A Missouri quitclaim deed has to be signed by the grantor, say whether each grantor is married or unmarried, carry a notary's acknowledgment, list a legal description and a mailing address for a grantee, and leave a three-inch blank margin at the top of page one. It records at the recorder of deeds in the county where the land sits for about $23 to $26 for the first page in the counties we checked, and Missouri has no transfer tax to pay with it.
This is general information, not legal advice. A real estate attorney in your state can confirm how it applies to you.
If you need the basics first, read how a quitclaim deed works in general.
What does a Missouri quitclaim deed need to say?
Missouri keeps this short. RSMo 442.020 says land can be conveyed by a deed executed by a person with authority, "acknowledged and recorded as herein directed, without any other act or ceremony whatever." We did not find a statutory quitclaim form in chapter 442; the deed is the grantor's signed words giving up whatever interest the grantor has, in a form your attorney or title company drafts. Quitclaim deed vs warranty deed covers what that wording does and does not promise.
Four Missouri items carry the weight:
- Signature. The grantor, or a lawful agent, subscribes the deed (RSMo 442.130.1).
- Marital status. Subsection 2 of the same section says every written instrument conveying real estate "shall state whether any natural person acting as grantors, mortgagors, or other parties executing the instrument are married or unmarried." The 2022 version of this section stands after a court struck down a companion bill on other grounds.
- Legal description and a grantee address. RSMo 59.330.2 requires a legal description in every deed, and a mailing address for one of the grantees. The recorder "shall not record" without them, though the deed's validity does not depend on either.
- No Social Security or bank numbers. RSMo 59.331 tells preparers to leave them out.
Does a Missouri deed need a notary, and does it need witnesses?
A notary, and no witnesses. RSMo 442.150 lets a court clerk or notary take the acknowledgment inside Missouri and any notary outside the state but inside the United States. The certificate follows the forms in 442.210, which includes the line that the person "acknowledged that he (or they) executed the same as his (or their) free act and deed."
Nothing in 442.130 or 442.150 asks for a witness. A deed acknowledged and recorded is the whole ceremony.
What does the recorder check on the first page?
RSMo 59.310 lets the county recorder refuse any document that misses the format rules. Page one has to show, below a three-inch blank margin at the top, the document title, its date, all grantors' names and marital status, all grantees' names, any statutory addresses, and the legal description. Other margins are at least three-fourths of an inch, type is eight-point or larger in black or dark ink, paper is white or light, single-sided, at least 20-pound, and each signature has the name typed or printed under it.
A document that misses the rules can still be recorded for an extra $25 (59.310.3), and a rejected one comes back with the reason (59.310.5). Boone County's schedule shows the same split: $26.00 first page for a standard document, $51.00 for a non-standard one. St. Louis City is governed by a parallel section, 59.313, whose first-page list does not mention marital status, but the 442.130 line still applies to the deed itself.
How much does it cost to record a quitclaim deed in Missouri?
The statute builds a floor. The recorder's base fee is $5 for the first page and $3 for each added page (59.310.6(1)). On top of that, 59.319 adds a $6 user fee on every instrument and a further $3 for the Missouri housing trust fund on deeds and similar documents, in the version amended by 2026 S.B. 938 for documents on or after August 28, 2026. That adds to $14 for page one of a deed before any county charges.
Counties list more than the floor:
| County | First page | Each added page | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greene | $26.00 | $3.00 | Fee page, no date shown |
| Boone | $26.00 | $3.00 | $51.00 first page if non-standard |
| Jackson | $23 | $3 | For documents received on or after Aug 28, 2026 |
Clay County's page reads $24 and $3 with a note of a $2 statewide increase effective August 28, 2026. We have not been able to read the schedule that explains each county's add-ons, so ask your recorder for the exact number before you mail a check. A one-page deed in Greene or Boone is $26.00, and a two-page deed is $29.00.
Is there a transfer tax on a Missouri quitclaim deed?
No, according to the sources we checked. The one we could read says Missouri does not impose a state or local real estate transfer tax, though it cites no statute, so take that as a strong lead rather than a ruling. It means the deed carries no tax stamp and the recording fee is the whole government charge. A title company still charges its own fees on a sale, which have nothing to do with the recorder.
What if you only want the land to pass at death?
A quitclaim deed now is permanent. If you want a child or trust to receive the land when you die and keep control until then, Missouri has a beneficiary deed, RSMo 461.025. It is a deed that "expressly states that the deed is not to take effect until the death of the owner," and it works if it is executed and recorded before the owner dies. It needs no consideration and no delivery to the beneficiary, and it can name a trust, revocable or not. The owner keeps the land during life.
That is a different tool from a lifetime quitclaim, and an attorney should pick between them. If the point is to avoid a probate filing, the beneficiary deed is the one built for it.
What a quitclaim deed does not do in Missouri
It does not remove anyone from a loan and does not stop a lender from calling one; that story is in quitclaim deed and a mortgage. It does not give the grantee a warranty, and it does not fix a defect in the chain of title.
If the goal is to sell rather than transfer, a quitclaim is rarely what a buyer's title company wants. Owners who would rather skip a listing can sell land in Missouri for cash and close in 7 to 21 days, and what it costs to record in other states is at what a quitclaim deed costs. Each state's form is listed at quitclaim deed forms by state.
FAQs
How much does it cost to record a quitclaim deed in Missouri?
$26.00 for the first page in Greene and Boone counties and $23 in Jackson County for documents received on or after August 28, 2026, plus $3 for each added page. Missouri counties set their own totals above the state floor.
Does Missouri require marital status on a deed?
Yes. RSMo 442.130 requires every written instrument that conveys real estate to state whether each natural-person grantor is married or unmarried.
Does a Missouri quitclaim deed have to be notarized?
Yes. The grantor's signature is acknowledged before a notary or other officer listed in RSMo 442.150. Witnesses are not required.
What is a Missouri beneficiary deed?
A recorded deed that takes effect only at the owner's death (RSMo 461.025). The owner keeps the land during life and needs no consideration or delivery to the beneficiary.