---
title: "Types of Deeds: Warranty, Grant, Quitclaim and More | Realie"
description: "The types of deeds in property records explained: warranty, special warranty, grant, quitclaim, sheriff’s, deed in lieu of foreclosure and transfer on death deeds, with how Realie codes each recorded deed."
canonical: https://www.realie.ai/info/types-of-deeds-in-property-records
---

# What are the types of deeds in property records (warranty, grant, quitclaim and others)?

By Realie · Published 2026-11-13

## Quick Answer

A deed is the recorded document that transfers ownership of real estate from a grantor to a grantee, and its type signals what the grantor promises about title. A warranty deed promises the most, a California grant deed carries implied promises, and a quitclaim deed promises nothing. Realie records each transfer’s document type as a TT code, such as TT0001 WARRANTY DEED.

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### Summary

When a property changes hands, the county recorder files the deed, and the kind of deed says a lot: how much the grantor promised about title, and often whether the transfer was a market sale, a family transfer, an estate transfer or a foreclosure. This page explains the common deed types in plain terms with the Realie code for each, shows how a recorded deed appears in a Realie record next to its arm’s-length verdict and price source, and how to read a parcel’s chain of transfers. It is a guide to the data, not legal advice or a title search.

## What a deed is and where it is recorded

A deed transfers ownership of real property from a grantor, the seller or transferor, to a grantee, the buyer or recipient. It is recorded with the county recorder, clerk or register of deeds where the property sits, which puts the transfer in the public record.

The deed type tells you what the grantor promised about title, and its name often tells you why the property moved: a sale, a gift, an estate, a court order or a foreclosure.

Realie joins recorder filings to the parcel, so each property record carries its recorded transfers beside the assessor’s data and the parcel boundary.

## Common types of deeds and what each one means

Deed names and the promises that come with them are set by state law and vary from state to state. The table gives each type’s general meaning from county recorder guidance, with the code Realie uses for it.

Some recorded transfers are not deeds in the usual sense. Realie’s table also has codes for affidavits, leases, land contracts and court orders, such as TT0011 AFFIDAVIT, TT0040 LEASE, TT0032 LAND CONTRACT and TT0037 LEGAL ACTION/COURT ORDER.

The table has no separate code named trustee’s deed; TT0009 is labeled TRUST DEED. Read the label the record carries, and check the recorded document when the distinction matters.

**Common deed types and their Realie codes**

| Deed type | Realie code | What it does |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Warranty deed | TT0001 WARRANTY DEED | The grantor warrants title against defects from before and during the grantor’s ownership: the most protection for the buyer. |
| Special warranty deed | TT0006 SPECIAL WARRANTY DEED | The grantor warrants title only for the time the grantor owned the property, not for earlier owners. |
| Grant deed | TT0005 GRANT DEED | A common deed in California, with implied promises that the grantor has not already transferred or encumbered the property. |
| Quitclaim deed | TT0004 QUIT CLAIM DEED; TT0013 QUIT CLAIM DEED (ARM'S LENGTH) | Passes whatever interest the grantor has, if any, with no warranty of title: the least protection. |
| Sheriff’s deed | TT0012 SHERIFF'S DEED | Follows a court-ordered sale to satisfy a judgment, most often in a foreclosure case. |
| Deed in lieu of foreclosure | TT0031 DEED IN LIEU OF FORECLOSURE | The owner deeds the property to the lender to avoid a foreclosure. |
| Transfer on death deed | TT0010 TRANSFER ON DEATH DEED | A revocable transfer of real estate that takes effect at the owner’s death; Illinois calls its version a transfer on death instrument. |
| Executor’s and administrator’s deeds | TT0023 EXECUTOR'S DEED; TT0034 ADMINISTRATOR'S DEED | Convey property out of a deceased owner’s estate in probate: by an executor under a will, or by an administrator, usually when there is no will. |
| Corrective deed | TT0056 CORRECTION DEED | Confirms or corrects a deed recorded earlier, without new consideration. |

General meanings from the Cook County Clerk’s deed types guide and the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s deeds page, checked November 13, 2026; state law sets the details. Codes and labels from Realie’s v3 Property Feature Field Key. Not legal advice.

## How a recorded deed appears in a Realie record

Each recorded transfer is an entry in salesHistory on the nested v3 record. saleDocumentType holds the deed type as a TT code, beside the grantor and grantee, the sale and recording dates, the sale price, the recorder’s document number, the deed book and page, and any transfer tax paid.

