Washington Quitclaim Deed

Washington's 39 County Auditor Offices

Washington has 39 counties, each with its own Auditor's office responsible for recording deeds, mortgages, liens, and other documents affecting real property (King County is the one exception, where a dedicated Recorder's Office handles the function instead). To record a quitclaim deed, you file with the office in the county where the property is located — find yours in the alphabetical list below.

Recording Real Estate Documents With The County Auditor

Real estate law affects most people daily, whether they are homeowners, landlords, renters, home buyers, or sellers. For detailed recording requirements, refer to the appropriate section in the navigation menu at the top of this page.

Purchasing a home involves the law of real property, and trained real estate lawyers deal with the unique issues inherent in property use and ownership.

What is Title, and Why Does it Need to be Recorded?

To establish ownership, a deed signed by the property owner must be legally recorded at the county auditor's office. Learn about property legal descriptions in the header portion at the beginning of this webpage.

Does Recording Real Estate Documents Invoke any Protection?

Recorded real estate documents do not establish ownership but serve as a public record of titles.

Recorded documents are often used to help resolve disputes between two parties competing for a claim.

The date of recording can help determine the ownership timeline where two parties have deeds to the same property. They provide important information that both buyers and sellers of real estate can use, as well as government authorities. With mortgage liens, for example, the court can use the date of recordings to determine priority on which ones will receive payment first.

Select the County Where Your Property Is Located