Why People File a Quitclaim Deed in Ouray County
Just Got Married
A newly married couple deciding to formally share ownership of a pre-marriage property typically reaches for a quitclaim deed to do it.
Going Through a Divorce
A quitclaim deed lets a divorcing couple separate the property title without treating it as a sale between them.
Inherited Property
If probate has already resolved who owns the property, all that's usually left is a quitclaim deed to update the county's records.
Gifting to Family
A relative giving up their share of jointly owned property, as a gift to the others, usually does so with a quitclaim deed.
About the Ouray County Clerk and Recorder
Ouray County was carved out of San Juan County in January 1877, taking its name -- and that of its county seat -- from Chief Ouray of the Ute people. Gold discoveries in 1876 quickly built the town of Ouray into a mining-supply hub for the rich strikes at nearby Imogene and Yankee Boy basins, including Thomas Walsh's Camp Bird Mine, one of Colorado's most productive gold mines after its 1896 discovery. Ringed by peaks over 14,000 feet and fed by natural hot springs along the Uncompahgre River, the town has long marketed itself as the "Switzerland of America," and tourism built around its mountain scenery and geothermal pools has become the county's economic mainstay as mining declined.
Cities and Communities Served
Recording jurisdiction runs countywide, not by city limits — if the property sits anywhere within Ouray County, this is the Ouray County Clerk and Recorder that will accept the deed. That includes:
Incorporated cities: Ouray (county seat), Ridgway.
Unincorporated communities: Colona, Ridgway (surrounding unincorporated area).
Ouray and Ridgway are the only two incorporated municipalities in the county.
Office Details
Address: 541 4th Street, Ouray, CO 81427
Phone: 970-325-4961
Hours: Monday - Thursday, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Recording Fee: Under Colorado statute, the recorder's office charges a flat, per-document fee (not tied to page count) for recording, and real estate transfers also carry a separate state documentary fee figured as a small percentage of the sale price.
Good to know before you go: The Clerk and Recorder's office keeps a four-day public week, Monday through Thursday, and is closed 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 Ouray 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 Ouray 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 Ouray 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 Ouray 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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