Lake County Clerk & Recorder
About the Lake County Clerk & Recorder
Lake County covers Polson, the county seat on the southern shore of Flathead Lake, along with Ronan and St. Ignatius. Much of the county lies within the Flathead Indian Reservation, so it's worth confirming with the office ahead of time whether your particular parcel involves any special jurisdictional considerations before you file.
Office Details
Address: 106 4th Ave E, Room 214, Polson, MT 59860
Phone: (406) 883-7208 | Fax: (406) 883-7283
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Recording Fee: $20 for the first page, $10 for each additional page — a flat statewide fee set by Montana law (MCA § 7-4-2637), not a Lake-specific rate.
No additional county fees beyond the statewide rate were found for Lake County.
How to File a Document
- Prepare Your Document: Make sure your deed meets Montana's formatting and content requirements before you file.
- Get It Notarized: Have the document signed in front of a Montana notary public or other authorized official. No notary nearby in Polson? Montana allows remote online notarization — you can notarize your Lake County deed online instead.
- Complete a Realty Transfer Certificate: Montana law requires a completed Realty Transfer Certificate (Form RTC) to accompany every deed submitted for recording — even transfers that don't require disclosing the sale price still need the form filed.
- Record It: You can file in person at the Lake County Clerk & Recorder's office; call the office to confirm whether mail-in filing is accepted.
- Pay the Recording Fee: $20 for the first page, $10 per additional page.
- Keep Your Receipt: Your recorded document (or a certified copy) is your proof of filing.
Ready to File Your Quitclaim Deed with the Lake County Clerk & Recorder?
You now know where to file — the harder part is showing up with a deed the recorder will actually accept.
Recorders reject deeds every day — and the free generic forms floating around online are the most common culprit. They usually fail at least one basic requirement: correct formatting, a complete legal description, or a proper notary acknowledgment. When that happens, you lose the trip, the recording fee, and days of time.
Here are two easy ways to get it right the first time:
Do It Yourself — Download the Form
$14.95
- Attorney-drafted — formatted to satisfy the Lake County Clerk & Recorder and every other Montana county
- Step-by-step instructions — fill it out in minutes, no legal experience needed
- Best if your transfer is straightforward and you're comfortable copying the legal description from your current deed
- Bonus forms included — warranty and survivorship deed formats too
- Instant download — start right after checkout, on any device
- Risk-free — full refund if your form is rejected
Hand It Off — We Prepare It for You
$39.95
- Professionally prepared — your deed is drafted for you, start to finish
- Best if your legal description is long or complex, multiple parties are involved, or a trust or divorce is part of the transfer
- Correct legal description and formatting — built to meet Lake County recording requirements
- Supporting documents handled — so nothing is missing when you file
- You just sign, notarize, and record — no drafting, no guesswork
Either way, you’ll walk into the Lake County Clerk & Recorder’s office with a document that’s ready to record — not one that gets handed back.
Disclosure: Both links take you to Standard Legal, our trusted partner. We earn a small commission on purchases at no extra cost to you — you pay the same price either way.
You are not on the official Lake County government website. MontanaQuitclaimDeed.com is a privately owned website and is not affiliated with any government agency.