Franklin County Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Grantor with Non-Owner Spouse Joinder) Form
Last validated September 3, 2026 by our Forms Development TeamFormatted for recording in Franklin County, for property anywhere in the county: rural and unincorporated areas as well as Bakersfield, East Berkshire, East Fairfield, Enosburg Falls, Fairfield, Franklin, Highgate Center, Highgate Springs and 8 more.
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- Immediate PDF download
- Formatting guarantee

Franklin County Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Grantor with Non-Owner Spouse Joinder) Form
Fill in the blank Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Grantor with Non-Owner Spouse Joinder) form formatted to comply with all Vermont recording and content requirements.

Franklin County Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Grantor with Non-Owner Spouse Joinder) Guide
Line by line guide explaining every blank on the Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Grantor with Non-Owner Spouse Joinder) form.

Franklin County Completed Example of the Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Grantor with Non-Owner Spouse Joinder) Document
Example of a properly completed Vermont Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Grantor with Non-Owner Spouse Joinder) document for reference.
All 3 documents above included • One-time purchase • No recurring fees
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Additional Vermont and Franklin County documents included at no extra charge:
Where to Record Your Documents
Town Clerk of Bakersfield
Bakersfield, Vermont 05441
Hours: M - F 9:00 to 12:00 & 7:00 to 8:00
Phone: (802) 827-4495
Town Clerk of Berkshire
Enosburgh, Vermont 05450
Hours: M & Tu 8-12, 1-5; W & Th 9-12, 1-4
Phone: (802) 933-2335
Town Clerk of Enosburgh
Enosburgh Falls, Vermont 05450
Hours: M - F 8:00 to 3:30
Phone: (802) 933-4421
Town Clerk of Fairfax
Fairfax, Vermont 05454
Hours: M - F 9:00 to 4:00; 1st & 3rd Mon 6:00 to 8:00
Phone: (802) 849-6111
Town Clerk of Fairfield
Fairfield, Vermont 05455
Hours: M, Tu, Th, F 8:00 to 3:00; W 10:30 to 5:30
Phone: (802) 827-3261 x1
Town Clerk of Fletcher
Cambridge, Vermont 05444
Hours: M 8 - 3:30 & 6:30 - 8:30; Tu - Th 8 to 3:30
Phone: (802) 849-6616
Town Clerk of Franklin
Franklin, Vermont 05457
Hours: M, Tu, F 8:30 to 3:30; W 8:30 to noon; Th 8:30 to 6:00
Phone: (802) 285-2101
Town Clerk of Georgia
St. Albans, Vermont 05478
Hours: M-F 8:00 - 4:00
Phone: (802) 524-3524
Town Clerk of Highgate
Highgate Ctr, Vermont 05459
Hours: M-F 8:30 to 12 & 1:00 to 4:30
Phone: (802) 868-4697 X201
Town Clerk of Montgomery
Montgomery, Vermont 05471
Hours: M 8-12 & 1-6; Tu, Th, F 8-12 & 1-4
Phone: (802) 326-4719
Town Clerk of Richford
Richford, Vermont 05476
Hours: M - Th 8:00 - 5:00; F 8:00 - noon
Phone: (802) 848-7751 x3
City of St. Albans Clerk
St. Albans, Vermont 05478-0867
Hours: M-F 7:30 - 4:30; last Sat 9:00 - 12:00
Phone: (802) 524-1501 x264
Town of St. Albans Clerk
St. Albans Bay, Vermont 05481
Hours: M-F 8:00 - 4:00
Phone: (802) 524-2415
Town Clerk of Sheldon
Sheldon, Vermont 05483
Hours: M 8:00 to 6:00 & Tu-F 8:00 to 3:00
Phone: (802) 933-2524 x3
Town Clerk of Swanton
Swanton, Vermont 05488
Hours: M-F 7:00 to 5:00
Phone: (802) 868-4421
Recording Tips for Franklin County:
- Bring your driver's license or state-issued photo ID
- Ensure all signatures are in blue or black ink
- Ask about accepted payment methods when you call ahead
- Ask for certified copies if you need them for other transactions
- Ask if they accept credit cards - many offices are cash/check only
Cities and Jurisdictions in Franklin County
Properties in any of these areas use Franklin County forms:
- Bakersfield
- East Berkshire
- East Fairfield
- Enosburg Falls
- Fairfield
- Franklin
- Highgate Center
- Highgate Springs
- Montgomery
- Montgomery Center
- Richford
- Saint Albans
- Saint Albans Bay
- Sheldon
- Sheldon Springs
- Swanton
Hours, fees, requirements, and more for Franklin County
How do I get my forms?
Forms are available for immediate download after payment. The Franklin 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 Franklin County?
Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable formatting requirements used for recording in Franklin 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 Franklin 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. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader is recommended, and most PDF apps also work. 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 Franklin County?
Recording fees in Franklin County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (802) 827-4495 for current fees.
Questions answered? Let's get started!
One signature would leave the homestead question open; this deed carries two. The Vermont Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Grantor with Non-Owner Spouse Joinder) prepares an enhanced life estate deed, the instrument also searched as a lady bird deed or Medicaid deed, for one married record owner of Vermont real property whose spouse does not appear on the title.
