Why People File a Quitclaim Deed in San Juan County
Just Got Married
One of the more common reasons this office sees quitclaim deeds filed is simply: a couple got married and wants the title to reflect that.
Going Through a Divorce
Once property division is settled in a divorce, a quitclaim deed is what actually severs joint ownership on paper.
Inherited Property
If a will divided a property among several children, a quitclaim deed is often the tool used to later consolidate it under one name.
Gifting to Family
If a relative offered to give you their portion of a jointly owned property, a quitclaim deed is what makes that gift official.
About the San Juan County Clerk and Recorder
San Juan County is Colorado's least populous county and, at an average elevation above 11,000 feet, the highest county in the country. Its economy was built almost entirely on silver and gold mining centered on the county seat of Silverton, whose production peaked around the turn of the twentieth century before the district's last major mine and mill closed in 1992. Today Silverton -- reached by the narrow-gauge Durango & Silverton Railroad -- anchors an economy built around tourism, including rail excursions, backcountry skiing, and off-road recreation on old mining roads.
Cities and Communities Served
Recording jurisdiction runs countywide, not by city limits — if the property sits anywhere within San Juan County, this is the San Juan County Clerk and Recorder that will accept the deed. That includes:
Incorporated city: Silverton (county seat).
Unincorporated communities: Eureka, Animas Forks, Howardsville.
Silverton is San Juan County's only incorporated municipality; the other communities listed are small historic mining sites, some now largely or entirely ghost towns.
Office Details
Address: 1557 Greene Street, P.O. Box 466, Silverton, CO 81433
Phone: 970-387-8040
Hours: Monday, 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM; Tuesday and Thursday, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM (closed Wednesday, Friday)
Recording Fee: Colorado sets recording fees by state statute: a flat per-document fee applies regardless of page count, plus a small state documentary fee calculated as a percentage of the sale price on real property transfers where the consideration exceeds a statutory threshold; certain document types are exempt from the documentary fee.
E-recording: Yes -- San Juan County is part of the CSC (Corporation Service Company) eRecording network.
Good to know before you go: Because the Clerk and Recorder's office operates on a limited, non-consecutive schedule rather than five days a week, the office itself advises calling ahead before making the trip to Silverton to confirm someone is available.
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 San Juan 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 San Juan 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 San Juan 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 San Juan 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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