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

Hancock County 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

Hancock County 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

Hancock County 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

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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November 1st, 2024

Very thorough with plenty of instructions. Nice to be able to fill in the forms on my computer at my own pace and edit if needed. Jim

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October 25th, 2024

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Nancy R.

October 25th, 2024

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donald h.

January 26th, 2019

very informative and thank everyone involved,my deed needed to be changed and will adjusted.




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Thomas C.

July 31st, 2021

This platform made electronic filing of a lien easy and quick. I was able to accomplish everything from my laptop and phone, and the fees were reasonable. I would recommend deeds.com for efiling property related documents.

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November 8th, 2021

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Georgiana I.

January 25th, 2020

The deed itself was easy. I did notice that although the website says that the deed would exempt the house from probate, the deed clearly states that it might not. I hope that "might " is the operative word here.

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Susan K.

February 16th, 2019

Very helpful; information included on the form explanations about Colorado laws in regards to beneficiary deeds helped us understand the issues involved.

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Jorge O.

June 11th, 2019

Everything work excellent. Don't think any update is needed at this time. Thank you

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May 18th, 2020

Easy to use.

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March 22nd, 2023

Deeds.com was easy to use and their easement deed was exactly what I was looking for. I knew I didn't need to spend hundreds of dollars talking to an attorney.

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Lisa B.

April 13th, 2019

Awesome service. User friendly, simple, easy and quick to fill out with instructions and sample copy and print.

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David H.

May 25th, 2021

So So

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ROBERT L.

April 1st, 2019

I got a blank, a sample and detailed instructions, I'm happy. If the recorder's office had a form as they like to see, with your name as they like to see, and the property name as they like to see, no one would ever pay a lawyer for this but a little time to look up the exact names and this package you're all set. I recommend this because, while it isn't difficult, making a mistake could be very bad so getting the details right for a particular county is well worth the cost.

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January 20th, 2020

Down to the point,covers every angle with great tips:Don't forget Probate.

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