Washington County Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Couple as Grantors) Form
Last validated August 6, 2026 by our Forms Development Team
Washington County Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Couple as Grantors) Form
Fill in the blank Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Couple as Grantors) form formatted to comply with all Vermont recording and content requirements.
Washington County Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Couple as Grantors) Guide
Line by line guide explaining every blank on the Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Couple as Grantors) form.
Washington County Completed Example of the Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Couple as Grantors) Document
Example of a properly completed Vermont Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Couple as Grantors) document for reference.
All 3 documents above included • One-time purchase • No recurring fees
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Additional Vermont and Washington County documents included at no extra charge:
Where to Record Your Documents
City of Barre: Clerk
Barre, Vermont 05641
Hours: Mo-Fr 7:30 to 4:30
Phone: (802) 476-0242
Town of Barre: Clerk
Websterville, Vermont 05678
Hours: Mo-Fr 8:00 to 4:30
Phone: (802) 479-9391/9392
Town Clerk of Berlin
Berlin, Vermont 05602
Hours: Mo-Th 8:30 to 3:30
Phone: (802) 229-9298
Town Clerk of Cabot
Cabot, Vermont 05647
Hours: Mo-Th 9:00 to 5:00
Phone: (802) 563-2279
Town Clerk of Calais
East Calais, Vermont 05650
Hours: Mo-Th 8:00 to 4:00
Phone: (802) 456-8720
Town Clerk of Duxbury
Duxbury, Vermont 05676
Hours: Tu-Fr 7:30 to 3:30
Phone: (802) 244-6660
Clerk of East Montpelier
East Montpelier, Vermont 05651-0157
Hours: Mo-Th 9:00 to 5:00; Fr 9:00 to noon
Phone: (802) 223-3313 x201
Town Clerk of Fayston
North Fayston, Vermont 05660
Hours: Mo-Th 9:00 to 3:30 & Fr 9:00 to 3:00
Phone: (802) 496-2454 x21
Town Clerk of Marshfield
Marshfield, Vermont 05658
Hours: Tu-Fr 8:00 to 12:00 & 12:30 to 4:00
Phone: (802) 426-3305
Town Clerk of Middlesex
Middlesex, Vermont 05602
Hours: Mo-Th 8:30 to 4:30
Phone: (802) 223-5915
City of Montpelier: Clerk
Montpelier, Vermont 05602
Hours: Mo-Fr 8:00 to 4:30
Phone: (802) 223-9500
Town Clerk of Moretown
Waterbury, Vermont 05676
Hours: Mo-Fr 7:00 to 2:45
Phone: (802) 882-8218
Town Clerk of Northfield
Northfield, Vermont 05663
Hours: Mo-Fr 8:00 to 4:30
Phone: (802) 485-5421
Town of Plainfield
Plainfield, Vermont 05667
Hours: Mo, We, Fr 7:30 to 12:00 & 12:30 to 4:00
Phone: (802) 454-8461
Town Clerk of Roxbury
Roxbury, Vermont 05669
Hours: Tu-Fr 9:00 to 12:00 & 1:00 to 4:00
Phone: (802) 485-7840
Town Clerk of Waitsfield
Waitsfield, Vermont 05673
Hours: Mo-Fr 8:00 to 4:30
Phone: (802) 496-2218
Town Clerk of Warren
Warren, Vermont 05674
Hours: Mo-Fr 9:00 to 4:30
Phone: (802) 496-2709 x21
Town Clerk of Waterbury
Waterbury, Vermont 05676
Hours: Mo-Fr 8:00 to 4:30
Phone: (802) 244-8447
Town Clerk of Woodbury
Woodbury, Vermont 05681
Hours: Mo-Th 9:00 to 1:00 & Mo 6:00 to 8:00
Phone: (802) 456-7051
Town Clerk of Worcester
Worcester, Vermont 05682
Hours: Mo 9:00 to 12:00; Tu-Th 9:00 to 3:00; We to 5:00
Phone: (802) 223-6942
Recording Tips for Washington County:
- Ensure all signatures are in blue or black ink
- Check that your notary's commission hasn't expired
- Verify all names are spelled correctly before recording
- Leave recording info boxes blank - the office fills these
Cities and Jurisdictions in Washington County
Properties in any of these areas use Washington County forms:
- Adamant
- Barre
- Cabot
- Calais
- East Barre
- East Calais
- East Montpelier
- Graniteville
- Marshfield
- Montpelier
- Moretown
- North Montpelier
- Northfield
- Northfield Falls
- Plainfield
- South Barre
- Waitsfield
- Warren
- Waterbury
- Waterbury Center
- Websterville
- Woodbury
- Worcester
Hours, fees, requirements, and more for Washington County
How do I get my forms?
