Maryland Revocable Transfer on Death Deed

• Notary: Required^[1]
• Recording: Must be recorded in the land records of the county where the property is located, before the death of the owner^[2]
• Witnesses: Not required

The transfer on death deed must include the property’s legal description, which specifies the property’s exact location and boundaries. This description can typically be found on the current deed or property tax statements. The land records office can also provide this information.

Example

“Lot No. 14, Block A, as shown on the plat entitled “Section Two, Willow Creek Estates,” which plat is recorded among the Land Records of Howard County, Maryland, in Plat Book 43, page 116.”

The property owner may revoke a transfer on death deed by recording one of the following in the land records office:^[3]

1. A transfer on death deed expressly revoking the original deed;
2. An instrument of revocation; or
3. An inter vivos deed revoking the transfer on death deed.

These documents must be executed and acknowledged before they can be used to revoke a previously recorded transfer on death deed.

The signed and acknowledged transfer on death deed must be recorded in the land records of the county’s Clerk of the Circuit Court. The clerk will collect a recording fee based on the length of the instrument, from $50 to $125.^[4]