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Deed Recording Requirements in Missouri

Missouri deeds must be subscribed by the grantor and acknowledged or proved, and the Missouri Constitution bars the state and local governments from imposing any new tax on the sale or transfer of real estate.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Missouri at a glance

Notary acknowledgment
Required to record
Witnesses
None
Transfer tax
No state tax

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Missouri

Does a deed need to be notarized in Missouri?

Missouri requires a deed to be acknowledged (or, where the statute allows, proved) before it can be recorded.

How many witnesses does a deed need in Missouri?

None. Missouri does not require witnesses to sign a deed.

Is there a real estate transfer tax in Missouri?

We found no state real estate transfer tax in Missouri.

Where do the Missouri rules for deeds come from?

They come from RSMo 442.130, Execution of deeds; marital status of grantor, RSMo 59.330, What shall be recorded and Mo. Const. art. X, sec. 25, Prohibition on new taxes on sale or transfer of real estate. We last checked them in October 2026. Laws change, so check the current statute before you rely on it.

How Missouri compares

Missouri is one of 13 jurisdictions that have no state transfer tax that we found.

What this means in practice

Record the signed deed with the county recorder, register of deeds or land records office where the property is located. Recording puts the world on notice of the transfer and generally protects the new owner against later claims.

Recording offices often have formatting rules (margins, paper size, a return address, a parcel number) and charge a fee. Check the county's requirements before you sign.

A deed does not pay off a mortgage. If the property is mortgaged, the loan usually stays in place after the transfer.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.