To transfer a deed in Ohio, you choose the right type of deed, fill it out with the property’s legal description and the parties’ details, sign it in front of a notary, and file it with two county offices: the auditor first, then the recorder. Recording fees start at $34 for a standard deed, and if money changes hands you will also owe a conveyance fee based on the sale price, usually around $4 per $1,000 of value. Mistakes at any step can cloud the title for decades, so the details matter more here than in most paperwork.
Pick the Right Deed for the Situation
Ohio recognizes several deed forms, and they differ in how much the grantor (the person giving up the property) promises to the grantee (the person receiving it).
A general warranty deed gives the grantee the strongest protection. The grantor promises they own the property in fee simple, that it is free of encumbrances, and that they will defend the title against any claim from any point in the property’s history.1Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 5302.06 – General Warranty Covenants Meaning and Effect This is the standard for residential sales.
A limited warranty deed covers only claims arising through the grantor’s own period of ownership, not earlier.2Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 5302.07 – Limited Warranty Deed Form Banks selling foreclosures and commercial sellers often use it.
A fiduciary deed is used by executors, trustees, guardians, and court-appointed receivers. The grantor confirms only that they were properly appointed and followed the rules for the sale, not that the underlying title is good.3Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 5302.09 – Deed of Executor, Administrator, Trustee, Guardian, Receiver, or Commissioner Form
A quitclaim deed transfers whatever interest the grantor has, with no promises at all.4Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 5302.11 – Quit-Claim Deed Form These are common between family members, divorcing spouses, or when clearing an old ambiguous claim off a title.
A survivorship deed gives two or more grantees equal shares and passes each share automatically to the surviving owners when one dies, avoiding probate. Without survivorship language, a deed to two or more people creates a tenancy in common instead, with no automatic transfer at death.5Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 5302.19 – Tenancy in Common
What the Deed Must Include
Every Ohio deed must show the grantee’s full name, county of residence, and mailing address, along with a statement of whether the grantor and grantee are married or unmarried. If either is married, the spouse’s full name has to appear as well.6Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 5309.80 – Statements or Indorsements Contained in Instruments Presented for Registration
Marital status is not a formality. Ohio still recognizes dower rights, meaning a surviving spouse can have a legal interest in property owned by the other spouse. If you are married and transferring property, your spouse generally needs to sign to release that dower interest, and the standard Ohio deed forms include a dower release line for exactly that purpose. Skipping marital status can create a title cloud that hangs on for 50 years.
The deed also needs the property’s full legal description, not just the street address. That means the boundary description used in the county records: for township parcels, the quarter, range, section, township, county, and state; for parcels inside a town or village, the lot number, subdivision name, and municipality.7Williams County, OH. Legal Description Copy the legal description from the existing deed exactly. An error can invalidate the transfer or convey the wrong parcel.
Finally, reference the prior instrument: the volume and page where the previous deed was recorded. That reference keeps the chain of title traceable.
Prepare the Conveyance Fee Statement
The deed does not travel alone. You also need a conveyance fee statement for the county auditor.
If value changed hands, use DTE Form 100 (Real Property Conveyance Fee Statement of Value and Receipt). It reports the sale price, which the auditor uses to calculate the conveyance fee.
If nothing of value was exchanged, use DTE Form 100EX to claim an exemption.8Ohio Department of Taxation. DTE 100EX – Statement of Reason for Exemption From Real Property Conveyance Fee Common exempt transfers include gifts from parent to child, transfers between spouses, corrections to a prior deed, and transfers to or from a government entity.9Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 319.54 – Duties of County Auditor The 100EX lists every qualifying category; pick the one that fits.
Both forms are available on your county auditor’s or fiscal officer’s website. Complete the form before you go, because the auditor will not process the transfer without it.
Sign the Deed in Front of a Notary
The grantor has to sign the deed before a notary public. The notary confirms identity, checks that the signer is acting willingly, and stamps or seals the acknowledgment. Ohio will not record a deed without it. If a spouse is signing to release dower, that spouse also has to appear before the notary.
Ohio has allowed remote online notarization since September 2019.10Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 147.65 – Online Notary Public Electronic Journal The signer and notary meet by live video on an approved platform, the notary verifies ID and uses an electronic seal, and the full session is recorded and kept in a secure electronic journal.
File With the County Auditor, Then the Recorder
Filing is two stops, and the order matters.
Step One: the Auditor
Bring the signed and notarized deed and your DTE Form 100 or 100EX to the county auditor. The auditor reviews the paperwork, checks the legal description against county records, and calculates the conveyance fee if one applies. Ohio counties can charge up to $3 per $1,000 of value on top of the mandatory state portion.11Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 322.02 – Real Property Transfer Tax In most counties, the combined rate is about $4 per $1,000.12Marion County Auditor. Transfer Fee Calculator On a $250,000 sale that comes to $1,000. When everything checks out, the auditor stamps the deed.
Step Two: the Recorder
Take the stamped deed to the county recorder. The recorder enters it into the public land records, which officially completes the transfer and puts the world on notice of the new ownership. Recording fees are set by statute: $34 for the first two pages, $8 for each additional page, plus a document preservation surcharge of up to $5.13Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 317.32 – Recording Fees A typical deed runs two to four pages, so expect roughly $39 to $51 in recording costs.
Record promptly. Under Ohio law, an unrecorded deed is fraudulent as against a later buyer who purchases the same property in good faith and without notice.14Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 5301.25 – Recording of Conveyances If your seller turns around and sells the same property to someone else who records first, you can lose the property.
If the Goal Is Transferring at Death
If you are trying to pass property to someone when you die rather than transferring it now, a regular deed is the wrong tool. Ohio offers a transfer on death (TOD) beneficiary designation that you build into a deed. You name one or more beneficiaries, keep full control of the property during your life, and the property passes to them outside probate when the last owner dies. You can revoke or change the beneficiary at any time by recording a new deed. The TOD designation gives the beneficiary no ownership interest while you are alive.15Justia Law. Ohio Code 5302.22 – Transfer on Death Deed
Tax and Mortgage Traps Before You Sign
Non-sale transfers can trigger consequences that surprise people.
Gift Tax
Transferring property to someone without receiving fair market value in return is a gift as far as the IRS is concerned. For 2026, the federal gift tax annual exclusion is $19,000 per recipient.16Internal Revenue Service. Gifts and Inheritances Real estate almost always exceeds that, which means filing IRS Form 709. You may not owe tax right away because the excess applies against your lifetime exemption ($15,000,000 for 2026), but the return still has to be filed.17Internal Revenue Service. What’s New – Estate and Gift Tax
The recipient also takes the grantor’s original tax basis rather than a stepped-up basis. If they later sell, they could owe capital gains tax on every dollar of appreciation since the grantor first bought the property.
Due-on-Sale Clauses
If there is still a mortgage on the property, transferring the deed without the lender’s written consent can trigger a due-on-sale clause, letting the lender demand the full remaining balance immediately.18GovInfo. 12 USC 1701j-3 – Due-on-Sale Clauses Federal law protects some transfers from acceleration, including transfers on the borrower’s death, transfers to a spouse or child, and transfers tied to divorce or legal separation. Transfers to unrelated buyers, and some transfers into trusts, are not protected. Read the mortgage and call the lender before you move a property that still carries a loan.