One record owner, two signatures
The form names a single Grantor, the spouse who holds record title, and a joining spouse who owns nothing of record. Vermont law makes a married owner's conveyance of the homestead inoperative as to the homestead unless the other spouse joins in the execution and acknowledgment, 27 V.S.A. Section 141, and no Vermont appellate decision yet says whether that rule reaches a deed in which the owner keeps a life estate and the right to convey. This deed answers the question on the face of the record instead of leaving it to argument: the non-owner spouse signs a labeled joinder block and acknowledges before a notary, and the joinder clause states that the spouse takes no interest under the deed and shares none of the reserved rights. Owners who took title before the marriage, and owners holding inherited property in one name, present the pattern this form describes.
A life estate the statute enhances
An ordinary life estate deed locks the owner in, because selling or mortgaging afterward takes the remainderman's signature. Vermont's Enhanced Life Estate Deed Act, 27 V.S.A. chapter 6, in effect since July 13, 2020, gives statutory footing to the alternative Vermont practitioners built for years under names like lady bird deed and Italian deed. The Grantor reserves a common law life estate together with the right to convey the property, and the named grantees receive only a contingent remainder. The recorded deed changes nothing during the Grantor's life: it does not affect the Grantor's ownership or the rights of the Grantor's creditors, it transfers no present interest, and it keeps the property clear of the grantees' creditors under 27 V.S.A. Section 654. The Grantor may sell, mortgage, revise, or revoke without the grantees' joinder, consent, or notice. At the Grantor's death, title vests in the surviving grantees outside probate, subject to encumbrances of record.
Grantees, tenancy, and later changes
The grantee section accepts one or more grantees and a nature of tenancy entry stating how several grantees hold once title vests: as tenants in common, the Vermont default under 27 V.S.A. Section 2, as joint tenants, or, for grantees married to each other, as tenants by the entirety. The statute also plans for change. The Grantor revokes by recording a deed back to the Grantor and revises by recording a new enhanced life estate deed naming all grantees; each is a separate recorded instrument, prepared apart from this package.
Recording with the town clerk
Vermont records land town by town, not by county, so the deed goes to the clerk of the town or city where the land lies, at $15.00 per page under 32 V.S.A. Section 1671. A completed Property Transfer Tax Return, Form PTT-172, travels with it; the clerk cannot record the deed without one under 32 V.S.A. Section 9608, and an executed and recorded enhanced life estate deed is subject to the property transfer tax. Where the deed is later revoked or revised, 32 V.S.A. Section 9617(8)(B) lets the person who paid the tax petition for a refund. The acknowledgment certificates follow the statutory short form wording, and the guide walks through the return, the rates, and the principal residence treatment at the moment they matter.
What the download includes
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 covering every numbered section, the signing and notarization mechanics for both spouses, and the recording steps. The materials describe Vermont law in general terms and are not legal advice; a Vermont attorney can apply these rules to a particular title.
Important: Your property must be located in Franklin County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the county recording office listed above.
This Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Grantor with Non-Owner Spouse Joinder) meets all recording requirements specific to Franklin County.
Our Promise
The documents you receive here are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable Franklin 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 Franklin County Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Grantor with Non-Owner Spouse Joinder) 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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Russell L. 5 out of 5 stars
Your Personal Representative's Deed and example for the state of PA were extremely helpful. Exactly what I needed! Two feedback comments: 1. Valuation Factors/Short List in my download is an outdated table dated July 2020. The PA Dept of Revenue website has a more current table dated June 2021. (Maybe same for Valuation Factors/Long List, which I didn't use.) 2. Notarization section on deed page 3 has a gender-related input needed, which confused the Notary Public representative where I live in the state of CO. Notary input the word she to apply to my wife, but wasn't clear to him if the gender input applied to the Grantor or the Notary. He assumed Grantor. Also in our non-binary world, some might find that wording offensive. Thanks again for your documents. Russ Lewis
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