Why People File a Quitclaim Deed in Summit County
Just Got Married
Some people update the title the week after the wedding; others get to it years later — a quitclaim deed handles either case the same way.
Going Through a Divorce
Some people file the quitclaim deed the same week as the divorce is finalized; others let it sit — either way, it's the document that finishes the job.
Inherited Property
If you've been living in a family property you inherited but never formally retitled, a quitclaim deed is how you make that official.
Gifting to Family
If the plan was always to give this property to a specific family member, a quitclaim deed is how that plan finally becomes official.
About the Summit County Clerk and Recorder
Summit County's mining era began in 1859 when prospectors crossed the Continental Divide into the Blue River valley in search of gold, giving rise to camps that grew into Breckenridge, Frisco, and Dillon. Breckenridge nearly became a ghost town as mining declined, but the opening of the Breckenridge Ski Area in 1961 -- followed by Keystone in 1970 and Copper Mountain in 1972 -- reshaped the county into one of Colorado's premier ski destinations, and completion of the Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70 in 1973 cut the drive from Denver to roughly ninety minutes. Summit County's four major resorts now draw a substantial share of all Colorado ski visits, and tourism dominates the local economy.
Cities and Communities Served
Recording jurisdiction runs countywide, not by city limits — if the property sits anywhere within Summit County, this is the Summit County Clerk and Recorder that will accept the deed. That includes:
Incorporated cities: Breckenridge (county seat), Blue River, Dillon, Frisco, Montezuma, Silverthorne.
Unincorporated communities: Keystone, Copper Mountain, Heeney.
Office Details
Address: 208 E Lincoln Avenue, Breckenridge, CO 80424 (physical); P.O. Box 1538, Breckenridge, CO 80424 (mailing)
Phone: 970-453-3470
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
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 -- Summit County accepts e-recording through Simplifile and CSC (Corporation Service Company).
Good to know before you go: The recording counter keeps free public self-service terminals for searching real estate records during business hours, and electronic submissions have a same-day cutoff of 3:00 PM Mountain time -- documents e-recorded after that are typically processed the next business day.
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 Summit 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 Summit 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 Summit 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 Summit 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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