Hancock County Gift Deed Form (Maine)
All Hancock County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:
Gift Deed Form
Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.
Included Hancock County compliant document last validated/updated 10/2/2024
Gift Deed Guide
Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included Hancock County compliant document last validated/updated 10/1/2024
Completed Example of the Gift Deed Document
Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included Hancock County compliant document last validated/updated 9/27/2024
The following Maine and Hancock County supplemental forms are included as a courtesy with your order:
When using these Gift Deed forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in Hancock County. The executed documents should then be recorded in the following office:
Hancock County Register of Deeds
50 State St, Suite 9, Ellsworth, Maine 04605
Hours: 7:30 to 4:00 M-F / Recording from 8:30 to 4:00
Phone: (207) 667-8353
Local jurisdictions located in Hancock County include:
- Aurora
- Bar Harbor
- Bass Harbor
- Bernard
- Birch Harbor
- Blue Hill
- Brooklin
- Brooksville
- Bucksport
- Castine
- Corea
- Cranberry Isles
- Deer Isle
- East Blue Hill
- East Orland
- Ellsworth
- Franklin
- Frenchboro
- Gouldsboro
- Hancock
- Harborside
- Hulls Cove
- Islesford
- Little Deer Isle
- Mount Desert
- Northeast Harbor
- Orland
- Penobscot
- Prospect Harbor
- Salsbury Cove
- Sargentville
- Seal Cove
- Seal Harbor
- Sedgwick
- Sorrento
- Southwest Harbor
- Stonington
- Sullivan
- Sunset
- Surry
- Swans Island
- Winter Harbor
How long does it take to get my forms?
Forms are available immediately after submitting payment.
How do I get my forms, are they emailed?
Immediately after you submit payment, the Hancock County forms you order will be available for download directly from your account. You can then download the forms to your computer. If you do not already have an account, one will be created for you as part of the order process, and your login details will be provided to you. If you encounter any issues accessing your forms, please reach out to our support team for assistance. Forms are NOT emailed to you.
What does "validated/updated" mean?
This indicates the most recent date when at least one of the following occurred:
- Updated: The document was updated or changed to remain compliant.
- Validated: The document was examined by an attorney or staff, or it was successfully recorded in Hancock County using our eRecording service.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Hancock County?
Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Hancock County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.
Can the Gift Deed forms be re-used?
Yes. You can re-use the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have more than one property in Hancock County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Hancock County.
What are supplemental forms?
Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by Maine or Hancock County. These could be tax related, informational, or even as simple as a coversheet. Supplemental forms are provided for free with your order where available.
What type of files are the forms?
All of our Hancock County Gift Deed forms are PDFs. You will need to have or get Adobe Reader to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.
Do I need any special software to use these forms?
You will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.
Do I have to enter all of my property information online?
No. The blank forms are downloaded to your computer and you fill them out there, at your convenience.
Can I save the completed form, email it to someone?
Yes, you can save your deed form at any point with your information in it. The forms can also be emailed, blank or complete, as attachments.
Are there any recurring fees involved?
No. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.
Gifts of Real Property in Maine
Gift deeds convey title to real property from one party to another with no exchange of consideration, monetary or otherwise. Often used to transfer property between family members or to gift property as a charitable act or donation, these conveyances occur during the grantor's lifetime. Gift deeds must contain language that explicitly states that no consideration is expected or required. Ambiguous language, or references to any type of consideration, can make the gift deed contestable in court.
A lawful gift deed includes the grantor's full name, marital status, and mailing address, as well as the grantee's full name, marital status, vesting information, and mailing address. Vesting describes how the grantee holds title to the property. Generally, real property is owned in either sole ownership or co-ownership. For Maine residential property, the primary methods for holding title are tenancy in common and joint tenancy. An estate conveyed to two or more persons is considered a tenancy in common, unless a joint tenancy is clearly expressed (33 M.R.S. 159).
As with any conveyance of realty, a gift deed requires a complete legal description of the parcel. Recite the prior deed reference to maintain a clear chain of title, and detail any restrictions associated with the property.
