Alaska Transfer on Death Deed

An Alaska transfer on death deed passes your house or land to the person you name when you die, with no probate case for that property. It works only if two things happen while you are alive: you sign it in front of a notary, and you record it at the DNR Recorder's Office in each recording district where any part of the property sits. The Alaska Court System puts it plainly: "The form has no effect unless it is acknowledged and recorded before your death."

The Court System publishes the deed as form P-150, Transfer on Death Deed (revision 7/20), and the revocation as form P-151. Both footers cite AS 13.48.010 to .190 (printed as "13.48.10-.190"). We could not read that chapter itself: the Legislature's statute site refuses our automated reader, so every rule on this page comes from the two forms, the Court System's Transfer on Death Deed page and the Department of Natural Resources Recorder's Office, all checked on September 28, 2026. This page gives general information about Alaska law. It is not legal advice.

What The Deed Does

The Court System's Transfer on Death Deed page answers this in one paragraph. When you die, the deed transfers the described real property to the named beneficiary, subject to any liens or mortgages on the property at your death. Probate is not required for that property. Until then:

The deed has no effect while you are alive.
You can revoke it at any time.
You stay free to sell or give away the property during your life.
If you no longer own any interest in the property when you die, the deed does nothing.

The mortgage travels with the house. A beneficiary who takes a property with a loan on it takes the loan too.

The deed covers only the real property it describes. The Court System says any other property that does not pass automatically to a survivor may still need probate. A TOD deed on the house does not settle the bank account in your name alone.

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Filling Out Form P-150

Form P-150 is two pages. It asks for:

Each owner's full name, marital status and mailing address. The form has room for two owners.
The legal description of the property. The Court System says the legal description is necessary, and that you can usually find it on the deed you received when you became an owner, or at the recorder's office for that district.
The recording district where the property is located.
A first-choice beneficiary, who takes "if the beneficiary survives me".
An alternate beneficiary (optional), who takes if your first choice does not survive you.
A designated agent (optional), whom you authorize to revoke the deed before your death.
Your signature and an acknowledgment completed by the person who takes it.

Two lines on the form deserve a second read. The notice at the top warns that the deed may affect a beneficiary's eligibility for public assistance and may affect creditors' rights. And the beneficiary section suggests talking to a lawyer before listing more than one first-choice beneficiary, because there is more than one way to leave property to several people. The form itself has one line for each.

Notarize, Then Record In Each Recording District

The Court System's instructions come in this order: complete the form, sign it in front of a notary public or another person authorized by law to take acknowledgments, then take it to the recorder's office. If the property lies in more than one recording district, record the deed in each one.

Alaska records land by recording district, not by borough and not by court district. The DNR Recorder's Office lists 34 recording districts, served by two offices:

Anchorage office, 550 West 7th Ave., Suite 108, Anchorage, (907) 269-8876, for the Aleutian Islands, Anchorage, Bristol Bay, Chitina, Cordova, Haines, Homer, Iliamna, Juneau, Kenai, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Kvichak, Palmer, Petersburg, Seldovia, Seward, Sitka, Skagway, Talkeetna, Valdez and Wrangell districts.
Fairbanks office, 3700 Airport Way, Fairbanks, (907) 452-3521, for the Barrow, Bethel, Cape Nome, Fairbanks, Ft. Gibbon, Kotzebue, Kuskokwim, Manley Hot Springs, Mt. McKinley, Nenana, Nulato and Rampart districts.

DNR says the recording offices are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Form P-150 points you to the district list at dnr.alaska.gov/ssd/recoff/distlist, and DNR also offers an interactive district map.

Recording fees. DNR's Recording Fees page, which cites AS 40.17.030(a)(10) and 11 AAC 05.200, charges $20 for the first page of a document, $5 for each additional page, $2 for each indexed name over six, and a $50 non-standard document fee. At those rates a two-page deed costs $25 per district. Checks go to the Department of Natural Resources. There is no court filing, so there is no court fee.

