Why People File a Quitclaim Deed in Chaffee County
Just Got Married
Plenty of newlyweds end up here just to add a name to an existing deed — no refinance, no closing, just the paperwork that makes joint ownership official.
Going Through a Divorce
Divorcing couples commonly use a quitclaim deed as the last step in separating property once everything else has been agreed to.
Inherited Property
Once an estate is settled and ownership is clear, a quitclaim deed is how that new ownership gets reflected on the county's records.
Gifting to Family
Passing a property to your kids now, rather than through a will later, usually means filing a quitclaim deed.
About the Chaffee County Clerk and Recorder
Chaffee County was created in 1879 and named for Jerome B. Chaffee, Colorado's first U.S. Senator, with the mining camp of Granite originally serving as county seat. The seat later moved amid real local drama: after Buena Vista won a relocation election in 1880, a group of its businessmen reportedly drove a train to Granite, broke into the courthouse, and hauled the county records, safe, and even the stove back to Buena Vista — only for Salida to out-vote Buena Vista in a rematch election in 1928 and take over as seat for good. Today the county is known for having the highest concentration of 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado, including Mt. Elbert, the state's tallest.
Cities and Communities Served
Recording jurisdiction runs countywide, not by city limits — if the property sits anywhere within Chaffee County, this is the Chaffee County Clerk and Recorder that will accept the deed. That includes:
Incorporated cities: Salida (county seat), Buena Vista, Poncha Springs.
Office Details
Address: 104 Crestone Ave, Salida, CO 81201
Phone: 719-539-4004
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM, closed for lunch 12:00 PM - 12:30 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 — Chaffee County is a live jurisdiction for Simplifile e-recording.
Good to know before you go: The recording counter closes for lunch daily from 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM, separate from its standard 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM hours, and documents can be dropped off in Room 100 of the Salida office at 104 Crestone Ave.
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 Chaffee 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 Chaffee 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 Chaffee 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 Chaffee 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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