Elkhart County Quitclaim Deed Form

Indiana never published a quitclaim deed form. What the Code publishes is a sentence: IC 32-21-1-15 provides that a conveyance of land worded in substance as one party quitclaiming to another, describing the premises and the sum, and signed and acknowledged by the grantor, is a good and sufficient conveyance in quitclaim. Every other line a county recorder looks for comes from elsewhere in the statutes, and this fillable deed gathers them into one instrument for owners signing in their own names.

One Verb, and the Measure Behind It

The operative word is quitclaims, and IC 32-17-2-2 sets its reach: a deed of release or quitclaim passes all the estate the grantor may convey by a deed of bargain and sale. A mortgage the grantor gave, a judgment docketed against the grantor, a recorded easement, and a mineral reservation all survive it. An undivided one third interest arrives as an undivided one third interest. Where the record holds nothing in the grantor's name, nothing reaches the grantee, and no covenant of title stands behind the result. Section 8 states that measure inside the instrument, so the page reads as Indiana's statutory release rather than a warranty form with its promises deleted.

One or Two Names on Each Side

The party blocks are open. Grantor(s) and Grantee(s) are free form entries sized for two names apiece, and nothing about marital status, capacity, or ownership form is preprinted, so the deed reads the way the parties' own title reads. Four count patterns come off one instrument: one or two grantors conveying to one or two grantees. Two signature blocks follow, headed GRANTOR and SECOND GRANTOR, each above the printed name line of IC 36-2-11-16(c) and each with its own acknowledgment certificate, so two signers may appear before different notarial officers on different days. A single grantor conveyance leaves the second block and certificate blank. Record patterns presenting this configuration include a sole owner deeding a parcel to an adult child, two co-owners consolidating title in one name, and a surviving co-owner passing on an inherited parcel. Every signer is a natural person signing for that person's own record interest. It is not set up for a corporation, a limited liability company, a partnership, a trustee, a signer under a power of attorney, a court appointed fiduciary, or three or more owners on a side.

Where the Vesting Words Go

With two grantees, the words entered beside their names decide the ownership form. IC 32-17-2-1 supplies both the default and the escape from it: a conveyance to two or more persons is a tenancy in common unless the instrument states a joint tenancy and survivorship or that intention manifestly appears, and unless the grantees are spouses. A conveyance to a married couple carries the entireties presumption of IC 32-17-3-1, which is why IC 32-17-3-4 later takes the joint deed of both spouses to move that estate. The example writes that wording out in full behind two grantee names.

Four Lines a Recorder Looks For

Indiana closes a recordable deed with statutory statements, and the form prints a labeled blank for each. IC 32-21-2-3(e) calls for the address to which property tax statements go under IC 6-1.1-22-8.1 and the grantee's mailing address, as a street address or rural route. IC 36-2-11-15 calls for the preparer statement and the affirmation about redacting Social Security numbers. IC 36-2-11-16(c) calls for the printed name beneath each signature. IC 36-2-11-16.5 governs the paper: black ink, ten point type or larger, and two inch clean margins top and bottom on the first and last pages.

The County Sequence Behind a Recording

Consideration sets the first stop. A transfer for valuable consideration is a conveyance under IC 6-1.1-5.5 and carries a sales disclosure form to the county assessor, though the chapter excludes a quitclaim deed that does not serve as a source of title. The auditor's taxation endorsement comes next, which IC 36-2-11-14 makes a condition of recording. The recorder then takes the deed for the flat twenty five dollars of IC 36-2-7-10, with no Indiana transfer tax, and IC 32-21-4-1 dates the grantee's priority from the time of filing.

Three files arrive with the purchase: the fillable Indiana quitclaim deed built to the state recording format, a completed example in which two owners convey an Evansville parcel recorded in Vanderburgh County, and a guide covering every entry, both certificates, and the filing sequence. These pages describe Indiana law in general terms and are informational; they are not legal advice.