Essex County Certificate of Trust Form

Last validated August 18, 2026 by our Forms Development Team

Essex County Certificate of Trust Form

Essex County Certificate of Trust Form

Fill in the blank Certificate of Trust form formatted to comply with all Vermont recording and content requirements.

Document Last Validated 7/16/2026
Essex County Certificate of Trust Guide

Essex County Certificate of Trust Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the Certificate of Trust form.

Document Last Validated 8/13/2026
Essex County Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document

Essex County Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document

Example of a properly completed Vermont Certificate of Trust document for reference.

Document Last Validated 8/18/2026

All 3 documents above included • One-time purchase • No recurring fees

Immediate Download • Secure Checkout

Important: Your property must be located in Essex County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the office below.

Where to Record Your Documents

Unified Towns & Gores Office

Address:
233 Rt 105 in Ferdinand / Mail: PO Box 417
Island Pond, Vermont 05846

Hours: M 8:00 to 4:00 & Tu - F 8:00 to 3:00

Phone: (802) 723-5900

Town Clerk of Bloomfield

Address:
27 Schoolhouse Rd in Bloomfield / Mail: PO Box 336
North Stratford, New Hampshire 03590

Hours: Tu & Th 9:00 - 3:00 and by appointment

Phone: (802) 962-5191

Town Clerk of Brighton

Address:
49 Mill St Ext / PO Box 377
Brighton (Island Pond), Vermont 05846

Hours: M-F 8:00 - 3:30

Phone: (802) 723-4405

Town Clerk of Brunswick

Address:
994 VT Rte 102
Brunswick, Vermont 05905

Hours: M-F by appt (call first) & Th 4:00 - 6:00

Phone: (802) 962-5514

Town Clerk of Canaan

Address:
318 Christian Hill / PO Box 159
Canaan, Vermont 05903

Hours: M - F 9:00 to 3:00

Phone: (802) 266-3370

Town Clerk of Concord

Address:
374 Main St / PO Box 317
Concord, Vermont 05824

Hours: M, Th, F 9:00 to 3:00 & Tu 12:00 to 6:00

Phone: (802) 695-2220

Town Clerk of East Haven

Address:
64 Community Bldg Rd / PO Box 10
East Haven, Vermont 05837

Hours: Tu 1:00 to 6:00 & Th 8:00 to 1:00 and by appt

Phone: (802) 467-3772

Town Clerk of Granby

Address:
9005 Granby Rd / PO Box 56
Granby, Vermont 05840

Hours: by appointment

Phone: (802) 328-3611

Town Clerk of Guildhall

Address:
13 Courthouse Dr / PO Box 10
Guildhall, Vermont 05905

Hours: Tu 9:00 - 3:00 & Th. 12:00 - 6:00

Phone: (802) 676-3797

Town Clerk of Lemington

Address:
2549 River Rd (VT 102)
Lemington, Vermont 05903

Hours: Wed 2:30 - 5:30

Phone: (802) 277-4814

Town Clerk of Lunenburg

Address:
9 W Main St / PO Box 54
Lunenburg, Vermont 05906

Hours: M - F 8:30 to 12:00 & 1:00 to 3:00; Summer: closed at noon

Phone: (802) 892-5959

Town Clerk of Maidstone

Address:
508 State Rte 102 / PO Box 118
Guildhall, Vermont 05905

Hours: M & Th 9:00 - 3:00 or by appt

Phone: (802) 676-3210

Town Clerk of Norton

Address:
12 VT Route 114 E / PO Box 33
Norton, Vermont 05907

Hours: Tu 10:00 - 4:00; Th 10:00 - 12:00; F 1:00 - 5:00; last Sat/mth 10:00 - 12:00

Phone: (802) 822-9935

Town Clerk of Victory

Address:
102 Radar Rd, Victory / PO Box 609
North Concord, Vermont 05858

Hours: Tu & Th 10:00 to 3:00; other days by appt (695-3355)

Phone: (802) 328-2400

Recording Tips for Essex County:
  • Ensure all signatures are in blue or black ink
  • Ask if they accept credit cards - many offices are cash/check only
  • Request a receipt showing your recording numbers
  • Make copies of your documents before recording - keep originals safe
  • Consider using eRecording to avoid trips to the office

Cities and Jurisdictions in Essex County

Properties in any of these areas use Essex County forms:

  • Averill
  • Beecher Falls
  • Canaan
  • Concord
  • East Haven
  • Gilman
  • Granby
  • Guildhall
  • Island Pond
  • Lunenburg
  • North Concord
  • Norton

View Complete Recorder Office Guide

Hours, fees, requirements, and more for Essex County

How do I get my forms?