Forms are available for immediate download after payment. The Washington 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 Washington County?
Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable formatting requirements used for recording in Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington County?
Recording fees in Washington County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (802) 476-0242 for current fees.
Questions answered? Let's get started!
Two Vermont spouses can sign one deed that names who receives their home after both of them are gone, while keeping every meaningful right of ownership for as long as either of them lives. This Vermont Enhanced Life Estate Deed is set up for that exact configuration: a married couple as grantors, both signing, with the reserved rights running to the couple and then to the surviving spouse alone.
A deed that waits for the second death
Vermont wrote the enhanced life estate deed, often searched as a lady bird deed or ELE deed, into statute in 2020 as chapter 6 of Title 27, the Enhanced Life Estate Deed Act. The grantees named in the deed take only a contingent remainder: no present interest, nothing their creditors can reach, and nothing they can sell while a grantor lives; a transfer that attempts to convey the contingent remainder early is void by statute. If the couple never conveys the property away, title vests in the grantees at the surviving spouse's death, outside probate and subject to whatever encumbrances are then of record.
Until then, the statute keeps the owners in charge. A validly executed and recorded ELE deed does not affect the grantors' ownership rights, and the grantors may sell, mortgage, lease, gift, or otherwise convey the property with no joinder by, consent from, or notice to the grantees. Recording a new deed changes the plan: a deed from the grantors back to themselves revokes, and a new enhanced life estate deed naming all intended grantees revises and supersedes the earlier one.
The married couple configuration
The form recites exactly two grantors who are married to each other, and it states that each spouse joins in the execution and acknowledgment of the deed, the joinder Vermont's homestead and tenancy by the entirety statutes describe for property spouses hold together. The reserved rights clause follows the statutory form's plural wording: the grantors, or the survivor of them, reserve a common law life estate with exclusive use, possession, and enjoyment, plus the right to convey. After the first death, that whole bundle belongs to the surviving spouse alone, and the grantees still hold nothing vested until the second death. Two signature blocks and an acknowledgment certificate for each spouse carry the execution, so the spouses may acknowledge together or on different dates. A sole owner's deed, and a deed for co-owners who are not married to each other, recite different grantor patterns than this one.
Statutory language, Vermont recording
The deed follows the optional statutory form in 27 V.S.A. Section 660, from the granting words GIVE, GRANT, SELL, CONVEY, AND CONFIRM through the reserved rights clause, the habendum, and the statutory covenants, with the property description, source of title, and nature of tenancy collected in numbered sections. The nature of tenancy entry states how multiple grantees hold title when it vests, and the statute supplies default outcomes when a grantee dies before the grantors, one rule for tenants in common and another for joint tenants.
Vermont records deeds with the clerk of the town or city where the land lies; there is no county recording system. The clerk charges the statewide fifteen dollars per page and, by statute, cannot record the deed unless a completed Vermont Property Transfer Tax Return, Form PTT-172, and the required Act 250 certificate come with it. An executed and recorded enhanced life estate deed is subject to the property transfer tax even where the conveyance is without consideration, and the tax statutes include a refund petition when a taxed ELE interest is later revoked or revised. The guide included with this form walks through the return, the rates and exemptions, and the town recording steps.
What is in the download
The package contains the blank deed as a fillable PDF, a completed example showing the whole document filled in for a realistic Chittenden County fact pattern, and a plain language guide that covers each numbered section, the vesting choices for the grantees, signing before the notary, and recording at the town clerk's office. The materials are informational and are not legal advice; a Vermont attorney can apply chapter 6 to a specific title or estate plan.
Important: Your property must be located in Washington County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the office below.
This Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Couple as Grantors) meets all recording requirements specific to Washington County.
Our Promise
The documents you receive here are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable Washington 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 Washington County Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Couple as Grantors) 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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November 3rd, 2020
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January 31st, 2026
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December 24th, 2018
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August 25th, 2020
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October 25th, 2019
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November 11th, 2020
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