Nevada Deed Requirements

Nevada deeds must satisfy certain criteria established by the state legislature to be recorded. State statutes govern the formatting, content, and execution of deeds necessary for a valid conveyance. A county recorder may also have rules and guidelines for deeds in a particular county.

Formatting Requirements for Nevada Deeds

Nevada formatting standards deal with the arrangement and format of each of the elements of Nevada deeds. Nevada deeds must meet the following formatting requirements:

• Paper. Nevada deeds must be printed on white, 20-pound paper measuring 8 ½ x 11 inches.¹ Deed pages must not be bound together or include physically attached documents or materials.² Deeds must only have printed material on one side of each page.³
• Legibility. A Nevada deed must be sufficiently clear and legible to allow creation of readable copies or images using the method the county recorder uses to preserve records.⁴
• Font. Text within a Nevada deed should be printed in black ink using font no smaller than 10-point Times New Roman.⁵ No more than nine lines of text may be printed per vertical inch.⁶ A deed may not include highlighting, other colored markings, or a stamp or seal that overlaps text or a signature in the deed—other than a professional engineer’s or land surveyor’s validated stamp or seal.⁷
• First-page Margin. A Nevada deed’s first page must contain a 3 x 3-inch space in the upper right corner. All other margins must measure 1 inch.⁸

Content Requirements for Nevada Deeds

Nevada content requirements govern the substantive provisions that must be included in each Nevada deed form. Nevada deeds must meet the following content requirements:

• Title. Nevada deeds customarily include a title on the first page identifying the nature of the document being recorded.⁹
• Names of Parties. A deed must include the names of the property’s current owner (the grantor) and the new owner (the grantee) to allow for indexing.¹⁰
• Conveyance Language. A deed must include language indicating that the current owner is conveying the real estate to the new owner along with any terms or conditions of the conveyance.¹¹
• Description of Property. A Nevada deed must contain a complete legal description of the transferred property.¹² The assessor’s parcel number alone is not a complete legal description. A deed with a legal description provided in metes and bounds must identify by name and address the person who prepared the description. However, if a previously recorded document includes the same legal description, a deed may provide identifying information to locate the earlier document and need not identify the person who prepared the legal description.
• Assessor’s Parcel Number. The top-left corner of a deed’s first page must identify the county assessor’s parcel number assigned to the property if the assessor has assigned a parcel number to the property. A parcel number is not necessary if the deed deals exclusively with water rights.¹³
• Mailing Addresses; Tax Statements. A deed must state the new owner’s mailing address.¹⁴ If a document does not specify a new owner, it must state the mailing address of the person requesting recording. Deeds must likewise identify the mailing address of the person to whom tax statements for the property will be mailed.¹⁵ A deed must include on the face of the document a return address where the clerk should send the recorded deed after filing.
• Redaction of Personal Information. Any sensitive personal information—such as Social Security numbers—within a deed must be redacted unless specifically required by statute.¹⁶

Singing Requirements for Nevada Deeds

A Nevada deed is not valid unless it is signed as required by law. Nevada deeds must meet the following signature requirements:

• Current Owner’s Signature. The current property owner must sign a deed transferring real estate.¹⁷ The property owner’s name must be typed or legibly printed beneath the signature.¹⁸ The names of any other persons who sign the deed must likewise be included beneath the signature.
• Notarization. The current owner’s signature must be acknowledged before a notary or other authorized officer.¹⁹ The acknowledgement certificate must meet Nevada’s statutory requirements.²⁰

Recording Fees for Nevada Deeds

County recorders for each Nevada county are responsible for recording deeds upon receipt of the required fees.²¹ The new owner or other person requesting recording files the deed with the county recorder of the county where the real estate is located.²²

The base fee payable to the county recorder for recording a Nevada deed is $25.00—though additional recording fees are authorized by statute.²³ Individual counties may adopt county ordinances imposing additional recording fees. The precise recording fee depends upon the county in which the property is located and is typically around $42.00.

Nevada Transfer Tax and Exempt Deeds

Nevada assesses a real estate transfer tax due upon recording of most Nevada deeds transferring real estate for at least $100 in consideration.²⁴ The tax is assessed at a rate of $2.55 per $500.00 of property value in counties with populations over 700,000, or $1.95 per $500.00 in counties with populations below 700,000.²⁵ Counties may impose an additional transfer tax up to $0.10 per $500.00.²⁶

Nevada’s transfer tax statute identifies 14 categories of transfers to which the transfer tax does not apply.²⁷ Deeds exempt from Nevada’s transfer tax include:

• Deeds reflecting only a change in identity, form, or place of organization—such as deeds between affiliated business entities with identical common ownership;
• Deeds to governmental agencies;
• Deeds transferring title to recognize the property’s true ownership—such as a transfer pursuant to a previously recorded land sale contract;
• Deeds from one co-owner to another for no consideration;
• Deeds conveying title to a close family member of the current owner;
• Deeds between former spouses under a divorce decree (a copy of the divorce decree should be included with the deed to claim the exemption);
• Deeds to or from trusts without consideration if a certificate of trust is presented;
• Deeds transferring unpatented mines or mining claims;
• Deeds to a business entity if the person making the transfer is the 100% owner of the entity;
• Transfer on death deeds;
• Deeds transferring title pursuant to a plan of reorganization in a bankruptcy or receivership;
• Deeds to an educational, university, or library foundation.

A completed declaration of value form must accompany a Nevada deed submitted for recording.²⁸ The form declares the sale price or value of the real estate and includes a calculation of the transfer tax due for the transaction. If a deed is exempt from transfer tax (such as transfers to relatives or to a trust), the completed form must identify the exemption claimed.²⁹

1. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 247.110(3)(a).
2. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 247.110(3)(d) and (f).
3. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 247.110(3)(e).
4. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 247.120; Nev. Rev. Stat. § 239.070.
5. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 247.110(3)(g).
6. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 247.110(3)(g)(4).
7. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 247.110(3)(g)(1 – 2).
8. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 247.110(3)(b) and (c).
9. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 247.110; Nev. Rev. Stat. § 247.150.
10. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 247.150.
11. See Nev. Rev. Stat. § 111.105; Nev. Rev. Stat. § 111.170.
12. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 111.312(4 – 6).
13. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 111.312(1)(b).
14. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 111.312(1)(a).
15. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 111.312(3).
16. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 239B.030.
17. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 111.105.
18. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 247.190(2).
19. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 111.240; Nev. Rev. Stat. § 111.265.
20. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 111.310; Nev. Rev. Stat. § 240.166; Nev. Rev. Stat. § 240.1655.
21. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 247.120(1)(a).
22. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 111.315; Nev. Rev. Stat. § 247.100; Nev. Rev. Stat. § 247.200.
23. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 247.305(1 – 4).
24. See Nev. Rev. Stat., Chapter 375: Taxes on Transfers of Real Property.
25. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 375.020; Nev. Rev. Stat. § 375.023(1).
26. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 375.026.
27. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 375.09)(1 – 14).
28. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 375.060.
29. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 375.090.