The Deeds folder in the Oregon Estate Planning library allows you to prepare a deed on its own, without drafting a full estate planning package. The folder includes three templates: the Warranty Deed, the Bargain and Sale Deed and the Quit Claim Deed.
Real property can also be transferred into a trust as part of a trust-based estate plan. Oregon trust packages produce their own Funding Deed for that purpose. For more information about trust packages, see this article.
Templates in the “Deeds” Folder
- Warranty Deed: Conveys real property with full covenants of warranty of title.
- Bargain and Sale Deed: Conveys real property without covenants against encumbrances.
- Quit Claim Deed: Transfers or releases whatever interest the Grantor holds, without warranty of title.
What These Deeds Generate
When assembled, each deed includes:
- A first page formatted for recording, with the return address, the tax parcel numbers and the abbreviated legal description.
- The statement “Until a change is requested, all tax statements shall be sent to the following address:” with the address you select.
- The names of the Grantors and Grantees, followed by the vesting language you select.
- The full legal description, either in the body of the deed or attached as Exhibit A.
- The statement of consideration for the transfer.
- The land use notice that Oregon requires in a deed conveying fee title.
- A signature page with a notary acknowledgment for the notary you select.
What You Need Before Starting
Before you open the interview, gather the following information:
- The full legal names of the Grantors and Grantees, and how each will hold title.
- For a trust: the trust’s name, the date of the trust agreement and the trustees’ names.
- For a business entity: its type, its state of formation, and the name and title of the person signing for it.
- The property address and county.
- The tax parcel numbers.
- The abbreviated legal description, and the full legal description from the vesting deed or title report.
- The consideration for the transfer.
- The return address for the recorded deed, the address for tax statements and, if known, the notary.
Locate the Template
The deed templates are stored in the Library. To open one:
- From the top navigation, select Library.
- Open Oregon Estate Planning Forms & Questionnaires.
- Open the Deeds folder.
- Select Start next to the deed you want.
Before You Begin
If you are continuing work on a previously saved deed, click Load Answers to reopen the saved answer file instead of re-entering the information. Answer files saved before the October 2026 interview changes still load, and your earlier choices carry over. For detailed instructions about using existing answer files, see this article.
Complete the Drafting Interview
The deed interview is organized into three tabs: Deed Parties, Property and Recording. Each tab is described below.
Deed Parties
This tab identifies everyone transferring and receiving an interest in the property. It opens with a short note summarizing what the interview prepares and what information to have ready.
Click Add Grantor to add each individual, trust or business entity transferring an interest, and Add Grantee to add each one receiving an interest. For each party, you will indicate whether it is an individual, a trust or a business entity. Depending on your choice, the interview asks for:
- Trust: The trust’s full legal name, the date of the trust agreement and its trustees. The deed prints the party as “[trustee], as Trustee of [trust name] dated [date].”
- Business entity: The entity’s type, its state of formation, and the name and title of the person signing on its behalf.
When entering a trust, type only the trustee’s name in the trustee field and only the trust’s name in the trust name field. The deed adds the rest of the description, so typing the full “as Trustee of…” language into the trustee field prints the trust twice.
Below each list, you will select how the Grantors hold title and how the Grantees will take title, or type your own description. The description prints in the deed immediately after the names. Select none if no description should print.
The lists of descriptions include “a married couple as to their community property”. Oregon is not a community property state. This description is for property that is already community property, for example property acquired while the couple lived in a community property state, when the couple wants it to remain community property after the transfer.
Unequal interests With more than one Grantor or Grantee, the deed shows them transferring or receiving equal interests. A yellow Caution bar appears on the tab as a reminder. If the interests are unequal, edit the assembled deed before recording.
Property
This tab collects the information that identifies the property being transferred and the consideration for the transfer. Enter the property address as it should appear in the deed, the county, and each tax parcel number.
You will also enter the abbreviated legal description, which prints on the first page with the parcel number. For the full legal description, choose whether it appears in the body of the deed or on an attached Exhibit A, then enter it exactly as it appears in the vesting deed or title report.
Consideration: Choose whichever option best reflects the consideration exchanged for the transfer. Each option prints a different statement in the deed:
- None: Prints “The consideration for this conveyance is $0.00.”
- A dollar amount: Prints the amount as the true and actual consideration.
- Other property or value: Prints that other property or value given or promised is the whole consideration.
- A dollar amount and other property or value: Prints the amount and states that other property or value is part of the consideration.
Recording
This tab sets up where the recorded deed is returned, where tax statements are sent and who will notarize the deed.
Return Address: Select a firm attorney to fill in the return address, or type any name and address. If the deed is recorded on paper, the county mails the recorded deed back to this address. Attorneys appear in this list once an administrator adds them in Firm Information settings.
Tax Statements: Select where the county should send tax statements: the return address above, or another name and address. The deed prints the tax statement language with the address you select. If no selection is made, the statement does not print.
Notary: Select the notary who will acknowledge the deed, along with the state and county of the acknowledgment. If the notary is not yet known, you may leave this blank.
The Oregon deeds do not prepare a transfer tax form for deeds recorded in Washington County.
Assemble Your Documents
When the interview is complete, you are ready to assemble the deed. For step-by-step instructions, see this article.