Franklin County Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Grantor with Non-Owner Spouse Joinder) Form

Last validated July 16, 2026 by our Forms Development Team

Franklin County Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Grantor with Non-Owner Spouse Joinder) Form

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.

Document Last Validated 7/16/2026
Franklin County Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Grantor with Non-Owner Spouse Joinder) Guide

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.

Document Last Validated 7/16/2026
Franklin County Completed Example of the Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Married Grantor with Non-Owner Spouse Joinder) Document

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.

Document Last Validated 7/16/2026

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

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

Where to Record Your Documents

Town Clerk of Bakersfield

Address:
40 E Bakersfield Rd / PO Box 203
Bakersfield, Vermont 05441

Hours: M - F 9:00 to 12:00 & 7:00 to 8:00

Phone: (802) 827-4495

Town Clerk of Berkshire

Address:
4454 Watertower Rd
Enosburgh, Vermont 05450

Hours: M & Tu 8-12, 1-5; W & Th 9-12, 1-4

Phone: (802) 933-2335

Town Clerk of Enosburgh

Address:
239 Main St / PO Box 465
Enosburgh Falls, Vermont 05450

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

Phone: (802) 933-4421

Town Clerk of Fairfax

Address:
12 Buck Hollow Rd
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

Address:
25 North Rd / PO Box 5
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

Address:
215 Cambridge Rd
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

Address:
5167 Main St / PO Box 82
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

Address:
47 Town Common Rd N
St. Albans, Vermont 05478

Hours: M-F 8:00 - 4:00

Phone: (802) 524-3524

Town Clerk of Highgate

Address:
2996 VT Route 78 / PO Box 189
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

Address:
98 Main St / PO Box 356
Montgomery, Vermont 05471

Hours: M 8-12 & 1-6; Tu, Th, F 8-12 & 1-4

Phone: (802) 326-4719

Town Clerk of Richford

Address:
94 Main St / PO Box 236
Richford, Vermont 05476

Hours: M - Th 8:00 - 5:00; F 8:00 - noon

Phone: (802) 848-7751 x3

City of St. Albans Clerk

Address:
100 N Main St / PO Box 867
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

Address:
579 Lake Rd, St. Albans Town / PO Box 37
St. Albans Bay, Vermont 05481

Hours: M-F 8:00 - 4:00

Phone: (802) 524-2415

Town Clerk of Sheldon

Address:
1640 Main St / PO Box 66
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

Address:
1 Academy St / PO Box 711
Swanton, Vermont 05488

Hours: M-F 7:00 to 5:00

Phone: (802) 868-4421

Recording Tips for Franklin County:
  • Recorded documents become public record - avoid including SSNs
  • Recording fees may differ from what's posted online - verify current rates
  • Make copies of your documents before recording - keep originals safe
  • Recording early in the week helps ensure same-week processing
  • Multi-page documents may require additional fees per page

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

View Complete Recorder Office Guide

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. 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 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 office below.

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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