A grant deed transfers title to real property from a grantor (the current owner) to a grantee (the new owner). Its defining feature is two implied warranties built into the word "grant": that the grantor has not already transferred the same property to someone else, and that the property is free of any encumbrances the grantor created and hasn't disclosed. That's more protection than a quitclaim deed, which makes no promises at all.
When a grant deed is used
The grant deed shows up in most ordinary transfers of California real estate:
- Sales of a home or other property between unrelated parties
- Adding a spouse, partner, or family member to title
- Transferring property into a revocable living trust or an LLC
- Gifting property to a relative
The word “grant” isn’t decoration — it carries two legal promises about the title you’re receiving.
What a valid California grant deed needs
To be recordable, a grant deed has to include the names of the grantor and grantee, the operative granting language, a complete and accurate legal description of the property (not just the street address), how the new owners will hold title (the vesting), the grantor's notarized signature, and the assessor's parcel number. A Preliminary Change of Ownership Report accompanies it at recording, along with a documentary transfer-tax declaration — either the amount due, or the exemption being claimed.
Grant deed vs. quitclaim deed
The practical difference is the warranties. A grant deed assures the grantee that the grantor hasn't secretly conveyed the property or saddled it with hidden liens. A quitclaim deed simply hands over whatever interest the grantor happens to have — which could be full ownership, or nothing. For arm's-length transfers where the new owner wants protection (and where a title insurer is involved), a grant deed is typically the instrument used.
Taxes and reassessment
A grant deed used in a sale triggers documentary transfer tax. Used for an exempt transfer — a gift, funding your own revocable trust, or a transfer between spouses — no transfer tax is due, and the exemption is stated on the deed. Whether a transfer causes a property-tax reassessment is a separate question governed by California's change-in-ownership rules; this is general information, not tax advice, and your county assessor is the authority on your specific situation.
How SimpleDeeds prepares your grant deed
Tell us the name to go on title and the property address. We pull the current vesting and legal description, prepare the grant deed and the county forms, and record it once it's signed and notarized — a flat $295. We prepare the deed you direct; we are not attorneys and do not provide legal advice.