If you are planning to buy, sell, or refinance a property in King County, Washington, you may want to do it before January 1, 2024. That’s when the recording fee for most documents will increase by $100, from $203.50 to $303.50 per document¹. This fee increase is mandated by state law and will affect deeds, mortgages, liens, easements, and other real estate transactions.

Types of Documents affected:

• Real estate documents, such as deeds, mortgages, liens, easements, real estate tax affidavits, etc.
• Survey, condominium and plat maps
• Power of attorney records
• Boundary line adjustments
• Lot line eliminations
• Termination of maps
• Amendments to declarations of condominiums
• Why is the fee increasing?

Specific Documents:

• Quitclaim deed
• Warranty deed
• Lack of probate affidavit
• Deed of trust
• Reconveyance
• Satisfaction of judgment
• Easement
• Affidavit of correction of map
• Declaration of condominium
• Land corner record
• Short plat
• Survey

Why is the King County recording fee increasing?

The fee increase is part of House Bill 1277, which was passed by the Washington State Legislature in 2021. The bill aims to raise funds for affordable housing and homelessness prevention programs in the state. According to the bill’s sponsors, the fee increase will generate about $146 million per year for these purposes².

Transferring property ownership in King County, WA, doesn’t have to be a complicated or drawn-out process. For many property transfers—such as adding a spouse to the title, transferring property between family members, or clarifying ownership—a Quit Claim Deed can be an ideal solution.

At the Law Office of Theresa Nguyen, PLLC, we’ve helped countless individuals, couples, families, and businesses navigate property transfers with confidence and ease. Our services are designed to be efficient and client-focused, offering remote online notary services and e-Recording for same-day or next-day processing.