Why People File a Quitclaim Deed in Arapahoe County
Just Got Married
If marriage is the reason you're here, you're not alone — adding a spouse to the title is one of the simplest, most common uses of a quitclaim deed.
Going Through a Divorce
If your divorce settlement awarded you the property, a quitclaim deed is how you actually get your ex's name off the title.
Inherited Property
If you're sorting out property after losing a family member, a quitclaim deed is often the last step in getting the title updated to reflect the new owner.
Gifting to Family
Whether you're adding your child to the title or handing the property over outright, a quitclaim deed is the standard way families make that change here.
About the Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder
Arapahoe County holds the distinction of being Colorado's first county, created in 1855 while the area was still part of Kansas Territory, and its story begins with the Pike's Peak Gold Rush of 1858. The county was reshaped dramatically in 1902 when the state legislature split the sprawling original Arapahoe County into today's Arapahoe, Adams, Denver, Washington, and Yuma counties. Modern Arapahoe County now stretches from dense Denver-metro suburbs like Aurora, Littleton, and Centennial to rural plains communities such as Byers in its eastern reaches.
Cities and Communities Served
Recording jurisdiction runs countywide, not by city limits — if the property sits anywhere within Arapahoe County, this is the Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder that will accept the deed. That includes:
Incorporated cities: Littleton (Arapahoe County Government Center), Aurora (portion), Centennial, Englewood (portion), Greenwood Village, Sheridan, Byers, Deer Trail (portion).
Unincorporated communities: Byers (CDP), Watkins, Southglenn (now part of Centennial).
Denver was originally part of Arapahoe County before an 1902 reorganization split the historic county into Arapahoe, Adams, Denver, Washington, and Yuma counties.
Office Details
Address: 5334 S. Prince St., Littleton, CO 80120
Phone: 303-795-4520
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM (effective January 1, 2026); in-person services by appointment
Recording Fee: a flat, statewide per-document recording fee set by state statute (which includes a small technology/records-modernization surcharge), plus a separate documentary fee calculated as a small percentage of the property's sale price on deeds transferring real estate for value
E-recording: Yes — Arapahoe County accepts e-recording through four contracted submitters: CSC (formerly Ingeo), eRecording Partners Network (EPN), Indecomm Global Services, and Simplifile.
Good to know before you go: The Clerk and Recorder's office operates several branch locations across the county (Littleton, Centennial, Aurora, and Byers), each with a 24-hour drop box outside for document submission, but in-person appointments are required for counter service — walk-ins are not guaranteed to be seen.
How to File a Document
- Sign in Front of a Notary: Colorado requires the grantor's signature to be acknowledged before a notary public before the Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder will accept a deed for recording. No witnesses are required beyond the notary, and the grantee doesn't need to sign at all -- just the person giving up their interest in the property.
- Attach a Full Legal Description, Not Just an Address: A street address alone won't satisfy Colorado's requirements -- the deed needs the property's actual legal description (a metes-and-bounds description, a government survey reference, or a platted lot and block, depending on how the parcel was originally surveyed). You can usually copy this directly from the deed that transferred the property to you.
- Complete a Real Property Transfer Declaration (TD-1000): Colorado requires a separate Real Property Transfer Declaration (TD-1000) to accompany most deeds when they're filed, signed by the buyer or seller. It's a distinct form with its own signature, not a box you check on the deed -- the Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder can provide the current version and confirm whether your situation qualifies for an exemption.
- Consider Online Notarization if an In-Person Visit Is Hard: Colorado has permitted remote online notarization since Senate Bill 20-096 took effect on December 31, 2020 (C.R.S. § 24-21-514.5) -- so if getting to a notary's office in person is inconvenient, a signer may be able to complete the acknowledgment over live video with a Colorado-commissioned online notary instead.
- Record with the County Clerk and Recorder: Bring, mail, or (where the county supports it) e-file the signed, notarized deed and its Transfer Declaration with the Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder for the county where the property sits. Colorado's recording fee is set by state statute -- a flat rate per document -- and on top of that, Colorado charges a documentary fee calculated as a small percentage of the sale price, separate from the flat recording fee.
Still Have Questions About Filing With the Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder?
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Other Counties in Colorado
Filing somewhere else in the state? Here are a few other county pages:
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