In Maine, spouses must join in the conveyance of realty to release their homestead right in the property, regardless of whether they hold an actual interest. The grantor must indicate whether spousal joinder to waive interest in the property is required for the transaction. This ensures that the transfer "conveys any and all interest of the joining spouse to the property described in the deed or other instrument" (33 M.R.S. 772-A(1)). The deed must be signed by the grantor and grantor's spouse, if applicable, and acknowledged by an authorized individual (33 M.R.S. 203). All signatures must be original.
Most conveyances of real property in Maine are subject to a Real Estate Transfer Tax, but there are exemptions. If a conveyance is exempt, the exemption must be clearly stated on the face of the deed. See 33 M.R.S. 4641-C for a list of exempt transfers.
Record the completed gift deed with the registry of deeds in the county where the subject property is located. Contact the same office to confirm recording fees and accepted forms of payment.
With gifts of real property, the recipient of the gift (grantee or donee) is not required to declare the amount of the gift as income, but if the property accrues income after the transaction, the grantee is responsible for paying the requisite state and federal income tax [1].
In Maine, there is no state gift tax, but gifts of real property are subject to the federal gift tax. The person or entity making the gift (grantor or donor) is responsible for paying the federal gift tax; however, if the donor does not pay the gift tax, the donee (grantee) will be held liable [1]. For questions regarding state and federal tax laws, consult a tax specialist.
In accordance with federal law, individuals are permitted an annual exclusion of $15,000 on gifts. This means that gifts valued below $15,000 do not require a federal gift tax return (Form 709). However, if the gift's value could possibly be disputed by the IRS, a donor may benefit from filing a Form 709 [2].
This article is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Contact a Maine lawyer with any questions about gift deeds or other matters related to the transfer of real property.
[1] http://msuextension.org/publications/FamilyFinancialManagement/MT199105HR.pdf
[2] https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/frequently-asked-questions-on-gift-taxes
(Maine Gift Deed Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)
Our Promise
The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Hancock County recording requirements for formatting. If there's an issue caused by our formatting, we'll make it right and refund your payment.
Save Time and Money
Get your Hancock County Gift Deed form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.
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James S.
November 21st, 2024
Forms used, created quitclaim deed that the county accepted without a second look (turns out they see deeds.com forms regularly via erecording and in person). Will be back for any real estate related forms I need and they carry. Will always be my first stop. Also, will use erecording next time, mad I didn't see it this time.
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November 21st, 2024
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November 20th, 2024
They sent me everything I would need to do this. Easy purchase -Easy download. Great!! I'll be back here for all my document needs.
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Loren H.
December 11th, 2022
I really appreciate your forms according to South Dakota laws and statues. Your forms allow me to effectively do estate planning without extensive legal expenses. The "Revocable Transfer of Death Deed" is perfect to protect against extensive probate problems for seniors in retirement.
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March 20th, 2019
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January 18th, 2021
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November 12th, 2019
Excellent documents, downloaded quick, completed and printed with no problems. Thank you
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Jose G. C.
October 2nd, 2020
It was OK but unfortunately useless. The jurisdictions are now requesting that documents such as Notices of Commencement not only be recorded at their offices, but also certified. This last service is not provided by Deeds, or at least I could not find it in your website and did not receive a response when I asked if you did. Thus, we are going back to traditional means of recording/certifying
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September 9th, 2021
Easy process. Thanks for making this resource available.
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Cynthia N.
February 25th, 2021
great service, quick and easy!
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Gary B.
March 30th, 2021
After spending $21 to obtain a Quit Claim Deed form, I realized that I was in over my head. There are a lot of legal considerations and I am not familiar enough with the legal terms and choices to feel confident doing it myself. I since hired a paralegal service to prepare my Quit Claim. I wish I knew the knowledge required before I purchased.
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Elizabeth K.
April 19th, 2020
Really great experience. Thanks!
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Sean M.
January 2nd, 2023
This was exactly what I needed. For $25-$30 it gave me the formatted document I needed and made it so easy to input the info. I wouldn't recommend it to someone who has no clue what they're doing, but for somebody who knows all the info and just needs a formatted page to input it onto, this is perfect.
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Chad N.
March 16th, 2021
Thank you for taking care of a recording very quickly. I am very impressed by your service an would recommend to anyone. Easy to navigate.
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Colleen N.
March 30th, 2021
The instruction were very clear and the sample was also very helpful.
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