Saint Joseph County Warranty Deed Form

A Michigan warranty deed made by one individual grantor carries the strongest title promise Michigan law provides, and it makes that promise in two statutory words. This form prepares that deed: one owner, signing alone before a notary, conveying Michigan real property with the full covenants of MCL 565.151.

Two words that carry five covenants

Michigan wrote the warranty deed as a short form. Under MCL 565.151, a deed reciting that the grantor conveys and warrants the described premises for a stated sum passes a fee simple estate and binds the grantor to five covenants: lawful seizin, good right to convey, quiet possession, freedom from encumbrances except those stated, and a promise to warrant and defend the title against all lawful claims. Buyers and their lenders look for exactly this instrument, sometimes under the search names general warranty deed or statutory warranty deed, because its covenants reach the whole chain of title, not just the grantor's own time on it.

The deed's encumbrances section does real work in that design: matters listed there, such as recorded easements and plat restrictions, are carved out of the covenant against encumbrances, so the deed promises exactly what the parties intend it to promise.

One grantor, one signature, one certificate

The form recites a single individual grantor and carries one signature line and one acknowledgment certificate arranged for Michigan's notarial content rules, including the notary's county of commission and acting county under MCL 55.287. A sole owner selling a home, an unmarried owner conveying land, and an owner who took title individually and now transfers it present the single grantor pattern this deed recites. Michigan abolished dower in 2017, so a spouse without record title has no signature line on a current deed solely because of marriage; title held by two spouses as tenants by the entirety, or by co-owners, an entity, or a fiduciary, presents a different signer configuration than this form is set up as. The grantee side stays flexible: the deed accommodates one or more grantees, and the guide describes the vesting words Michigan recognizes, from tenancy in common to joint tenancy with full rights of survivorship.

The face of a Michigan deed does tax work

Michigan collects state and county transfer tax at recording, $8.60 per $1,000 of value at the ordinary combined rate, charged to the grantor. The form's transfer tax section states the total consideration, or a claimed exemption with its citation, on the face of the deed, the way MCL 207.525 and MCL 207.504 require, and the guide explains the valuation affidavit alternative for a transfer that keeps the price off the deed itself. A warranty deed also passes through the county treasurer for a tax certification under MCL 211.135 before the register of deeds records it, and the new owner files a Property Transfer Affidavit with the local assessor within 45 days of the transfer; the guide walks through each step, including Michigan's flat $30 recording fee.

Built to Michigan's recording format

Michigan registers of deeds reject nonconforming instruments rather than charging a penalty fee, so format is not cosmetic here. The form follows MCL 565.201: the recordable event identified on the first line of print, 2.5 inches of unprinted space at the top of the first page, half inch margins on the remaining sides, 10 point type, black ink on white 20 pound paper, the grantee's address, the signer's name printed beneath the signature line, and the drafter statement Michigan has required since 1964. A section for the Land Division Act statements, including the exact right to farm language every deed of unplatted Michigan land carries, is built in.

What arrives with the form

The purchase delivers the fillable warranty deed form, a completed example showing a realistic Kent County transfer from start to finish, and a plain language guide that covers every section of the form, the signing and notary formalities, and the recording process. The materials are informational and are not legal advice.