Why People File a Quitclaim Deed in Archuleta County
Just Got Married
Newly married and updating who's on the title? That's exactly what a quitclaim deed is built for — a quick way to add your spouse's name to the property you already own.
Going Through a Divorce
Untangling ownership after a divorce usually comes down to one deed — this one — once you and your ex have settled who keeps the property.
Inherited Property
Inheriting a house doesn't automatically update the title — a quitclaim deed is usually how that final step gets handled.
Gifting to Family
Gifting a home to your kids or another family member? A quitclaim deed is how that gets recorded — no sale required.
About the Archuleta County Clerk and Recorder
Archuleta County was created in 1885 out of neighboring Conejos County and named for J.M. Archuleta, head of a prominent Spanish land-grant family in New Mexico. The town of Pagosa Springs grew up around Fort Lewis, an 1878 military post established along the San Juan River to protect the area's hot springs and travelers; the fort later moved west, but the town platted in 1883 and incorporated in 1891 remains the county's economic and civic center.
Cities and Communities Served
Recording jurisdiction runs countywide, not by city limits — if the property sits anywhere within Archuleta County, this is the Archuleta County Clerk and Recorder that will accept the deed. That includes:
Incorporated city: Pagosa Springs (county seat, and the only incorporated town in the county).
Unincorporated communities: Chimney Rock, Chromo, Juanita, Dyke, Arboles.
Pagosa Springs is the county's only incorporated municipality; nearly all other communities are unincorporated.
Office Details
Address: 305 Village Dr, Pagosa Springs, CO 81147
Phone: 970-264-8350
Hours: Monday - Thursday, 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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 — Archuleta County accepts e-recording through CSC eRecording, ErXchange, and Simplifile. Release Deeds of Trust can also be submitted electronically through the Public Trustee's separate system.
Good to know before you go: The office's mailing address (449 San Juan Street / PO Box 2589) is different from its physical, walk-in location at 305 Village Dr — mail sent to the street address for the mailing PO Box will not reach the counter. The office also runs a four-day week, Monday through Thursday, and is closed on Fridays.
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 Archuleta 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 Archuleta 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 Archuleta 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 Archuleta 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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