Dekalb County Certificate of Trust Form (Tennessee)

All Dekalb County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:

Certificate of Trust Form

Dekalb County Certificate of Trust Form

Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.
Included Dekalb County compliant document last validated/updated 9/17/2024

Certificate of Trust Guide

Dekalb County Certificate of Trust Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included Dekalb County compliant document last validated/updated 11/4/2024

Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document

Dekalb County Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included Dekalb County compliant document last validated/updated 9/20/2024

When using these Certificate of Trust forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in Dekalb County. The executed documents should then be recorded in the following office:

Dekalb County Register of Deeds

Courthouse - 232 S Congress Blvd, Rm 101, Smithville, Tennessee 37166

Hours: 8:00 to 4:30 M-F

Phone: (615) 597-4153

Local jurisdictions located in Dekalb County include:

  • Alexandria
  • Dowelltown
  • Liberty
  • Smithville

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 Dekalb 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 Dekalb County using our eRecording service.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Dekalb County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Dekalb County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.

Can the Certificate of Trust 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 Dekalb County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Dekalb County.

What are supplemental forms?

Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by Tennessee or Dekalb 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 Dekalb County Certificate of Trust 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.

The certificate of trust is codified at T.C.A. 35-15-1013 as part of the Tennessee Uniform Trust Code. The purpose of the certificate is "to evidence the existence and validity of the trust" (35-15-1013(a)). The document contains sworn statements made "by the trustee or trustees having signatory authority as identified" within the document (35-15-1013(a)). The recipient of a certificate of trust may rely on the statements made within as factual without additional inquiry (35-15-1013(d)).

Instead of furnishing the trust document, a trustee may present a certificate of trust to third parties when doing business on behalf of the trust. The certificate is a condensed summary of the trust and its provisions, and allows the settlor's estate plans, including the identities of trust beneficiaries, to remain private.

A certificate of trust contains statements that the trust exists and that it "has not been revoked, modified or amended in any manner that would cause" the information in the certificate to be incorrect. The document recites the name and date of trust, the settlor, trustee, and relevant powers of the trustee to conduct the business for which the certificate is presented.

If there is a successor trustee, the document details the conditions of their succession. Certificates for trusts with multiple trustees define how many trustees are required to jointly act to conduct trustee powers. If the trust is revocable, the form includes the name of anyone with a power to revoke the trust. Finally, it presents the name by which the trust holds title to assets and, if necessary for the transaction for which the certificate is given, the trust's identification number.

If recorded to facilitate acquisitions or transfers of real property, a certificate of trust should include the legal description of the property subject to the transfer. The document must meet requirements for recording in Tennessee before submitted in the register of deeds in the appropriate county.

The protections under 35-15-1013 for persons dealing with trustees are not dependent on receipt of a certificate.

Contact a lawyer for questions about preparing a certificate of trust or any other matters involving trusts in Tennessee.

(Tennessee COT Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)

Our Promise

The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Dekalb 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 Dekalb County Certificate of Trust 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.

4.8 out of 5 - ( 4434 Reviews )

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.

Reply from Staff

Thanks for the kind words James, glad we could help. Look forward to seeing you again.

Thomas G.

November 21st, 2024

Wasn’t what I expected

Reply from Staff

Sorry to hear that your expectations were missed. Your order has been canceled. We do hope that you find something more suitable to your expectations elsewhere. Do keep in mind that purchasing legal forms should not be an exploratory endeavor.

Jimmy P.

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.

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

Kathleen H.

August 10th, 2019

EASY!!

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Michael S.

December 22nd, 2020

I was very impressed. I needed a Grant Deed that would comply with Calif. law. I haven't tried to record it yet, but I think it's spot-on. References to statutes very helpful. I'm a retired Idaho attorney, and my first attempt was politely rejected by the recorder. (documentary transfer fee exemption, etc.)

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Nancy A.

June 23rd, 2021

First time user and I was pleasantly surprised how quick and easy it was to get my Deed recorded. And the fee was not outrageous.

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

Linda M L.

September 7th, 2023

Easy to use, documents look good, but pretty expensive.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Chris M.

April 19th, 2022

simple, Clean, and easy, to retrieve the forms i needed, while on this site.

and the Fee for the Fill-in forms is Remarkably inexpensive, to say the least!

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Thomas D.

July 10th, 2019

The site is fine with one exception. About half the pdf files I downloaded were corrupted. I could not open them or view their contents. Fortunately, the link continued to work, so after I discovered this, I downloaded the corrupted files again, and they now seem fine. I do not know if my computer or the website caused this odd problem.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Cheryl S.

April 30th, 2021

quick response

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Mildred S.

November 8th, 2021

This was an excellent service to amend a deed. It was a little frustrating at first, but well worth it, as they review your documents before submission to your "Recorder of Deeds" to make sure they are not rejected.

Would definitely use them again.

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

Angela W.

March 12th, 2022

Very helpful and very quick to respond. Thank you!

Reply from Staff

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Dr. Rev. Cheryl T.

July 20th, 2021

five stars thanks so m,uch so easy to use and save. Good Job... Peace & many Blessings

Sincerely,
dr. Rev. Cheryl israel tibbrine

Reply from Staff

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Mark S.

September 14th, 2022

Very easy site to navigate. The quit claim deed I downloaded was perfect for my needs. Would like to see a (Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure) added to the forms list.

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

ROBERT K.

April 12th, 2021

It was so easy to obtain the necessary documents.

Reply from Staff

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