Why People File a Quitclaim Deed in Latah County
Just Got Married
Second marriages bring their own title questions, and adding a new spouse via quitclaim deed is one of the more common answers.
Going Through a Divorce
Some couples handle the deed themselves right after the divorce; others wait — either way, a quitclaim deed is the document that gets it done.
Inherited Property
An heir taking sole ownership of a property that several siblings inherited jointly usually does so with a quitclaim deed.
Gifting to Family
A property gifted within the family still needs a title update — a quitclaim deed is the standard way to record it.
About the Latah County Auditor, Elections and Recorder's Office
Latah County was established on May 14, 1888 by an act of the United States Congress — the only county in Idaho created this way rather than by the territorial or state legislature — using land taken from the northern part of Nez Perce County. Its name combines two Nez Perce words and was chosen by a local committee that included Moscow merchant William J. McConnell. Moscow, the county seat, grew up around a Union Pacific Railroad depot in the 1880s and later became home to the University of Idaho, the state's land-grant institution.
Cities and Communities Served
Recording jurisdiction runs countywide, not by city limits — if the property sits anywhere within Latah County, this is the Latah County Auditor, Elections and Recorder's Office that will accept the deed. That includes:
Incorporated cities: Bovill, Deary, Genesee, Juliaetta, Kendrick, Moscow, Onaway, Potlatch, Troy.
Office Details
Address: 522 S. Adams Street, Room 101, Moscow, ID 83843
Phone: (208) 883-2249
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Recording Fee: Recording fees in Latah County are set by Idaho state statute (uniform statewide) and are structured as a flat or tiered rate by document type and page count rather than based on the property's value.
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 Latah County Auditor, Elections and Recorder's Office 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 Latah County Auditor, Elections and Recorder's Office 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 Latah County Auditor, Elections and Recorder's Office?
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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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