Franklin County Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Trustee Grantee) Form

Last validated July 16, 2026 by our Forms Development Team

Franklin County Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Trustee Grantee) Form

Franklin County Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Trustee Grantee) Form

Fill in the blank Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Trustee Grantee) form formatted to comply with all Vermont recording and content requirements.

Document Last Validated 7/16/2026
Franklin County Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Trustee Grantee) Guide

Franklin County Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Trustee Grantee) Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Trustee Grantee) form.

Document Last Validated 7/16/2026
Franklin County Completed Example of the Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Trustee Grantee) Document

Franklin County Completed Example of the Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Trustee Grantee) Document

Example of a properly completed Vermont Enhanced Life Estate Deed (Trustee Grantee) 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:
  • White-out or correction fluid may cause rejection
  • Ask if they accept credit cards - many offices are cash/check only
  • Check that your notary's commission hasn't expired
  • Leave recording info boxes blank - the office fills these
  • Ask about accepted payment methods when you call ahead

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!

On this Vermont enhanced life estate deed, the grantee line does not name an heir; it names a trustee. One owner conveys a contingent remainder to a named individual as trustee of an identified trust, and not individually, while reserving a common law life estate and the unrestricted right to convey the property during life. The form prepares that trustee grantee configuration under 27 V.S.A. chapter 6, the Enhanced Life Estate Deed Act, the statute behind what Vermont practice has long called a lady bird deed or Medicaid deed.

A remainder that lands in a trust, not an estate

An ordinary Vermont ELE deed sends the property to individual grantees at the owner's death. This deed sends it into a trust: if the property has not been conveyed away during life, title vests at the grantor's death in the trustee of the identified trust then serving, subject to encumbrances of record, and the trust instrument takes over from there. Probate administration of the property is bypassed, and so is the individual-grantee question of what happens when a remainder holder dies first. During the owner's life the arrangement stays dormant; 27 V.S.A. § 654 states that a validly executed and recorded ELE deed transfers no present right, title, or interest, so the property is not a trust asset while the owner lives and the owner's creditors and homestead position stay exactly as they were.

Lifetime control the statute spells out

Chapter 6 writes the reserved powers into defined mechanics. The grantor may sell, mortgage, lease, or give away the property, or any portion of it, without joinder by, consent from, agreement of, or notice to the trustee. Revoking the deed means recording a deed from the grantor back to the grantor; revising it means recording a new ELE deed naming a different or additional grantee, which supersedes and replaces the prior one. The trustee holds a contingent remainder that cannot be conveyed during the grantor's life, and the statute keeps the property clear of the grantee's creditors. The deed itself carries the § 660 statutory form language, including the operative words GIVE, GRANT, SELL, CONVEY, AND CONFIRM and the reservation of a common law life estate with exclusive use, possession, and enjoyment.

The successor trustee section

Section 658 of the Act supplies default rules when a named grantee dies before the grantor, and it opens with the words unless the ELE deed provides otherwise. This form provides otherwise. Its successor trustee section ties the remainder to the office of trustee rather than to the individual: if the named trustee dies, resigns, is removed, or otherwise stops serving before the grantor's death, the contingent remainder follows the successor trustee determined under the trust instrument, and at the grantor's death title vests in whoever then holds the office. A change of trustee inside the trust does not call for a new deed.

Signing and recording in Vermont towns

The grantor, who must be a natural person under § 653(4), signs before a notary public; the trustee does not sign, because § 655 makes the deed effective without the grantee's acceptance. The form carries a homestead joinder signature block and second acknowledgment certificate for the spouse of a married grantor, tied to the joinder statutes at 27 V.S.A. §§ 141 and 349. Recording happens at the town level, with the clerk of the town or city where the land lies, at the statewide fee of $15.00 per page, and the town clerk cannot accept the deed unless a completed Vermont Property Transfer Tax Return, Form PTT-172, comes with it. An executed and recorded ELE deed is subject to the property transfer tax, and where the deed is later revoked or revised, 32 V.S.A. § 9617(8)(B) supplies a refund petition route.

The package contains the enhanced life estate deed as a fillable PDF built for Vermont recording standards, a completed example showing every section filled in for a realistic Chittenden County fact pattern, and a plain language guide that walks through the form section by section, the notarization details, and the town recording process including the transfer tax return. The materials are informational and are not legal advice.

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 (Trustee Grantee) 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 (Trustee Grantee) 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.

4.8 out of 5 - ( 4756 Reviews )

Sandra S.

April 10th, 2019

Very helpful, with blank and sample completed documents. The only thing I was confused about was the "legal description" of my property. The documents weren't too helpful on what that meant. Otherwise they were great. It saved me $200 to prepare these myself.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Linda H.

February 5th, 2026

This was so easy to download, open the files and then complete the document on the computer then printing out. I waited to review this until we took it to Courthouse for the Recorder of Deeds and the legal task is now done. An attorney would probably have charge $300. This is a real deal packet!

Reply from Staff

Thanks for sharing your experience, Linda. It’s great to hear the documents were easy to complete and accepted by the recorder with no issues.

Kahn B.

May 2nd, 2019

The Quitclaim deed seems pretty simple However I wonder if I can fll out the paper as easily as it looks I appreciate very much the sample and the direction for filling out the deed. Now I am in the process of gathering document to fill out the deed and I think only when after everything done, I may have a clear idea how good the Quitclaim Deed is. I hope I can follow instruction and will successfully done the paperwork. Thank you very much.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Rick H.

May 11th, 2019

Website easy to use. Sample feed from helpful. Will know more after county reviews application.

Reply from Staff

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December 17th, 2021

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Reply from Staff

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Kenneth S.

December 30th, 2018

Navigating the site was fine, but the service was not able to find my deed. Still have not received my refund.

Reply from Staff

Thanks for your feedback Kenneth. Sorry we were not able to pull the deed for your property. We voided your payment on December 28, 2018. Sometimes, depending on your financial institution, it can take a few days for the pending charge (hold) to expire.

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February 19th, 2019

The process was easy and reasonable. My only problem was that, when I filled out my form on the computer, the writing I did overlapped with the pre-written words on the form, so that I had to end up doing it by hand. I've used DEEDS before and have not had that problem.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback Cherene. We've emailed you for some followup regarding the issue you reported.

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June 17th, 2020

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Reply from Staff

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January 20th, 2020

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Reply from Staff

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March 14th, 2019

My first time using it; very fast service. I am an estate planning attorney (44 years). None of my old title company contacts are around anymore to provide deed copies, so this is a great source. I will be using it again.

Reply from Staff

Thank you Lawrence, we appreciate your feedback. Have a fantastic day!

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March 13th, 2020

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Reply from Staff

Thank you!

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October 22nd, 2020

Excellent product. Wish I had found this site a week earlier. It would have saved me many hours of struggle and $40.00 in notary fees. Thanks and I will recommend to anyone needing forms.

Reply from Staff

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Sylvia Y.

September 2nd, 2020

Fantastic forms! So nice to have them formatted correctly for our county, the recorder here can be very picky with the margins. No issues at all.

Reply from Staff

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Patricia U.

February 25th, 2021

Quick and easy document recording from home! Wish I knew about this before!

Reply from Staff

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Roger M.

January 9th, 2019

Great package it was nice to be able to get everything required for recording this deed in one place.

Reply from Staff

Thanks Roger, we appreciate your feedback.