Whatcom County Special Warranty Deed Form (Washington)

All Whatcom County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:

Special Warranty Deed Form

Whatcom County Special Warranty Deed Form

Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.
Included Whatcom County compliant document last validated/updated 4/3/2025

Special Warranty Deed Guide

Whatcom County Special Warranty Deed Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included Whatcom County compliant document last validated/updated 5/2/2025

Completed Example of the Special Warranty Deed Document

Whatcom County Completed Example of the Special Warranty Deed Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included Whatcom County compliant document last validated/updated 6/5/2025

When using these Special Warranty Deed forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in Whatcom County. The executed documents should then be recorded in the following office:

Whatcom County Auditor: Recording

311 Grand Ave, Suite 103, Bellingham, Washington 98225

Hours: 8:30 to 4:30 M-F

Phone: (360) 778-5100

Local jurisdictions located in Whatcom County include:

  • Acme
  • Bellingham
  • Blaine
  • Custer
  • Deming
  • Everson
  • Ferndale
  • Lummi Island
  • Lynden
  • Maple Falls
  • Nooksack
  • Point Roberts
  • Sumas

How long does it take to get my forms?

Forms are available immediately after submitting payment.

How do I get my forms, are they emailed?

Immediately after you submit payment, the Whatcom County forms you order will be available for download directly from your account. You can then download the forms to your computer. If you do not already have an account, one will be created for you as part of the order process, and your login details will be provided to you. If you encounter any issues accessing your forms, please reach out to our support team for assistance. Forms are NOT emailed to you.

What does "validated/updated" mean?

This indicates the most recent date when at least one of the following occurred:

  • Updated: The document was updated or changed to remain compliant.
  • Validated: The document was examined by an attorney or staff, or it was successfully recorded in Whatcom County using our eRecording service.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Whatcom County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Whatcom County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.

Can the Special Warranty Deed forms be re-used?

Yes. You can re-use the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have more than one property in Whatcom County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Whatcom County.

What are supplemental forms?

Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by Washington or Whatcom County. These could be tax related, informational, or even as simple as a coversheet. Supplemental forms are provided for free with your order where available.

What type of files are the forms?

All of our Whatcom County Special Warranty Deed forms are PDFs. You will need to have or get Adobe Reader to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I need any special software to use these forms?

You will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I have to enter all of my property information online?

No. The blank forms are downloaded to your computer and you fill them out there, at your convenience.

Can I save the completed form, email it to someone?

Yes, you can save your deed form at any point with your information in it. The forms can also be emailed, blank or complete, as attachments.

Are there any recurring fees involved?

No. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.

In Washington State, title to real property can be transferred from one party to another using a special warranty deed. When recorded, a special warranty deed conveys an interest in real property to the named grantee with limited warranties of title.

Special warranty deeds convey real property in fee simple to the grantee typically with the covenants from the grantor that the property is free from encumbrances made by the grantor and that the grantor will defend the grantee's title against any lawful claim arising by, through, or under the grantor, but none other. This means that the deed will not protect the grantee against title issues that arose prior to the time the grantor acquired title. A special warranty deed is recognizable by the terms "convey and warrant specially."

In addition to meeting all state and local standards for recorded documents, a lawful special warranty deed includes the grantor's full name, mailing address, and marital status, the consideration given for the transfer, and the grantee's full name, marital status, vesting, and mailing address. Vesting describes how the grantee holds title to the property. Generally, real property is owned in either sole ownership or in co-ownership. For Washington residential property, the primary methods for holding title are tenancy in common, joint tenancy, and community property. A conveyance of real estate to two or more persons creates a tenancy in common, unless a joint tenancy is declared (RCW 64-28-010). A conveyance to a married couple is presumed to be community property, unless declared otherwise (RCW 64-28-020, 64-28-040).

As with any conveyance of realty, a special warranty deed requires a complete legal description of the parcel. In Washington, an abbreviated legal description of the property must appear on the first page of the instrument. If the full legal description appears elsewhere in the deed, its located should be indicated on the first page (RCW 65-04-045).

Recite the prior deed reference to maintain a clear chain of title, and detail any restrictions associated with the property. The finished copy of the deed must be signed by the grantor (and his or her spouse, if applicable) and notarized. Record the original completed deed, along with any additional materials, at the recorder or auditor's office of the county where the property is located. Contact the same office to verify recording fees and accepted forms of payment.

In Washington, real estate excise tax is levied based on the amount of consideration. If the transfer is exempt from the excise tax, denote the reason for the exemption on the face of the deed. Find a list of exempt transfers at RCW 458-61A-200 through 217.

This article is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Contact a Washington lawyer with any questions related to the transfer of real property.

(Washington SWD Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)

Our Promise

The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Whatcom County recording requirements for formatting. If there's an issue caused by our formatting, we'll make it right and refund your payment.

Save Time and Money

Get your Whatcom County Special Warranty Deed 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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June 30th, 2025

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June 29th, 2025

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July 19th, 2023

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Michael D.

August 19th, 2019

Your Guide is very good but does not explain precisely where one can find the Instrument Number for the originally filed Claim of Lien.

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August 17th, 2020

Quick turnaround and superior customer service from my reviewer. Above and beyond my expectations and took the time to look into the lengthy list of other counties I have to confirm you are able to e-record for me. I appreciate all the time and effort taken to help me.

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June 2nd, 2020

It's going well so far!

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April 4th, 2019

Very quick, easy and readily available forms. No wait, no advertisements, no pressure to purchase MORE. I expected to only get part of the information I needed, and for there to be a hidden cost to get the complete package, but surprisingly, I got immediate access to all the forms I ordered, AND THERE WERE NO ADDITIONAL HIDDEN COSTS! How refreshing!

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May 21st, 2020

Definitely 5 stars. Everything was taken care of well within 24 hours. If our law firm needs to record a single document in a different county again, we will use your service. Thanks!

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donald h.

January 26th, 2019

very informative and thank everyone involved,my deed needed to be changed and will adjusted.




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Christine L.

May 17th, 2020

I was very pleased with your service. You got me the information I required within one day. Thank you!

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Samuel M.

October 8th, 2020

it was convenient to have a starting place, however, though the property is in Colorado, the probate is in Iowa, so I had to create my own document because you locked my capacity to edit the form I paid for. If I pay for it, I should be able to edit everything including non fill in text. I could not open it in word, as I normally could.

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Bverly C.

May 31st, 2019

I got the form and guide just fine, but the "completed example" showed up as another blank form.

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Joseph S.

November 27th, 2023

THIS IS MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH DEEDS.COM. I DLED THE ESTATE DEED FORM THAT I HOPE WILL GO THROUGH OK WITH THE COUNTY. IT WILL BE SOMETIME UNTIL I HAVE IT FILLED IN AND ALL THE NAMES IN, NORARIZED AND FILED. CAN I RECONTACT YOU FOLKS IF THERE IS A PROBLEM? THANK YOU, JOE SEUBERT

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Terrance S.

January 2nd, 2019

No review provided.

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