Why People File a Quitclaim Deed in Adams County
Just Got Married
Adding your new spouse to the title after a wedding is one of the most common reasons people file here — it's a straightforward paperwork step, not a real estate transaction.
Going Through a Divorce
Divorce is one of the most common reasons people end up here — removing a former spouse from the title, once the settlement is final.
Inherited Property
Families dealing with an inherited property often end up here — a quitclaim deed can move title into an heir's name once the estate matters are settled.
Gifting to Family
Parents gifting property to their kids, or adding a family member to the title, typically use a quitclaim deed to make it official with the county.
About the Adams County Clerk, Auditor and Recorder
Adams County was created on March 3, 1911 from part of Washington County and named for President John Adams. Council, its county seat, sits in a valley that had long served as a meeting and trading ground for the Nez Perce and Shoshone-Bannock people before it became the temporary and later permanent seat of justice. The county's economy has historically centered on timber, ranching, and the Weiser River and Payette National Forest backcountry that make up most of its land.
Cities and Communities Served
Recording jurisdiction runs countywide, not by city limits — if the property sits anywhere within Adams County, this is the Adams County Clerk, Auditor and Recorder that will accept the deed. That includes:
Incorporated cities: Council, New Meadows.
Unincorporated communities: Fruitvale, Indian Valley, Mesa, Tamarack, Cuprum, Bear.
Council and New Meadows are the county's only two incorporated municipalities; the rest of the county is unincorporated, sparsely populated forest and ranch land.
Office Details
Address: 201 Industrial Ave, Council, ID 83612 (mailing: PO Box 48, Council, ID 83612)
Phone: (208) 253-4561, option 5
Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday - Friday
Recording Fee: Recording fees are set by Idaho state statute and charged per document rather than based on property value, with base fees for standard instruments and additional per-page charges once a document exceeds a set page count.
E-recording: Simplifile
Good to know before you go: The county's original 1915 courthouse in Council was demolished in November 2017 after being replaced; the Clerk/Auditor/Recorder's office now operates out of a newer courthouse building at 201 Industrial Ave rather than the historic (now-demolished) courthouse address some older directories still reference.
How to File a Document
- Sign in Front of a Notary: Idaho law requires a deed to be acknowledged before a notary public before the Adams County Clerk, Auditor and Recorder can record it (Idaho Code § 55-805). The deed is actually valid between you and the person you're transferring to as soon as it's signed and delivered — the notarized acknowledgment is what makes it eligible for recording, which is the step that protects you against someone else claiming the property later.
- Give the Grantee's Full Mailing Address: Idaho requires the deed itself to state the complete mailing address of the person receiving the property, not just their name. This is a simple detail that's easy to miss and a common reason a deed gets sent back.
- Attach a Full Legal Description, Not Just an Address: A street address alone isn't enough — Idaho deeds need the property's actual legal description (the metes-and-bounds, government survey, or platted-lot description used in the county's own records). You can usually copy this directly from the deed that transferred the property to you.
- Consider Online Notarization if an In-Person Visit Is Hard: Idaho has allowed remote online notarization since 2020, so if getting to a notary's office in person is difficult, a signer may be able to complete the acknowledgment through video with an Idaho-commissioned online notary instead.
- Record with the County Recorder: Bring, mail, or (where the county supports it) e-file the signed and notarized deed with the Adams County Clerk, Auditor and Recorder for the county where the property sits. Idaho charges a flat recording fee set by state statute and based on the document and page count, not a percentage of the property's value — and unlike some states, Idaho has no separate real estate transfer tax or transfer declaration form to file alongside the deed.
Still Have Questions About Filing With the Adams County Clerk, Auditor and Recorder?
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Other Counties in Idaho
Filing somewhere else in the state? Here are a few other county pages:
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