Changing Your Mind

Before you record it, the answer is simple. The Court System says that if you have not yet recorded the deed, you can tear it up or otherwise destroy it.

After you record it, tearing up your copy does nothing, because the recorded copy is the one that counts. Form P-150 and the Court System's page list exactly three ways to revoke a recorded deed:

Complete and acknowledge a Revocation of Transfer on Death Deed (form P-151) and record it in each recording district where the property is located.
Complete and acknowledge a new transfer on death deed that disposes of the same property, and record it in each district.
Transfer the property during your life by a recorded deed that expressly revokes the TOD deed.

Both sources then add the same sentence: "You may not revoke the TOD deed by will." A will that leaves the house to someone else loses to a recorded TOD deed that was never revoked.

Form P-151 carries two warnings of its own. The revocation must be recorded before you die or it will not be effective. And it is effective only as to the interests of the owners who sign it, so one co-owner's revocation does not undo the other owner's deed. P-151 revokes all of the signer's previous TOD deeds and asks for the serial number of each recorded one.

The Court System adds that, except for a court, no one, including the beneficiaries, can stop you from revoking the deed. If someone is pressuring you to sign or revoke one, its advice is not to complete the form under pressure and to get help from a trusted family member, friend or lawyer.

Telling The Beneficiary

You do not have to. The Court System answers the question directly: "No, but it is recommended," because secrecy can cause later complications and might make it easier for others to commit fraud. No Court System page or form requires you to serve written notice on the beneficiary, and we found that claim only on commercial form sites.

A beneficiary who does not know about the deed may not know to claim the property, and may not know the one-year creditor window below is running.

After The Owner Dies

The Court System's Transferring Ownership of Assets page says that when the person who died recorded a TOD deed, the property passes automatically to the named beneficiaries, and there is no need to do anything to transfer it. It stays out of the probate estate.

A recorded TOD deed also matters to the rest of the estate. The Court System's affidavit page says the small-estate affidavit is closed when the person who died owned real property, no matter how small its value, unless that property passed automatically by tenancy by the entirety or a transfer on death deed. So a recorded TOD deed can keep the rest of a modest estate eligible for the Alaska small estate affidavit. For an owner who lives in another state, the deed can also avoid the second probate a TOD deed avoids, the Alaska case that would otherwise be opened just for Alaska land.

Creditors Have One Year

A TOD deed moves property out of probate. It does not move it out of reach. The Court System says creditors have one year after your death to make a claim against real property transferred by a TOD deed.

That year has a cost for a beneficiary who wants to sell. The Court System explains that most buyers and mortgage lenders want to be sure no one has a legal claim before they buy, lend or issue title insurance, and during that year it can be hard to be sure. Some title companies ask the new owner to open a probate to notify possible creditors, which defeats the purpose of the deed. Meanwhile the new owner pays every expense of the property. If you expect your beneficiary to sell quickly, the Court System suggests talking to a lawyer about whether a TOD deed is the best tool. See Alaska creditor claims for how the creditor deadlines run in a probate, and selling inherited property in Alaska for the sale itself.

Medicaid is a separate question. Alaska's Medicaid State Plan, Attachment 4.17-A, defines the "estate" open to recovery as property subject to the Alaska Uniform Probate Code, and it does not say whether that reaches property passed by a TOD deed. The form P-150 notice about public assistance is the one warning the Court System prints.

What We Could Not Confirm

The Court System pages and forms do not cover every rule in AS 13.48, and we will not fill the gaps from memory. We could not confirm from an official source:

whether the deed also needs witnesses (the form provides for an acknowledgment only);
the mental capacity required to sign one;
what happens to a beneficiary's share if the beneficiary dies first and no alternate is named;
whether a divorce revokes a deed naming a former spouse; and
how joint owners' deeds interact at the first owner's death.

Naming an alternate on form P-150 answers the third question for your own deed. For the rest, a lawyer can read the current statute for you.

Is It The Right Tool?

A TOD deed suits an owner with Alaska real property, a clear beneficiary and no wish to give anything away now. It costs a recording fee, stays revocable and leaves you in full control until death.