Forms are available for immediate download after payment. The Essex County forms will be in your account ready to download to your computer. An account is created for you during checkout if you don't have one. Forms are NOT emailed.

Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Essex County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable formatting requirements used for recording in Essex County, including margin requirements, font requirements, and other layout standards. This guarantee applies to formatting, not to the legal sufficiency of information entered by the user or the suitability of a form for a particular transaction.

Can I reuse these forms?

Yes. You can reuse the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have multiple properties in Essex County you only need to order once.

What do I need to use these forms?

The forms are PDFs that you fill out on your computer. You'll need Adobe Reader (free software that most computers already have). You do NOT enter your property information online - you download the blank forms and complete them privately on your own computer.

Are there any recurring fees?

No. This is a one-time purchase. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.

How much does it cost to record in Essex County?

Recording fees in Essex County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (802) 723-5900 for current fees.

Questions answered? Let's get started!

A Vermont certificate of trust for a trust with one individual trustee carries a single sworn signature: the trustee signs under oath before a notary public, and the certificate states that the individual named in it is the sole trustee empowered to act under the trust instrument. This fillable form prepares that certificate, the document Vermont practice also calls a certification of trust or trustee certificate, under 14A V.S.A. § 1013 of the Vermont Trust Code.

Proof of the trust without recording the trust

When a living trust holds Vermont real estate, the trust instrument itself usually stays out of the public records, and the land records show only a deed running to the trustee. Anyone dealing with that trustee, a buyer, a lender, a title examiner, or the town clerk indexing the records, still wants documentation that the trust exists and that the trustee holds authority to act. Section 1013 answers with a certificate that sets forth less than all of the provisions of the trust instrument and deliberately omits the dispositive terms, so the private side of the estate plan, who benefits and on what conditions, never enters the record. Once recorded, the certificate serves to document the trust's existence, the trustee's identity, and the trustee's powers as though the full trust instrument had been recorded, and the statute makes it conclusive proof as to the matters it contains, subject to stated exceptions. A person who in good faith enters into a transaction in reliance on the certification may enforce the transaction against the trust property as if its representations were correct.

One trustee, one sworn signature

The form is configured for a sole individual trustee. Section 4 carries the trustee's name and mailing address together with a statement that the individual named is the only trustee empowered to act at the time of execution, which is how the certificate answers the statute's requirement to name each empowered trustee. One signature line and one notarial certificate follow. A settlor serving as trustee of a revocable living trust that holds a Vermont home, and a successor trustee who has taken office alone under the trust's succession provisions, present the sole-trustee pattern this certificate states. A trust with two or more cotrustees empowered to act, or with a bank or trust company as trustee, presents facts outside this form's sole-trustee statement.

A stricter checklist than the uniform version

Vermont kept its own detailed certificate requirements when it adopted the Trust Code, and § 1013 asks for more than the uniform text used in many states. The certificate identifies the trust by name and date, names the settlor and the original trustee, states the date of any amendments, and carries an abstract of the provisions of the trust instrument that authorize the trustee to act. It then makes the sworn statements the statute lists: the trust exists, the trust instrument has not been revoked or amended as to the authorizing provisions, no provisions of the trust instrument limit the authority granted, and the trust either is not supervised by any court or, if supervised, all necessary approval has been obtained. The signature of the trustee must be under oath, so the notarial certificate on this form is a jurat, the sworn form, rather than the acknowledgment found on deeds. The form's numbered sections walk through the statutory checklist in order.

Recording with the town clerk

Vermont records land documents by municipality rather than by county. The certificate is recorded in the land records of the town or city where the land identified in it is located, at the statewide fee of 15 dollars per page under 32 V.S.A. § 1671. No property transfer tax return accompanies it, because a certificate of trust transfers nothing; the return travels with a deed. For trust assets other than real estate, the statute also contemplates presenting the certificate directly to a bank or other third party, and a recipient may request excerpts of the trust provisions that designate the trustee and confer the power to act, though never the entire instrument.

The download contains three pieces: the blank certificate as a fillable PDF, a completed example showing the document filled in for a realistic Vermont fact pattern, and a plain-language guide that walks through each numbered section, the sworn signing, and recording at the town clerk's office. The materials are informational and are not legal advice; a Vermont attorney can address how the statute operates on a specific trust or title.

Important: Your property must be located in Essex County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the office below.

This Certificate of Trust meets all recording requirements specific to Essex County.

Our Promise

The documents you receive here are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable Essex County recording format requirements. If there is a rejection caused by our formatting, we will correct the issue or refund your payment. This guarantee applies to document formatting only and does not extend to information entered by the user, the selection of the form, or the legal effect of the completed document.

Save Time and Money

Get your Essex County Certificate of Trust form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.

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