Transfer tax
Connecticut charges a state and municipal real estate conveyance tax based on consideration. It is customarily charged to the grantor, and how it applies to a gift with no consideration is confirmed when we prepare the deed.
Donate a house, land or building in Connecticut, in any of the 169 towns
Connecticut property specialists: (888) 228-7320
Donate Real Estate in Connecticut
Connecticut has no county government for land records. Deeds are recorded with the town clerk in one of 169 towns, each with its own practices, and the conveyance tax has a municipal share on top of the state share. Beyond that, the state’s two recurring problems are both physical: crumbling concrete foundations in the northeast and older housing with underground oil tanks.
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Connecticut rules for a property donation
Federal tax rules are the same in every state. These three are set by Connecticut and by the county where the property sits.
Towns, not counties
Connecticut land records live with the town clerk, and the municipal conveyance tax varies by town, with a higher rate available to certain designated municipalities. Getting the town right and the tax computed correctly is the whole administrative job here. We confirm both before drafting.
Recording
Deeds are recorded with the town clerk for the town where the property sits. You sign before a notary wherever you live, and we handle the filing.
What Connecticut owners call us about
Four situations that recur in this state specifically.
A crumbling concrete foundation
Houses in the northeast quadrant built with aggregate that deteriorates over time. Replacement costs are enormous and the house is otherwise sound. It is reviewed, not refused.
An underground oil tank
Older houses with buried heating oil tanks, and small commercial sites with a history. Environmental questions are handled rather than waved away.
A large house with a large tax bill
Family houses in towns where the annual property tax alone makes waiting expensive while heirs decide.
An empty mill building
Brick mill space in the river towns, structurally sound and far larger than any local use.
Connecticut property we accept
Each links to the full guide for that type, including how a donation compares with selling.
Houses in ConnecticutColonials, capes, ranches and mill town housing.
Connecticut landWooded parcels, shoreline lots and infill land.
Farm groundTobacco valley ground, orchards, hay and pasture.
Commercial propertyMain street buildings, storefronts and small offices.
Industrial buildingsMill and warehouse space along the rivers.
Land contractsProperty sold on terms years ago. We take over the payments and deliver the deed at payoff.
What a donation looks like by region
Six Connecticuts inside an hour and a half of driving.
Fairfield County
High values and high carrying costs, with estates where the tax bill forces a decision.
The Hartford area
Older city housing, suburban colonials and the tobacco valley farm ground north of the city.
The northeast quiet corner
The concentration of crumbling foundation cases, plus rural acreage and small-town buildings.
New Haven and the shoreline
Three-family houses, coastal flood exposure and small commercial buildings.
The Naugatuck valley
Mill towns with brick industrial buildings and housing where repairs outrun value.
Litchfield County and the northwest
Second homes, large wooded parcels and farm ground held by families who moved away.
Connecticut real estate donation questions, answered
Is a donated deed subject to Connecticut transfer tax?+
Connecticut charges a state and municipal real estate conveyance tax based on consideration. It is customarily charged to the grantor, and how it applies to a gift with no consideration is confirmed when we prepare the deed.
I live outside Connecticut. Do I have to travel there to sign?+
No. We prepare the deed in the form Connecticut requires for the county where the property sits, you sign before a notary where you live, and we record it with the town clerk.
My foundation is crumbling. Is the house still donatable?+
Reviewed rather than refused. It is a well-documented problem in this part of the state and the replacement figure is large, so what matters is that number against what the property is worth with a sound foundation. Tell us the town and whether you have had a core test.
Does Connecticut give a state tax deduction for a property donation?+
Connecticut has a state income tax, and how it treats a charitable contribution is set by Connecticut law rather than by us. Your federal deduction follows the usual IRS rules. Take the state question to your own advisor.
There is an old oil tank buried in the yard. Does that stop it?+
No, but it has to be disclosed early rather than discovered late. Tanks, and the possibility of a release, are part of the diligence. Where remediation is the deciding cost, we will say so plainly rather than stringing it out.
We do not provide tax or legal advice. State and local transfer tax rules change; we confirm current requirements when we prepare each deed. Consult your own advisor.
Tell us about your Connecticut property and we will review it
The county and a parcel number are enough to start.