Two more codes qualify the sale. qualification is a TQ code that says why a sale is or is not a market (arm’s-length) transaction, such as TQ0002 VALID ARM'S-LENGTH SALE or TQ0014 GIFT TRANSFER. priceDerivation is a PD code that says where the price came from, such as PD0001 STATED ON DOCUMENT, or PD0003 COMPUTED FROM TRANSFER TAX when it was worked out from the tax paid.

Realie’s deed type table holds 59 codes at the time of writing, TT0001 through TT0059, and it only grows: a published code keeps its meaning. On the flat, v2-compatible shape, the same events are in transfers[], with the deed type in transferDocType and the qualification in saleCode.

## Deed type, arm’s length and price: read them together

The deed type alone does not prove a market sale. A warranty or grant deed may record an ordinary purchase, and a quitclaim or gift deed may record a transfer between related parties (TQ0021 RELATED-PARTY TRANSFER), but Realie even has a code for a quitclaim deed in an arm’s-length sale, TT0013. Check qualification and the armsLength verdict before you treat a price as a sale price.

armsLength is omitted on nearly all events recorded after March 2026, because the determination lags the recording; read qualification for recent events.

A $0 price can mean a gift, a nominal-consideration transfer or a county that does not disclose prices. One deed can also convey several parcels: when multiParcel is true, parcelCount is above 1, or qualification is TQ0005 MULTI-PARCEL TRANSFER, salePrice is the total for every parcel. [How do I get property sales history by API?](https://www.realie.ai/info/property-sales-history-api) covers sale and recording dates and disclosure gaps.

## Reading the chain of deeds on a parcel

A parcel’s salesHistory lists each recorded transfer with its own deed type, qualification and price source, so you can follow how ownership moved over time. Order the entries by their sale and recording dates.

Gaps are normal. History goes back as far as each county has digitized and published, and recording can lag the transfer itself.

This is recorded document data, not a title search or a legal opinion on title. [Where can I find deed, mortgage, and lien data for a property?](https://www.realie.ai/info/deed-mortgage-lien-data) covers mortgages, liens and releases, and why a title search is a separate service.

## Sources

- [Realie v3 Property Feature Field Key (deed types, qualification, price derivation)](https://docs.realie.ai/api-reference/v3/feature-key)
- [Realie v3 property data schema (salesHistory)](https://docs.realie.ai/api-reference/v3/property-data-schema)
- [Realie flat property data schema (transfers)](https://docs.realie.ai/api-reference/property-data-schema)
- [Cook County Clerk: deed types](https://www.cookcountyclerkil.gov/publications/deed-types)
- [Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk: deeds](https://lavote.gov/home/records/property-document-recording/forms/deeds)

## Frequently asked questions

### Quitclaim deed vs warranty deed: what is the difference?

A warranty deed promises the buyer good title, covering defects from before and during the seller’s ownership. A quitclaim deed promises nothing: it passes whatever interest the grantor has, if any. Realie codes them TT0001 WARRANTY DEED and TT0004 QUIT CLAIM DEED.

### What is a grant deed?

A common deed in California. It carries implied promises that the grantor has not already transferred the property or encumbered it. Realie codes it TT0005 GRANT DEED.

### What is a deed in lieu of foreclosure?

A deed from the owner to the lender, given to avoid a foreclosure after the lender has given notice of a foreclosure suit or filed one. Realie codes it TT0031 DEED IN LIEU OF FORECLOSURE.

### What is a special warranty deed?

A deed in which the grantor warrants title only for the time the grantor owned the property, not for earlier owners, so it protects the buyer less than a warranty deed. Realie codes it TT0006 SPECIAL WARRANTY DEED.

### Does the deed type tell me whether a sale was at market price?

Not on its own. Read the qualification code, such as TQ0002 VALID ARM'S-LENGTH SALE, and the armsLength verdict where it is present, and check priceDerivation and multiParcel before you use the price.

### Is deed data the same as a title search?

No. Realie returns recorded document data from county recorders. A title search and title insurance are separate professional services that look for defects the record alone does not show.

## Related Questions

- [How do I get property sales history by API?](https://www.realie.ai/info/property-sales-history-api)
- [Where can I find deed, mortgage, and lien data for a property?](https://www.realie.ai/info/deed-mortgage-lien-data)
- [Where can I find property deed, mortgage, and lien data by API?](https://www.realie.ai/info/where-to-find-deed-and-mortgage-lien-data)
- [What is the difference between assessor data, recorder data, and MLS data?](https://www.realie.ai/info/assessor-vs-recorder-vs-mls-data)
- [What do property land use codes mean, and how are they standardized across counties?](https://www.realie.ai/info/what-are-land-use-codes)
- [What is the difference between a property’s situs address and the owner’s mailing address?](https://www.realie.ai/info/situs-address-vs-owner-mailing-address)