantor holds nothing, the grantee gets nothing. Unlike a warranty deed, there is no guarantee the title is free of liens, encumbrances, or competing claims.

That has a practical consequence for title insurance. Most owner’s policies tie continuation of coverage to the grantor’s warranties, and a quitclaim deed contains none. A grantee who wants title protection generally needs to buy a new owner’s policy.

Existing Mortgages and the Due-on-Sale Clause

A quitclaim deed does not remove the grantor from an existing mortgage. The grantor stays personally liable unless the lender agrees to release them. From the lender’s side, the recorded deed is a visible change of title, and most residential mortgages contain a due-on-sale clause letting the lender demand full repayment when ownership changes. Lenders do not always enforce it, but they can, at any point after recording. Contact the lender before transferring mortgaged property to find out whether prior written consent is required.

Property Tax: Save Our Homes Reassessment

If the property has a homestead exemption, the transfer can wipe out years of accumulated tax savings. Florida’s Save Our Homes provision caps annual increases in a homestead’s assessed value at 3% or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. When ownership changes, the property loses the cap and is reassessed at full market value the next January 1.¹²

Some transfers are exempt from reassessment:

Transfers between spouses, including transfers to a surviving spouse or incident to a divorce.¹²
Deeds that only correct an error in a name or legal description.
Adding a name to title without changing the homestead claimant, as long as the added person does not apply for homestead exemption on the property.
Certain transfers at death by operation of law to a surviving spouse, minor child, or legally dependent family member.

On property where market value has risen well above assessed value, losing the cap can raise the annual property tax bill by thousands of dollars. Confirm with the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser before recording whether a specific transfer qualifies for an exception.

Federal Gift Tax and Cost Basis

When a quitclaim deed transfers property as a gift rather than a sale, two federal rules apply. The 2026 annual gift tax exclusion is $19,000 per recipient.¹³ If the property’s fair market value exceeds that amount, the grantor must file IRS Form 709, though no tax is owed until cumulative lifetime gifts exceed the 2026 basic exclusion amount of $15,000,000.¹⁴

The grantee also takes the grantor’s cost basis, a “carryover basis.” If the grantor bought the house for $120,000 thirty years ago and gifts it today at a $500,000 value, the grantee’s basis is still $120,000, and the grantee would owe capital gains tax on roughly $380,000 of gain on a later sale. Property received through inheritance instead gets a stepped-up basis to fair market value at date of death, which can eliminate that gain. Families with substantial real estate equity often benefit from professional tax advice before using a quitclaim deed as a gifting tool.

1
Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, Palm Beach County. Forms for Recording
2
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 689.025 – Form of Quitclaim Deed Prescribed
3
Palm Beach County Property Appraiser. What Is a PCN?
4
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 695.26 – Requirements for Recording Instruments Affecting Real Property
5
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 689.01 – How Real Estate Conveyed
6
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 117.05
7
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 201.02 – Tax on Deeds and Other Instruments Relating to Real Property or Interests in Real Property
8
Florida Department of Revenue. Documentary Stamp Tax
9
Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, Palm Beach County. Locations
10
Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, Palm Beach County. Recording
11
Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, Palm Beach County. Recording FAQ
12
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 193.155 – Homestead Assessments
13
Internal Revenue Service. Gifts and Inheritances
14
Internal Revenue Service. What’s New – Estate and Gift Tax