Why People File a Quitclaim Deed in Hinsdale County
Just Got Married
If your attorney or lender suggested adding your spouse to the title, a quitclaim deed is almost always the document they meant.
Going Through a Divorce
If both names are still on the title after a divorce and shouldn't be, a quitclaim deed is the fix.
Inherited Property
Families juggling an inherited property between several heirs often use a quitclaim deed to simplify who's actually on the title.
Gifting to Family
Parents who'd rather see their kids benefit from a property now, instead of waiting on an inheritance, often use a quitclaim deed to make that transfer.
About the Hinsdale County Clerk and Recorder
Established in 1874 and named for Colorado politician and newspaperman George A. Hinsdale, the county's only town, Lake City, was founded the same year as a supply center for silver and gold camps in the surrounding San Juan Mountains. Mining peaked around 1900 and had largely ended by the 1920s; today Hinsdale County is Colorado's least populous county, with an economy built almost entirely on tourism and outdoor recreation -- fishing, hiking, jeeping, and access to the surrounding wilderness.
Cities and Communities Served
Recording jurisdiction runs countywide, not by city limits — if the property sits anywhere within Hinsdale County, this is the Hinsdale County Clerk and Recorder that will accept the deed. That includes:
Incorporated city: Lake City (county seat -- the only incorporated municipality in the county).
Unincorporated communities: Cathedral, Gateview.
Hinsdale is Colorado's least populous county, and Lake City is its only incorporated town.
Office Details
Address: 317 N Henson St, PO Box 9, Lake City, CO 81235
Phone: 970-944-2225 ext. 120
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Recording Fee: A flat, statewide per-document recording fee set by Colorado statute (the same amount applies in every county), plus small state technology surcharges. A separate state documentary fee applies to real estate transfers above a small statutory consideration threshold, calculated as a percentage of the sale price rather than a flat charge.
E-recording: Hinsdale County accepts e-recording through Simplifile.
Good to know before you go: The Clerk and Recorder's office is located downstairs inside the Hinsdale County Courthouse rather than in a separate building.
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 Hinsdale 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 Hinsdale 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. ยง 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 Hinsdale 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 Hinsdale 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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