Estate and legacy planning firm founded by Aimee D. Griffin, with a Washington, DC office on upper Wisconsin Avenue NW and offices in Upper Marlboro, MD and Arlington, VA. Assists families with probate after a loved one dies, petitions for guardianship and conservatorship of an adult who can no longer protect themselves or their assets, and litigation over breach of fiduciary duty or financial exploitation of an elder. Also prepares estate plans and business succession plans.
Estate Planning for District of Columbia Property Owners
For most District of Columbia homeowners, the house is what drags an estate into probate. A transfer-on-death deed or a living trust keeps it out—here is how to set up either one and record it locally.
For a District of Columbia property owner, the biggest probate risk is the home itself. Real estate is what forces most families into the DC Superior Court - Probate Division. The two tools that keep a District of Columbia home out of probate are a transfer-on-death deed recorded with the Recorder of Deeds, and a revocable living trust that holds title to the property.
Skipping this planning step means the DC Superior Court - Probate Division decides who receives the property: a simple District of Columbia probate takes 6+ months. District of Columbia also lets owners name a transfer-on-death beneficiary on vehicle titles, which keeps cars out of the same process.
Record a Transfer-on-Death Deed in District of Columbia
A transfer on death deed names a beneficiary who receives District of Columbia property automatically at the owner's death, without probate. It is recorded with the Recorder of Deeds during the owner's lifetime and can be revoked at any time.
Before recording, a District of Columbia transfer on death deed is signed with notary acknowledgmentD.C. Code 19-604.01 to 19-604.19Verified Oct 18, 2026View source. The deed takes effect only if it is recorded before the owner's deathD.C. Code 19-604.01 to 19-604.19Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Where to Record Property Documents
Deeds and other real property documents for the District of Columbia are recorded with the Recorder of Deeds at 1101 4th Street Southwest, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20024. Phone: 1-202-727-5374. Hours: 8:30 AM-4:00 PM (deeds recorded 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM).
The Recorder of Deeds charges $25 flat, regardless of page count. A 2-page transfer on death deed costs $30 to record in the District of Columbia, which is $25 in recording fees plus the $5 Document Surcharge. The office also requires a Real Property Recordation and Transfer Tax Form (ROD 1) with the deed, at no charge. A transfer on death deed is exempt from transfer tax.
District of Columbia accepts electronic recording through CSC, Simplifile and ePN.
Recording Office Record
Recorder of Deeds
District of Columbia
Phone
Hours
8:30 AM-4:00 PM (deeds recorded 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM)
Office
1101 4th Street Southwest, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20024
Website
E-recording
Fax
1-202-727-9629
Recording fees
| Flat fee (any length) | $25 |
| Document SurchargeApplies to a TOD deed | $5 |
| Late Filing Penalty | $250 |
| Deed of Trust / Mortgage Recording Fee$150 (replaces the $30 base fee for deeds of trust, mortgages, modifications, amendments, or amended and restated deeds of trust) | |
| UCC Filing Fee | $25 |
| Transfer tax on a TOD deed | TOD deeds are exempt from transfer tax |
DC Code 42-1218 (ROD fee schedule); DC Code 42-1211(a) ($5 surcharge)
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Estate Planning Attorneys Serving District of Columbia
Washington, DC office of Lowenstein Sandler in Foggy Bottom (2200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW), home of Beth Shapiro Kaufman, National Chair of the firm's Private Client Services group and a former Associate Tax Legislative Counsel in the Treasury Office of Tax Policy. The trusts and estates group works with executors and trustees in estate administration and handles the fiduciary litigation that arises from it, and advises high-net-worth individuals and family offices on estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax planning and IRS controversies.
Georgetown estate practice at 1050 30th Street NW in Washington, founded by principal attorney Rodney C. Mitchell. Guides families through probate and estate administration and represents clients in disputes over an estate, alongside wills, trusts, asset protection, and elder-law work. Estate-planning, probate, will, and trust consultations can be booked online.
National firm whose Washington office sits on K Street NW across from Farragut Square, with attorneys there since 1942. The Private Clients, Trusts & Estates group handles probate, estate settlement, and trust administration, and represents fiduciaries and beneficiaries in trust and estate disputes. Also works with banks and trust companies serving as trustees and executors, and with family offices on multigenerational wealth transfer.
Washington tax firm on New Hampshire Avenue NW, founded in 1964 by former IRS Commissioner Mortimer M. Caplin and Douglas D. Drysdale, with a second office in New York. Its Private Client group handles probate and revocable trust administration, taking select new estates with foreign wills or foreign assets, post-mortem planning, or a residue passing to a charity. Also represents clients in IRS disputes over estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax.
Washington, DC office of a national firm at 2001 M Street NW, where member Adam D. Reid practices exclusively in private wealth, trusts and estates. The firm's Private Client, Trusts and Estates group represents executors, trustees, and beneficiaries from the settlement of estates through tax return preparation, audits, and ongoing trust accounting, and handles will and trust contests and construction and reformation disputes. Reid also advises on business succession and estate planning for bitcoin and other digital assets.
Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to verify their current practice areas and availability.
Legal Sources
(2)·
- D.C. Code 19-604.01 to 19-604.19
- DC Code 42-1218 (ROD fee schedule); DC Code 42-1211(a) ($5 surcharge)
Data sourced from District of Columbia statutes and official state code. How we research.
Forms for Planning Your Estate in District of Columbia
Free forms for planning your estate in the District of Columbia: will, living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney and TOD deed. Prepare each form.
Free
Last Will and Testament
In the District of Columbia, a will is signed before 2D.C. Code § 18-103Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and the witnesses sign an affidavit at probate instead of a self-proving affidavitD.C. Code § 18-103Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
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Free
Healthcare Power of Attorney
District of Columbia requires 2DC Code § 21-2207Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredDC Code § 21-2207Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
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Free
HIPAA Release
In the District of Columbia, a HIPAA release names who may receive your records; the state regulates HIV/AIDS-related information and mental health recordsD.C. Code § 7-1605 (last amended D.C. Law 24-170, § 2, eff. Sept. 21, 2022); D.C. Code § 7-1202.01; § 7-1202.02(a)(5); § 7-1201.01 (definition of "client representative")Verified Jun 20, 2026View source above the federal rule, and the document carries each rule.
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Free
Financial Power of Attorney
District of Columbia treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultD.C. Code §§ 21-2601.04, 21-2601.05, 21-2601.06, 21-2601.09, 21-2601.13, 21-2601.14, 21-2601.19, 21-2601.20, 21-2602.01, 21-2602.17, 21-2603.01, 21-2603.03Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed before a notaryD.C. Code §§ 21-2601.04, 21-2601.05, 21-2601.06, 21-2601.09, 21-2601.13, 21-2601.14, 21-2601.19, 21-2601.20, 21-2602.01, 21-2602.17, 21-2603.01, 21-2603.03Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
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Transfer on Death Deed
In the District of Columbia, a transfer on death deed is signed before a notaryD.C. Code 19-604.01 to 19-604.19Verified Oct 18, 2026View source, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathD.C. Code 19-604.01 to 19-604.19Verified Oct 18, 2026View source. District of Columbia does not recognize a Lady Bird deed.
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Vehicle Transfer on Death
District of Columbia allows a transfer-on-death beneficiary designation on a vehicle title18 DCMR § 402.2(b)Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, filed through the District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles (DC DMV) using Form DCDMV-ADD-BEN-001.
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Free
Living Will
In the District of Columbia, the living will is the DeclarationD.C. Code Title 7, Ch. 6, Subch. II (Natural Death Act of 1981, D.C. Law 4-69), §§ 7-621 to 7-630Verified Sep 27, 2026View source, a document of its own, apart from the healthcare power of attorney.
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Free
Pour-Over Will
In the District of Columbia, a pour-over will is signed before 2D.C. Code § 18-103Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
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Tools for Planning Your Estate in District of Columbia
Free tools for planning your estate in the District of Columbia: will and trust costs, trust or TOD deed, and the signing rules. Run each tool.
How Do I Sign Estate Documents?
In the District of Columbia, a will is signed before 2D.C. Code § 18-103Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and notarization is not requiredD.C. Code § 18-103Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
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Will My Estate Documents Transfer?
District of Columbia has no statute recognizing a will by the law of the place where it was signedD.C. Code §§ 18-103, 18-702Verified Oct 18, 2026View source, so a will used here is tested against its own rule: 2D.C. Code § 18-103Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and notarization is not requiredD.C. Code § 18-103Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
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Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In the District of Columbia, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 2%Modeled estimate under D.C. Code § 20-753 (reasonableness review of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.1%Modeled estimate under D.C. Code § 20-753 (reasonableness review of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.
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How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in the District of Columbia runs $3,820Estimate: 10 hours at $382, Clio's District of Columbia Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,730Estimate: 15 hours at $382, Clio's District of Columbia Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
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How Much Does a Will Cost?
An attorney-prepared will in the District of Columbia runs $1,041Estimate: 3 hours at $347, Clio's District of Columbia Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,082Estimate: 6 hours at $347, Clio's District of Columbia Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $26,493D.C. Code § 20-753 (reasonableness review of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
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How Does SimplyTrust Compare to LegalZoom, Trust & Will, and Other Services?
Compare what it costs to make a trust official across SimplyTrust, LegalZoom, Trust & Will, Rocket Lawyer, and Quicken WillMaker.
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How Do I Name a Guardian for My Minor Children?
In the District of Columbia, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will or a separate signed writingD.C. Code §§ 21-102, 21-103(a), 21-105 (estate, by deed or will), 21-101(b), 21-107Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, and the nomination covers the child until the age of majority, 18D.C. Code § 46-101; see also § 21-104Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
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Do I Need a Revocable Trust?
Probate in the District of Columbia takes 6 months to 12 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 2%Modeled estimate under D.C. Code § 20-753 (reasonableness review of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.1%Modeled estimate under D.C. Code § 20-753 (reasonableness review of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
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District of Columbia Estate Planning Articles
Estate planning articles for District of Columbia.
