Why People File a Quitclaim Deed in Lemhi 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 Lemhi County Clerk/Auditor/Recorder
Lemhi County traces to a provisional government organized in July 1867 and was permanently established by the territorial legislature in January 1869, carved out of Idaho County with Salmon as its seat. It takes its name from Fort Lemhi, a Latter-day Saint mission built in 1855 along the Lemhi River. The Lewis and Clark expedition passed through the Lemhi Valley in August 1805, a homecoming of sorts since the valley was the homeland of Sacajawea's Agaidika Shoshone band, and the county still trades on that history today.
Cities and Communities Served
Recording jurisdiction runs countywide, not by city limits — if the property sits anywhere within Lemhi County, this is the Lemhi County Clerk/Auditor/Recorder that will accept the deed. That includes:
Incorporated cities: Salmon, Leadore.
Unincorporated communities: North Fork, Tendoy.
Office Details
Address: 206 Courthouse Drive, Salmon, ID 83467
Phone: (208) 742-1665
Hours: Monday – Thursday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (closed Fridays)
Recording Fee: Recording fees in Lemhi 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.
Good to know before you go: The Clerk-Auditor-Recorder's office runs a four-day week (Monday–Thursday) and is closed on Fridays — this is confirmed by both the county's own site and an independent recorder directory.
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 Lemhi County Clerk/Auditor/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 Lemhi County Clerk/Auditor/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 Lemhi County Clerk/Auditor/Recorder?
Ask below and get an instant answer on Idaho quitclaim deeds.
Other Counties in Idaho
Filing somewhere else in the state? Here are a few other county pages:
You are not on the official Lemhi County government website. IdahoQuitclaimDeed.com is a privately owned website and is not affiliated with any government agency.