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Standard Index GroupThe End of Life PlannerUnited States by Valoren

General information · not a substitute for the advice of an attorney · Valoren is a publisher, not a law firm.

Free · general informationUnited States

Transfer on death deeds

Some states let a home pass at death by a document recorded before the death. These are the statutes of the states we have read, quoted word for word. Nothing on this page prepares a deed, or says whether one suits anyone.

  • Every fact dated, in the official words
  • Each state’s own law

Every quotation checked October 11, 2026

Every quotation on this page is the official body’s own words, as they stood on the day we read them. The date is beside each one.

What California’s own law says

(a) 'Revocable transfer on death deed' means an instrument created pursuant to this part that does all of the following: (1) Makes a donative transfer of real property to a named beneficiary. (2) Operates on the transferor's death. (3) Remains revocable until the transferor's death.

(a) A revocable transfer on death deed is not effective unless the deed is recorded on or before 60 days after the date it was acknowledged before a notary.

California · general information · checked October 11, 2026 · Cal. Prob. Code §§5614, 5626

What Texas’s own law says

Sec. 114.051. … An individual may transfer the individual's interest in real property to one or more beneficiaries effective at the transferor's death by a transfer on death deed.

Sec. 114.052. … A transfer on death deed is revocable regardless of whether the deed or another instrument contains a contrary provision.

Sec. 114.054. (a) The capacity required to make or revoke a transfer on death deed is the same as the capacity required to make a contract. (b) A transfer on death deed may not be created through use of a power of attorney.

Sec. 114.055. REQUIREMENTS. To be effective, a transfer on death deed must: (1) … contain the essential elements and formalities of a recordable deed; (2) state that the transfer of an interest in real property to the designated beneficiary is to occur at the transferor's death; and (3) be recorded before the transferor's death in the deed records in the county clerk's office of the county where the real property is located.

Texas · general information · checked October 11, 2026 · Tex. Est. Code §§114.051–114.055