It fits less well when the beneficiary will want to sell within a year, when the beneficiary relies on public assistance, or when you want someone to manage the property if you become unable to. For those cases, compare a trust instead of a deed. The full list of options, including survivorship accounts and tenancy by the entirety, is in other ways to avoid probate. If the owner has already died without one, the property usually goes through the Alaska probate process.

Common Questions

Does Alaska allow a transfer on death deed?

Yes. The Alaska Court System publishes form P-150, Transfer on Death Deed (revision 7/20), whose footer cites AS 13.48.010 to .190. At the owner's death the deed transfers the described real property to the named beneficiary, subject to any liens or mortgages, and probate is not required for that property. The deed has no effect during the owner's life.

Does an Alaska transfer on death deed have to be recorded before death?

Yes. The Court System says the form has no effect unless it is acknowledged and recorded before your death. You sign it in front of a notary public or another official authorized to take acknowledgments, then record it at the DNR Recorder's Office in each recording district where any part of the property sits. Form P-150 prints the same rule: it must be recorded before your death or it will not be effective.

How do you revoke an Alaska transfer on death deed?

Form P-150 and the Court System's Transfer on Death Deed page list three ways: record a signed and acknowledged revocation on form P-151, record a new transfer on death deed for the same property, or transfer the property during life by a recorded deed that expressly revokes the TOD deed. Both say you may not revoke the deed by will. A deed that was never recorded can simply be torn up.

Do I have to tell the beneficiary about my Alaska TOD deed?

No. The Court System answers that question directly: you do not have to tell the beneficiaries, but it recommends that you do, because secrecy can cause later complications and might make it easier for others to commit fraud. No Court System page requires written notice to the beneficiary.

Can creditors reach property that passed by an Alaska TOD deed?

Yes, for one year. The Court System says creditors have one year after your death to make a claim against real property transferred by a TOD deed. Buyers and lenders know this, so a sale in that first year can be delayed, and some title companies ask the new owner to open a probate to notify creditors.

How much does it cost to record a transfer on death deed in Alaska?

The DNR Recorder's Office charges $20 for the first page of a document and $5 for each additional page, with $2 for each indexed name over six and a $50 non-standard document fee where it applies. At those rates a two-page deed like form P-150 costs $25 to record in one district. There is no court filing, so there is no court fee.

Sources:

Title: Transfer on Death Deed. Publisher: Alaska Court System. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-28). URL: https://courts.alaska.gov/shc/probate/tod-deed.htm
Title: Form P-150, Transfer on Death Deed (AS 13.48.010-.190). Publisher: Alaska Court System. Publication Date: Form revision 7/20. URL: https://public.courts.alaska.gov/web/forms/docs/p-150.pdf
Title: Form P-151, Revocation of Transfer on Death Deed (AS 13.48.010-.190). Publisher: Alaska Court System. Publication Date: Form revision 7/20. URL: https://public.courts.alaska.gov/web/forms/docs/p-151.pdf
Title: Transferring Ownership of Assets. Publisher: Alaska Court System. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-28). URL: https://courts.alaska.gov/shc/probate/transferring-assets.htm
Title: Collecting Personal Property without a Court Case (Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property). Publisher: Alaska Court System. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-28). URL: https://courts.alaska.gov/shc/probate/affidavit.htm
Title: Recording Fees (AS 40.17.030(a)(10); 11 AAC 05.200). Publisher: Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Recorder's Office. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-28). URL: https://dnr.alaska.gov/ssd/recoff/fees
Title: Recorder's/UCC Places of Record (34 recording districts). Publisher: Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Recorder's Office. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-28). URL: https://dnr.alaska.gov/ssd/recoff/distlist
Title: Alaska Medicaid State Plan, Attachment 4.17-A (estate recovery definitions). Publisher: Alaska Department of Health. Publication Date: Not listed (accessed 2026-09-28). URL: https://health.alaska.gov/media/s0pikprn/msp-section-417-attachment-a.pdf

It is not legal advice.