Why People File a Quitclaim Deed in Owyhee County
Just Got Married
Just got married and want your spouse's name on the title? A quitclaim deed is the standard way to add them — no sale, no mortgage payoff, just an updated deed on file with the county.
Going Through a Divorce
Going through a divorce and need an ex's name off the title? A quitclaim deed handles that cleanly, once your settlement or court order says who keeps the property.
Inherited Property
Inherited property from a family member? Depending on how the estate was handled, a quitclaim deed may be how ownership formally moves into your name.
Gifting to Family
Adding an adult child to the title, or gifting property to family outright? A quitclaim deed is the usual way to make that transfer official.
About the Owyhee County Clerk - Recorder Division
Owyhee County was organized December 31, 1863 at the first session of the Idaho Territorial legislature, making it the first county established by that body; it originally covered all territory south of the Snake River and west of the Rockies. Its unusual name is an anglicization of 'Hawaii,' commemorating three Native Hawaiian fur trappers who joined Donald Mackenzie's 1819 Snake River expedition and vanished while exploring the region. The county seat moved twice with the silver-mining boom — from Ruby City to neighboring Silver City in 1867, then to its present, much quieter home in Murphy in 1934 — reflecting the county's arc from a 19th-century mining boomtown economy to today's ranching and irrigated-farming base along the Snake River.
Cities and Communities Served
Recording jurisdiction runs countywide, not by city limits — if the property sits anywhere within Owyhee County, this is the Owyhee County Clerk - Recorder Division that will accept the deed. That includes:
Incorporated cities: Homedale, Grand View, Marsing.
Unincorporated communities: Murphy, Bruneau, Silver City, Oreana, Riddle.
Murphy, the county seat, is itself unincorporated (a census-designated place), not a city — worth noting since visitors might assume the seat of government is an incorporated town. Historic Silver City, an earlier county seat, is also unincorporated today.
Office Details
Address: Owyhee County Courthouse, 20381 State Highway 78, Murphy, ID 83650 (mailing: P.O. Box 128, Murphy, ID 83650)
Phone: 208-495-2421
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Recording Fee: Recording fees follow a tiered, per-document schedule set by state statute (Idaho Code) based on document type and page count, rather than on the value of the property being conveyed.
E-recording: Simplifile
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 Owyhee County Clerk - Recorder Division 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 Owyhee County Clerk - Recorder Division 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 Owyhee County Clerk - Recorder Division?
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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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