Why People File a Quitclaim Deed in Huerfano County
Just Got Married
Second marriages bring their own title questions, and adding a new spouse via quitclaim deed is one of the more common answers.
Going Through a Divorce
Some couples handle the deed themselves right after the divorce; others wait — either way, a quitclaim deed is the document that gets it done.
Inherited Property
An heir taking sole ownership of a property that several siblings inherited jointly usually does so with a quitclaim deed.
Gifting to Family
A property gifted within the family still needs a title update — a quitclaim deed is the standard way to record it.
About the Huerfano County Clerk and Recorder
Named for the Spanish word for 'orphan' (a reference to a solitary volcanic butte along the Huerfano River), the county was settled in the mid-1800s by Hispanic families from New Mexico and the San Luis Valley before Fred Walsen's mercantile business grew into the county seat that bears his name. Coal mining, which began in 1876, drove the local economy for more than a century -- over 50 mines once operated in the county, with a workforce that pushed the population as high as roughly 17,000 -- but the industry's collapse after coal heating declined in the 1930s left Huerfano County among Colorado's more economically challenged communities today.
Cities and Communities Served
Recording jurisdiction runs countywide, not by city limits — if the property sits anywhere within Huerfano County, this is the Huerfano County Clerk and Recorder that will accept the deed. That includes:
Incorporated cities: Walsenburg (county seat), La Veta.
Unincorporated communities: Gardner, Cuchara, Farisita.
Office Details
Address: 401 Main St, Suite 204, Walsenburg, CO 81089
Phone: 719-738-2380
Hours: Monday - Thursday, 7:30 AM - 5:30 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.
Good to know before you go: The Recording counter keeps shorter hours than the rest of the Clerk and Recorder's office -- Monday through Thursday, roughly 7:30 AM to 3:00 PM -- even though the general office stays open until 5:30 PM, so plan an in-person recording visit for the morning or early afternoon.
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 Huerfano 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 Huerfano 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 Huerfano 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 Huerfano 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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